IAS-STS offers its fellows the opportunity to perform work focussing on the relationship between technology and society. Special attention is paid to the areas technology policy, technology diffusion, technology assessment, social shaping of technology and technology related analysis of gender and education issues.

Shaping and developing technology is one of the biggest challenges of our time. Technology is not simply a tool or applied science; nor is science simply an accumulation of knowledge. Rather, science and technology are firmly entrenched in society, both playing instrumental roles in shaping the everyday lives of individuals and communities.

Given the importance of science and technology in society, socially sound and ecologically sustainable technology design requires interdisciplinary reflection and the opening and democratisation of actor networks. In particular, engineers and scientists are called upon to play a constructive and responsible role in tackling these tasks.

The democratisation of technology design requires a deeper understanding of the interdependence between science, technology and society. Conducting interdisciplinary research on the shaping of technology as a social process is the main focus of IAS-STS.