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<TITLE>Re: [iDC] Mining the Military-Academic-Industrial Complex in a Poetic-Serious Fashion</TITLE>
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<FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>I don’t want to be negative about my institution’s (Edinburgh College of Art) key regional competitor (Glasgow School of Art) but even art schools get into bed with the military and big business (very profitably).<BR>
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<a href="http://www.gsa.ac.uk/researchandpostgraduate/content/default.asp?page=s18">http://www.gsa.ac.uk/researchandpostgraduate/content/default.asp?page=s18</a><BR>
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As you will note, GSA undertakes research for the UK Army (via French military manufacturer Thales) looking at how to better equip infantry with hi-tech kit, QinitiQ (a major UK military R&D organisation) and the UK navy, on submarine defence systems (Clydeside is where the UK nuclear submarine fleet is based). GSA seems to have no ethical qualms about this, at least at senior management level and within the research unit involved.<BR>
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I don’t know what other’s think of this sort of thing. My own institution is working on its research strategy going forward to 2014 and are planning to build it on an ethical framework focused on sustainability and avoiding certain research linkages. We will not get any browny points from the research councils for doing that. We do hope our students will appreciate it (their concerns in this area are in part driving our strategy). Nevertheless, it is always hard to keep your hands really clean, if not impossible.<BR>
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Regards<BR>
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Simon<BR>
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Simon Biggs<BR>
Research Professor<BR>
<FONT COLOR="#FE7700">edinburgh college of art<BR>
</FONT>s.biggs@<FONT COLOR="#FE7700">eca</FONT>.ac.uk<BR>
www.<FONT COLOR="#FE7700">eca</FONT>.ac.uk<BR>
www.<FONT COLOR="#FD7600">eca</FONT>.ac.uk/circle/<BR>
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simon@littlepig.org.uk<BR>
www.littlepig.org.uk<BR>
AIM/Skype: simonbiggsuk<BR>
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<HR ALIGN=CENTER SIZE="3" WIDTH="95%"><B>From: </B>Anna Munster <A.Munster@unsw.edu.au><BR>
<B>Date: </B>Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:00:25 +1000<BR>
<B>To: </B>nick knouf <nak44@cornell.edu>, IDC List <idc@mailman.thing.net><BR>
<B>Subject: </B>Re: [iDC] Mining the Military-Academic-Industrial Complex in a Poetic-Serious Fashion<BR>
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HI Brian, Nick etc<BR>
<BR>
I take your point Brian about the 'open' flaunting of science-military <BR>
research etc. I too have been similarly amazed to see detailed <BR>
descriptions of various data mining projects linked to homeland <BR>
security concerns but which are funded via agencies such as NSF as <BR>
'good' almost 'neutral' projects 'advancing' knowledge. (see, for <BR>
example, <a href="http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=103047).">http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=103047).</a><BR>
<BR>
I seriously wonder what the hell academics think they are doing - but <BR>
then again, what's new huh? Hasn't this been an ongoing problem of/for <BR>
the academy always...ie the always imbricated and evolving links <BR>
between knowledge and power....<BR>
<BR>
cheers<BR>
Anna</SPAN></FONT>
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<pre>Edinburgh College of Art (eca) is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC009201
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