List of other (EU) NanoEthics projects
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NanoBio-RAISE
NANOCAP
DEEPEN
Nanologue
Nanodialogue
Nano2Life Ethics Board
Nanoforum
Frontiers
Other Nano Ethical Projects
European group on Ethics
Nanomedicine Technology Platform
Nanoned TA-Flagship
NanoEthics
Demos Nanodialogues
European Science Foundation
The Rathenau Institute
TA Swiss
Nanojury
International Risk Governance Council
The OECD
Centre on Nanotechnology & Society
International Nanotechnology and Society Network
Nanotechnology Products
Greenpeace
Friends of the Earth
ETC
Nanobiotechnology: Responsible Action on Issues in Society and Ethics
Goals: To bring together the key relevant players in the field
including committed ethicists, Delft University of Technology, European
Commission Nano2Life Network of
“Towards a European Strategy for Nanotechnology” and the results of
its Nanoforum public consultation which surveyed European public opinion on
these issues, prepare for the relevant actions in the European Commission’s
Action Plan for Nanotechnology to be recommendations of the European
Commission’s Communication “Towards a European
Strategy for Nanotechnology” and the results of its Nanoforum public
consultation which surveyed European public opinion on these issues, prepare
for the relevant actions in the
European Commission’s Action Plan for Nanotechnology to be published
in Spring 2005 and the Technology Platform on Nanotechnology foreseen in its
Seventh Framework Programme commencing in 2006.
Goals: To give support to environmental NGOs and trade unions to
develop their own position in the debate on nanotechnology based on scientific
information. To give academic and industrial RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
performers tools to introduce "responsible nanotechnology". To
develop preliminary recommendations for public authorities to address ethics
and health, safety and environmental risk issues.
Goals: Development of a deepened ethical understanding of issues
related to emerging nanotechnologies through an interdisciplinary approach
utilising insights from philosophy, ethics, and the social sciences.
Development of ways to map de-facto ethics embedded in the world of
nanoscience and technology actors, and on that basis develop ways of enhancing
ethical reflexivity in the
Based on extensive research and stakeholder consultations, the 21-month project by the Wuppertal Institute in Germany, Forum of the Future in UK, EMPA (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research), and triple innova of Germany, developed several products to enhance the dialogue about social, ethical and legal aspects for nanotechnology applications, amongst others:
* Three Scenarios of how nanotechnology will have developed by 2015.
* The NanoMeter – an
internet-based tool assessing societal implications of nanotechnology.
The NANO DIALOGUE project will establish an
integrated process of communication and social debate about nanotechnologies
and nanosciences (N&N) at a European dimension by acting on a double level.
Firstly, it will provide information and raise awareness among the general
public on the latest developments of research in this field. Secondly, it will
implement social dialogue between the research community, civil society and
citizens, with the objective of identifying main issues and objectives in these
target groups. High quality communication tools and widespread results will be
ensured by the choice of partner organisations, which represent a wide European
dimension, including new member states of the European Community, and cover a
variety of fields of knowledge.
Ethics board of the Network of Excellence, Nano2Life
Nano2Life is the first European Network of Excellence in
nanobiotechnology. Its objective is to make
Nanobiotechnology
promises progress in a number of fields such as diagnosis, prevention and
therapy of human diseases and environmental monitoring. This will raise new and
general questions about the ethical implications and social impact of these
future applications. The relevant questions have to be identified and to be
discussed with the scientific community and the general public.
This will
create an environment, which assures development of nanobiotechnology in
agreement with European ethical, legal and social standards. Nano2Life has set
up an ELSA Board with 11 experts from 8 European countries to identify and
study the different ethical, legal, and social aspects (ELSA) related to
nanobiotechnology.
The work of the board is focussed on four major activities:
* Evaluation of general and
prospective ethical and social questions raised by nanobiotech Research &
Development projects. Several papers have already been published.
* Monitoring of projects
initiated by the network. This on-project guidance provides the opportunity to
raise project-specific questions concerning ethical issues at a very early
phase of each project.
* Informing N2L researchers and
students about ELSA issues related to Nanobiotechnology. This will raise the
awareness of these subjects in the scientific community.
