Networks, public, and governance in transition to bioeconomy: Turkish case and co-production of knowledge

Biotechnology is gaining more and more importance within the increasing interest on economical investment. Although this kind of economical activity requiring intensive knowledge became mainly widespread in North America and Europe, we can say that developing countries are getting more and more articulated to this network of knowledge. Turkey making an important progress in the field of economy in recent years is one of these countries. An official document “Vision 2023” aiming to map out the economical development in future gives high priority to production of knowledge on life sciences. It especially focuses on the use of biotechnology on the field of health and the creation of an independent economical activity depending on genetics and molecular biology. On the other hand we can state that regulations are limited and insufficient in policy level, and they come from behind the scientific and economical efforts. This development carrying some controversial issues like the status of living entity is not yet the part of public discourse, and this causes unawareness of society on the proliferation of these technologies. Some keep distance; some are enthusiastic towards these new economical activities. In this sense, the themes of production of new knowledge, governance, and public participation in the matter of instrumentalisation of life sciences through the technology intertwine in Turkish case. The purpose of this session is to show how different areas interrelate with respect to new knowledge and its use in economy through the Turkish case. The reflections of the document “Vision 2023” will be analyzed in the light of numbers from Turkish economy, and some controversial issues in the public discourse, approaching to genetic knowledge from an ethical perspective will be discussed within the dynamics of production of scientific knowledge in national level.