Human progress depends not only on how we answer questions, but on how we decide what questions to ask. While modern science has developed sophisticated methods for generating answers, far less attention has been devoted to the upstream processes through which questions emerge, evolve, and shape the trajectory of knowledge. At a time where data science and AI are accelerating answers, questioning is becoming even more crucial and the frontier of discovery.
This project proposes the creation of The Question Lab (Q-Lab), a multidisciplinary initiative designed to advance a new field: the science of questions. Positioned at the intersection of science-of-science research, epistemology, innovation studies, and participatory inquiry, Q-Lab will investigate how questions function as foundational infrastructure for knowledge creation and societal decision-making.
The project aims to establish questioning as a recognized domain of research and practice and to strengthen humanity’s ability to navigate complexity, uncertainty, and scientific frontier challenges. It will pursue two goals:
- Foundations and Discipline Formation: advancing theory, research and conceptual frameworks that establish inquiry as a legitimate object of scientific study.
- Methods of Inquiry: developing and testing structured approaches to question formation, refinement, and prioritization through interdisciplinary experimentation.
As a result of these actions, Q-Lab will establish the intellectual and methodological foundations, as well as cultivate a global network, necessary for question science to emerge as a recognizable interdisciplinary field. Through research and experimentation, Q-Lab will generate new knowledge about how transformative questions emerge and how they shape discovery, innovation, and societal priorities.