* Dialogue with the public to
identify ethical concerns of the European citizens. This will help the
Nano2Life network to develop and readjust its vision in accordance with ethical
principles and social standards of the European society.
Nanoforum is a pan-European nanotechnology
network funded by the European Union under the Fifth Framework Programme (FP5)
to provide information on European nanotechnology efforts and support to the
European nanotechnology community. On the Nanoforum website
(www.nanoforum.org), all users (whether they are members of the public,
industry, R&D, government or business communities) can freely access and
search a comprehensive database of European nanoscience and nanotechnology
(N&N) organisations, and find out the latest on news, events and other
relevant information (including education tools, further training, jobs, and
other EU projects). In addition, Nanoforum publishes its own specially
commissioned reports on nanotechnology and key market sectors, the economical
and societal impacts of nanotechnology, as well as organising events throughout
the EU to inform, network and support European expertise.
FRONTIERS, a Network of Excellence supported
by the Sixth Framework Program (FP6) from the European Commission, aims at
establishing leadership in research and innovation on behalf of life sciences
related nanotechnology. The network represents eleven nano-technology
institutes scattered over
Following
the European Commission’s recent communication ‘Towards a European Strategy for
Nanotechnology’, the network will seek to integrate consideration of the
societal dimensions of nanotechnology through a structured program of
reflection and public engagement. The Ethical and Social Aspects of
Nanotechnology work package will assist Frontiers researchers to comply with
the highest standards of ethical research practice; to reflect on the societal
dimensions of research in the nanosciences; and to begin to engage in public
dialogue.
The
objectives of work within the Frontiers network on the ethical and social
aspects of nanotechnology are:
·Safeguard
ethical issues within the project.
·Education
/ information of Frontiers researchers on ethics.
·Involvement
of media and different sectors of society with respect to ethical issues.
Other Nano
Ethical projects
The Group is a
neutral, independent, pluralist and multidisciplinary body, composed of fifteen
experts appointed by the Commission for their expertise and personal qualities.
The task of the
Group is to examine ethical questions arising from science and new technologies
and on this basis to issue Opinions to the European Commission in connection
with the preparation and implementation of Community legislation or policies.
In order to face the
ethical issues that are arising with the rapid advances in science and
technology, the Members represent a broader range of professional competences
in different disciples such as, inter alia, biology and genetics, medicine,
pharmacology, agricultural sciences, ICT, law, ethics, philosophy, and
theology.
For every full
Opinion to be issued by the Group, a roundtable is held before the Opinion is
adopted, to which representatives of the Institutions of the European Union,
experts of the fields, parties representing different interests, including
NGOs, patients and consumer organisations and industrial stakeholders, are
invited to participate in the debate.
Nanomedicine Technology Platform
The platforms policy objectives are:
* Establish a clear strategic vision in the area resulting in a Strategic Research
* Decrease fragmentation in nano-medical research
* Mobilise additional public and private investment
* Identify priority areas
*
Boost innovation in nanobiotechnologies for medical use
Three key priorities
have been confirmed by the stakeholders:
* Nanotechnology-based diagnostics
including imaging
* Targeted drug delivery and release
* Regenerative medicine
Dissemination of
knowledge, regulatory and IPR issues, standardisation, ethical, safety,
environmental and toxicity concerns as well as public perception in general and
the input from other stakeholders like insurance companies or patient
organisations play an important role.
NanoNed, the
Nanotechnology network in the
The total budget for
this NanoNed program amounts to 235 M€.
The aim of
technology assessment is to understand and improve the interaction between science,
technology and society. This requires dedicated methodologies and in-depth
studies.
Our intellectual
framework is based on the notion of co-evolution: research activities,
scientific fields, funding opportunities and societal visions are interdependent
and shape each other mutually. Reflection on such co-evolution is a further
goal of the NanoNed TA program.
The Nanoethics Group is a non-partisan and
independent organization that studies the ethical and societal implications of
nanotechnology. We also engage the
public as well as collaborate with nanotech ventures and research institutes on
related issues that will impact the industry.
By proactively opening a dialogue about the
possible misuses and unintended consequences of nanotechnology, the industry
can avoid the mistakes that others have made repeatedly in business, most
recently in the biotech sector - ignoring the issues, reacting too late and
losing the critical battle of public opinion.
