Paper long abstract:

In the recent years there has been a surge in popularity of lab-like organisations aiming to improve the quality of public life. For many the name 'laboratory' is only a metaphor, yet there are also some that bear resemblances to the STS model of understanding how laboratories work.

In the paper I present some preliminary assumptions from a qualitative research encompassing selected Polish organizations operating at the intersection of academic social sciences and various areas of public life, which are designed to make an effective impact upon the social reality and, accordingly, can be compared to the laboratories as seen from the STS viewpoint. These organizations are characterized by a strong dedication to bottom-up, context-driven approaches in tackling micro, yet complex social issues. At the same time, they are guided by a global purpose of reinforcing the civil society and modernizing the state. To reach these objectives, they work with a plurality of actors, especially those engaged in the making of policies on local and national level and the local communities. Moreover, these specific labs are focused on creating practical knowledge and successful solutions. Not only do they aim at translating academic concepts into practice, but also act as research units and think tanks, designing umbrella policies for other organizations and actors.

As a result, the organisations under research operate somewhat as mediators between the state, society and science, reshaping the relationships between them on micro and macro level in the name of social development.