Big Science as a Complex Human Enterprise

Chapter 10 looks into the entanglement between Big Science and Society as a complex human enterprise. The social value of Big Science is illustrated with several examples of the creation and transfer of knowledge and technologies beyond the research sector. Technological projects supported by Big Science in collaboration with the UN in the framework of the agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the economic and social development offered by Yunus microcredits, and the many initiatives among research laboratories to get closer to the public to create ‘a new resilience culture’ are some aspects treated. This chapter highlights the necessity of creating a new paradigm to overcome the focus essentially based on practicality, productivity, and efficiency of Big Science and leave space for serendipity and curiosity to blossom. Also discussed in this chapter is the convergence of art, science, and technology and the establishment of networks to create innovation across disciplines. Today with the so-called citizen science is a good start for a change.