Lecture: From open science to the monopoly of knowledge – Is academic research declining?

Date & time: 6 October 2026, 14:00

Location: Lecture room C, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University in Bratislava, Mlynská dolina F1

Speaker: Gianfranco Pacchioni

Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Università di Milano-Bicocca

Professor at University of Milano-Bicocca, Rector for Research, Director of the Department of Materials Science, Author several popular science books exploringthe relationship between science and society, as well as environmental challenge

Anotation:

Scientific discoveries happen quietly, yet they often lead to radically transformativ technologies. It is commonly thought that these discoveries take place in public research laboratories and universities, and indeed that was the case in the past, but things are changing.

New players have emerged: Big Tech companies, aiming at a highly ambitious goal, the monopoly of knowledge. Thanks to enormous profits, Big Tech has been investing in research and development for years through the acquisition of start-ups and the creation of secret research laboratories staffed by outstanding, highly paid researchers with virtually unlimited resources.

Big Tech has expanded its horizons toward technologies destined to revolutionize our tomorrow: quantum computing, cryptography, neuroscience, brain–machine interaction, satellite communications, space exploration, and above all health, genetics, and biotechnology, without, of course, forgetting artificial intelligence.

All of this takes place beyond any form of public oversight. If we add to this the fact that a significant share of technological innovation comes from military research, secret by definition, two very different faces of contemporary science emerge.

Public, open, and transparent academic science on the one hand; private, confidential, and inaccessible science on the other. In short, clear science and dark science.

In this context, funding public research is no longer just a matter of competitio between systems (public vs. private); it is fundamental to the defence of democracy and promote trust in science. Understanding this scenario is essential to ensure that science benefits everyone and helps reduce inequalities rather than increase them.