PRESENTATION

This 3 day exaptation international workshop aims to foster interdisciplinary synergy between social and natural science research on the topic of exaptation (also known as preadaptation). Our particular emphasis is on innovation, technological change, economics, and R&D but we are interested in the contribution from all sciences where evolutionary mechanisms play a relevant role. The Workshop is hosted jointly by Department of Economic Sciences, Business and Statistics (DEAS) and Department of Information Technologies (DIT) of University of Milan, and Durham Business School, University of Bologna, University of Padua and University of Udine. The main aim of the workshop is to literally put together, around the same table, the fragmented discussions on exaptation that have been going on in several disciplines (technology history, innovation studies, evolutionary biology, ecology, industrial design, etc.). Interdisciplinarity is truly key! By tracing the multiple uses and interpretations of exaptation and related frameworks in various discipline, the workshop aims at

1. establishing the relevance that frameworks based on exaptation play in multiple disciplines;
2. contributing to formulating an unified approach to exaptation as a universal evolutionary process;
3. defining a trans-disciplinary agenda for research on exaptation.

The number of participants is limited to about 40 and participation is by invitation only. The format intends to maximise open conversations and engage the participants in interdisciplinary debates by providing a thinking forum in the beautiful settings of Lake Garda in Palazzo Feltrinelli. Questions to be debated include (but are not limited to):

- What is the role of exaptation in the emergence of radical novelty in technology, biology and ecology?
- What is the role of exaptation in the emergence of economic and ecosystems niches?
- Does exaptation fix a fundamental limit to knowledge and prediction?
- Exaptation and design/new product development: can a better knowledge of exaptation improve design and NPD?
- Can we define an interdisciplinary research agenda for exaptation?

Following it's possible to download the Conference full version Presentation (format pdf):

Exaptation 2009 Presentation _ full version.pdf