Demos is the think tank for everyday
democracy. We believe everyone should be able to make personal choices in their
daily lives that contribute to the common good. Our aim is to put this
democratic idea into practice by working with organisations in ways that make
them more effective and legitimate.
Nanotechnology - the science of small things
- promises to be one of the defining technologies of the 21st Century. But what
will it mean for society and the environment? And how can public engagement in
deciding the direction of research be moved 'upstream'?
The European Science Foundation is committed
to promoting high quality science at a European level. It is the European
association of national organisations responsible for the support of scientific
research.
Recent years have witnessed a nearly
unprecedented growth and expansion of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. Until
recently, this area of research had largely been a domain of physicists and
material scientists. Predictably, progress achieved in physical and engineering
sciences has now started to exert impact on medicine and bio-medical research,
creating the new and evolving field of Nanomedicine. Many challenges and
opportunities lie ahead until nanotechnological applications will have a firm
place in the diagnosis and therapy of human disorders.
EMRC identifies Nanomedicine as a scientific
field that is – while currently embryonic – rapidly evolving, gaining both
momentum and importance within the medical community. Accordingly, a Scientific
Forward Look has been initiated, upon the approval of ESF Executive Board in
June 2003, aiming to provide a reference for the future research in the field.
The Rathenau
Institute carries out research into the development of science and technology.
The institute has two key tasks:
1. Stimulating both public debate and the formation of political judgements. Technological and scientific developments sometimes give rise to more questions than answers. The Rathenau Institute highlights the significance of these developments for individuals and society. What are the possibilities, yet also the risks? In professional jargon this is called Technology Assessment (TA).
2. Describing the Dutch science system. The
Rathenau Institute is investigating the dynamics of the scientific and
technological process: how is the science system organised, how does it respond
to scientific, societal and economic developments, and to what specific
scientific developments does this lead? This task is called Science System
Assessment (SciSA).
The Rathenau
Institute is an independent body and was founded in 1986 by the Ministry of
Education, Culture and Science, which also funds it. Administratively the
institute falls under the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
(KNAW).
Since 2003 the
Rathenau Institute has been stimulating open dialogue about nanotechnology
between scientists, government departments, the private sector and the general
public. These pages provide information about our activities in the area of
nanotechnology which form part of the work programme 2005-2006.
The project
Nanotechnology in Focus focuses on concrete applications of nanotechnology
which are expected to be marketed before 2015. Two questions – an innovation
question and a prioritisation question - are pivotal:
* Will nanoscientific and nanotechnological
research in the area concerned indeed lead to innovation before 2015?
* How was the research agenda in this area
realised (whether or not under the specific heading nanotechnology)?
The project aims at
a better understanding of the dynamics in nanotechnology related innovations.
The research for this project is done by our new department Science System
Assessment (SciSA).
A great future is
being predicted for the nanosciences. The commercial expectations are
correspondingly high. This will impact on society. By the targeted manipulation
of nano-scale structures, whole new perspectives are opening up, for instance
in cancer therapy, entertainment electronics or in the food industry. But so
far, hardly anything is known about the possible impact on the environment and
on health.
With its projects,
TA-SWISS supports the formation of opinion, especially with regard to advising
politicians, but also for the general public. Expert studies provide specialist
information and arguments. The discussion forum determines the attitudes of the
citizens.
The Nano Jury brings
together twenty randomly-chosen people from different backgrounds who will hear
evidence about a wide range of possible futures, and the role that
nanotechnologies might play in them.
International Risk Governance Council
The IRGC project on
nanotechnology addresses the need for adequate risk governance approaches at
the national and international levels in the development of nanotechnology and
nanoscale products. Using the risk governance framework developed in the project
'Basic Concepts of Risk Characterisation and Risk Governance', the project team
have developed a generic global framework for the risk governance of
nanotechnology. The primary aim of the project is to create forum which enable
a wide range of stakeholders to collaborate, using and adapting the risk
governance approach established by IRGC, both to determine deficits in the risk
governance of nanotechnology, and to establish recommendations for the
management of these deficits.
