Applied sciences today hold a strategic place in the reconfiguration of social structures—not only because of their capacity to address concrete problems, but also for their potential to transform the living conditions of diverse communities in highly complex environments. In this sense, their role cannot be reduced to the technical resolution of pre-defined challenges; rather, they must engage in dialogue with social values, collective aspirations, and the normative tensions that shape the public sphere.
From this perspective, applied sciences should be understood as epistemic and technological practices guided by public purposes and criteria of social legitimacy. Whether in fields such as public health, education, urban planning, or space exploration, applied knowledge becomes a key tool for imagining and materializing more just, inclusive, and sustainable futures. However, this transformative potential is only fully activated when scientific developments are mediated by deliberative processes, robust ethical frameworks, and mechanisms of social validation that acknowledge the plurality of knowledge systems and lived experiences involved.
Within this framework, TH+In promotes a situated and normatively aware approach to scientific practice—one that combines technical excellence with public responsibility. Special value is placed on research that engages collaboratively with communities, integrates local or ancestral knowledge, and incorporates the voices of historically marginalized actors in the design, implementation, and evaluation of technological and social interventions.
At the same time, this thematic line invites a critical reconsideration of the conventional boundaries between the technical and the social, fostering interdisciplinary approaches that recognize every technological solution as also a statement about the world—about which lives matter, which problems are made visible, and which forms of organization are deemed legitimate. Far from being neutral, applied sciences must assume their active role in shaping collective horizons of possibility.
To guide this reflection, we propose the following orienting questions:
1. What models of knowledge co-production allow for the design of socially responsible, culturally sensitive, and environmentally sustainable technologies?
2. How can the relevance and legitimacy of scientific-technological interventions be assessed in contexts marked by social inequality or institutional fragility?
3. What role can applied sciences play in redressing historical injustices and strengthening social cohesion?
4. In what ways can developments in health, education, urbanism, or space exploration align with agendas of territorial justice and intergenerational equity?
5. What epistemic, ethical, and political criteria should guide scientific practice in scenarios characterized by uncertainty and sociocultural diversity?
This thematic area invites research that conceives scientific practice as a mode of intervention oriented toward the common good. Proposals are expected to combine methodological rigor, interdisciplinary articulation, and transformative commitment, contributing to the design of integrated solutions that expand collective agency and enhance the capacity of communities to shape their own futures.
