Field theories, stable homotopy theory and Khovanov homology

In this paper, we discuss two topics: first, we show how to convert 1+1-topological quantum field theories valued in symmetric bimonoidal categories into stable homotopical data, using a machinery by Elmendorf and Mandell. Then, we discuss, in this framework, two recent results (independent of each other) on refinements of Khovanov homology: our refinement into a module over the connective k-theory spectrum and a stronger result by Lipshitz and Sarkar refining Khovanov homology into a stable homotopy type.