OECD monitors and
benchmarks Member country technology and innovation policies and assesses their
impact on economic performance. It identifies good policy practices in areas
such as support to R&D, public/private partnerships for innovation, and
overall management of national innovation systems.
Centre on Nanotechnology & Society (USA Chicago, Kent)
Nanotechnology has been heralded as the key
technological development of the 21st century. Yet, there has been little
discussion on the present and future social significance of this nascent
technology. To that end, Illinois Institute of Technology's (IIT's) Center on
Nanotechnology and Society, an affiliate of the Institute on Biotechnology and
the Human Future (IBHF), at Chicago-Kent College of Law, has been created to
catalyze informed interdisciplinary research, education and dialogue on the
ethical, legal, policy, business, and broader societal implications of
nanoscale science and technology - all with a special focus on the human
condition.
To achieve these goals, the Center on Nanotechnology
and Society brings the foremost scholars and researchers in law, ethics,
technical areas, and the social sciences together with leaders in business and
industry. The Center on Nanotechnology and Society's conversation on
nanotechnology and human dignity includes:
• this website (www.nano-and-society.org);
• sponsorship of national nano conferences,
such as the 1st Annual Conference on Nanopolicy and the Human Future,
NanoWorld: Toward a Policy for the Human Future, to be held at the National
Press Club in Washington, D.C., on April 28, 2006;
• the Chicago Nano Forum webcast series;
• participation in national nano events that
address the human condition;
• the IIT Nano Colloquium; and
• various publications, such as Nano &
Society, a monthly electronic newsletter, and Nanologues, a print series on
specific nano-related topics.
International Nanotechnology and Society Network
The International Nanotechnology and Society
Network (INSN) is a coalition of organizations and individuals involved in
advancing knowledge, promoting institutional innovation, engaging policy
processes, and improving decisions related to the societal impacts of
nanotechnologies and other areas of innovation that nanotechnology may help to
enable.
INSN members share a commitment to ensuring
the public value of nanotechnology in light of its potential for catalyzing
rapid and profound social change. To
meet this commitment, INSN fosters connections between the social sciences and
natural science and engineering activities related to nanotechnology, with a
particular focus on institutional innovation that can improve anticipatory
governance, regulatory response, and the just distribution of potential
benefits. INSN also develops educational
programs and materials that can help build capacity for meeting its commitment.
INSN seeks to establish a framework for
equitable participation of a range of stakeholders as partners in the process
of enabling the reflexive co-evolution of nanotechnology and society.
After more than twenty years of
basic and applied research, nanotechnologies are gaining in commercial use.
Nanoscale materials now are in electronic, cosmetics, automotive and medical
products. But it has been difficult to find out how many "nano"
consumer products are on the market and which merchandise could be called "nano."
While not comprehensive, this
inventory gives the public the best available look at the 200+
nanotechnology-based consumer products currently on the market. Prior to this
inventory, the figure most often cited by the
Greenpeace does not have a
stance on nanotechnology as a whole, because the applications will be too
diverse, including information technology, pharmaceuticals, defence and energy.
The first applications of nanotechnology look to be in making faster computers
and helping doctors with better diagnostic tests.
There may be some very
beneficial uses of nanotechnolgy if it is directed towards, for example, a
genuinely clean energy system with the prospect of very efficient lighting,
cleaner manufacturing processes and cheap, efficient solar cells. However these
are some years from deployment, so whether they happen or not depends on a host
of decisions about research and development funding now and over the next few
years.
See also the report on the
bottom of the webpage!
Friends of the Earth (or http://nano.foe.org.au/
)
Nanotechnology is being
heralded as the basis of the next industrial revolution, yet, amidst the hype
there are serious questions about the health, environmental and social impacts
of this powerful new technology. The Friends of the Earth nanotechnology
project aims to catalyze debate on what is set to be one of the defining issues
of our time.
While nanotechnology
offers opportunities for society, it also involves profound social and
environmental risks, not only because it is an enabling technology to the
biotech industry, but also because it involves atomic manipulation and will
make possible the fusing of the biological world and the mechanical. There is a
critical need to evaluate the social implications of all nanotechnologies; in
the meantime, the ETC group believes that a moratorium should be placed on
research involving molecular self-assembly and self-replication.
