Bridging Innovation and Technology Transfer, Ethics, and Social Responsibility: Multi‑Level Approaches

Call for Papers – Bridging Innovation and Technology Transfer, Ethics, and Social Responsibility: Multi‑Level Approaches

Journal: Technology in Society
Publisher: Elsevier
Journal metrics: Impact Factor 12.5, CiteScore 21.9

Special Issue timeline:

• Extended abstract submission: by 15 May 2026

• Full‑manuscript deadline (invited authors only): 30 September 2026

This special issue interrogates the ethical dimensions of innovation and technology transfer across micro, meso, and macro levels, focusing on how new technologies (including AI, social and medical innovations, and green technologies) are developed, commercialised, and diffused in ways that reflect—or neglect—social responsibility. It invites work that connects technology‑transfer processes with questions of justice, inclusion, Indigenous knowledge, property rights, and the broader socio‑political context of technology use.

Why this issue matters

• Many innovation and technology‑transfer systems were originally designed around economic growth and knowledge commercialisation, with only partial attention to equity, environmental impact, and social justice.

• Ethical challenges arise at multiple levels:

  • Micro: individual inventors’ conflicts of interest, disclosure failures, and pressures from funding sources.

  • Meso: workplace inequities, privacy issues, and the integration of Indigenous and local knowledge systems into mainstream transfer pathways.

  • Macro: institutional voids (e.g., weak IP regimes), geopolitical alignment of technology, and reputational risks in the Global South and Indigenous contexts.

• Technology in Society provides a platform for interdisciplinary, critical analyses that link innovation and technology‑transfer studies with business ethics, technology ethics, and responsible‑innovation frameworks.

Key themes and levels of analysis

Papers may be theoretical, conceptual, empirical, case‑based, or historical and should explicitly connect to the micro‑meso‑macro structure.

• Micro level

  • Ethical dilemmas in university technology transfer (e.g., faculty failing to disclose inventions, private‑equity influences, academic‑entrepreneur motivations).

  • How funding pressures (public grants, philanthropy, private investors) shape the purpose and orientation of technologies.

  • Social‑responsibility roles of academic and private inventors in addressing environmental and social needs.

• Meso level

  • Ethical‑privacy and confidentiality issues across the innovation lifecycle (idea, prototype, production, marketing, commercialisation).

  • Workplace diversity, equity, inclusion, and team‑conflict implications for technology‑transfer outcomes.

  • Contributions of Indigenous Systems of Knowledge to sustainable technology development and ethical issues in appropriating Indigenous technologies.

• Macro level

  • Public‑ and private‑investment patterns for pro‑social technology transfer and their associated economic and social impacts.

  • Ethical evaluation of “responsible” vs. “irresponsible” technologies in developed and developing economies, Indigenous communities, and conflict‑prone regions.

  • How major societal shocks (e.g., the pandemic) reconfigured innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems and science‑commercialisation practices.

  • Reputational and institutional‑risk challenges for inventors and firms operating in areas with weak property‑right foundations or distinct knowledge systems.

  • Geopolitical influences on technology‑transfer flows (e.g., U.S.‑China strategic competition) and how shared values and ideologies shape technological responses.

Guest editors

• Abel Díaz‑González, Maastricht University, The Netherlands

• Charla Griffy‑Brown, Arizona State University, USA

• Maribel Guerrero (Corresponding GE), Arizona State University, USA

• Irene Henriques, York University, Canada

• Donald Siegel, Arizona State University, USA

• Theodore L. Waldron, Louisiana State University, USA

Submission process and timeline

1. Extended abstract (pre‑submission step)

   • Format: up to 5 pages (max 1500 words), excluding references.

   • Deadline: 15 May 2026

   • Submission method: Email the extended abstract to all guest editors (contacts listed above).

   • Subject line:
     SI TIS: Bridging Innovation and Technology Transfer, Ethics, and Social Responsibility: Multi-Level Approach

2. Virtual Paper Development Workshop

   • Selected proposals will be invited to a ZOOM workshop in June 2026 for feedback from the Guest Editorial Team.

   • Participation does not guarantee eventual publication.

3. Full‑manuscript submission (invited authors only)

   • Deadline: 30 September 2026

   • Submission portal: Editorial Manager® for Technology in Society
     https://www.editorialmanager.com/techis

   • Select article type: VSI: Bridging Innovation

   • All invited full manuscripts will undergo double‑blind peer review in line with the journal’s criteria.

All manuscripts must follow the journal’s Guide for Authors:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/technology‑in‑society/publish/guide‑for‑authors

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