The chosen Themes are (in no particular order):
Theme: Digitax
Today’s principles for taxation requires that value creation (income) can be measured and tied to a geographical location and taxed there. Digitalization and technology-driven globalization challenge these principles as it becomes harder to both determine and measure value creation and tie that to a specific location. For example, what is the value of using Facebook or Google in Sweden and where should the established value be taxed? This theme will discuss and design principles for an adaptable and sustainable tax system that is coherent with the world we live in.
Åsa Hansson at the school of Economics and Management and the Faculty of Engineering and Joakim Wernberg at the Faculty of Engineering are Theme coordinators.
Theme: Greyzone Genomics
This theme addresses how recent advances in genetic technology can be misused in international power struggles, thereby violating human rights and compromising human security. Using a transdisciplinary approach, we will assess risks and consequences from incorporating genetic biotechnology in greyzone and hybrid warfare tactics, for example disinformation based on genetic data, defamation campaigns based on synthetic DNA, psychological profiling of political leaders based on their DNA sequences, weaponization of refugees carrying synthetic pathogens and large-scale DNA sequence data theft for AI development. We conclude by inviting experts from stakeholder organizations to explore countermeasures against the most probable and consequential scenarios.
David Gisselsson Nord , Faculty of Medicine, and Jessica Almqvist , Faculty of Law, coordinate this Theme.
Theme: Ancient Synagogues and the Human Sensorium: How Digital and Experiential Methods Can Transform Our Understanding of the Sights, Sounds, Smells, and Textures of Early Jewish History
The Theme wants to explore innovative digital methods that allow for the high-quality 3D reconstruction, simulation, and immersive study of sensory experience in ancient spaces, in particular spaces of worship. The goal is not only to digitally reconstruct these spaces from the archaeological remains but also to create a virtually spatialized methodological tool for future researchers who want to study the various sensory elements of ancient buildings in an entirely new way.
The Theme will explore how the creation of these simulations can function to preserve and transmit especially the study of ancient synagogues and Jewish cultural history in accessible ways. However, the Theme anticipates that its efforts will open pathways to addressing broader interdisciplinary questions about human sense perception and the digital study of the past.
This Theme is coordinated by Wally V Cirafesi and Giacomo Landeschi from the Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology.
Theme: Ecological Loss and Damage
Our collective failure to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions means climate change and relatedextreme weather events continue to increase. The resulting scale and scope of the losses and damages now being inflicted upon ecosystems that human systems rely upon are poorly understood. Key challenges remain in how to define and measure these ecological losses and damages and how to govern the existential associated risks that are expected to unfold.
Emily Boyd from the Faculty of Social Sciences (LUCSUS, Centre for sustainability Studies) and Richard Walters from the Faculty of Science (Centre for Environmental and Climate Science) coordinate this Theme.