Nanobio-RAISE Newsletter 1 - April 2006
In this first Nanobio-RAISE newsletter you will find an introduction to the project, recent activities, news, publications and events.
Contents
Introducing Nanobio-RAISE
This European project brings together nanobiotechnologists, ethicists and communication specialists to anticipate and dicuss the societal and ethical issues likely to arise as nanobiotechnologies develop.
The project will implement in 2006 and 2007 what RAISE stands for: Responsible Action on Issues in Society and Ethics.
- three horizon-scanning workshops will explore social and ethical issues in nanobiotechnologies
- an Expert Working Group will discuss specific issues relating to human enhancement
- public opinion focus group discussions in the four corners of Europe will assess public perceptions
- nanobiotechnologists will be confronted with the views of the public and ethical dilemmas during advanced ethics & public communication courses
- a series of briefing papers for specific audiences will discuss hot topics in nanobiotechnology
- ethics lectures held during scientific conferences will increase awareness of ethical and social issues with the scientific community.
NanoBio-RAISE is a 6th Framework Programme Science & Society Co-ordination Action funded by the European Commission.
For more information, please see: www.nanobio-raise.org
Recent Activities
First Steering Group Meeting, 12-13 November 2005
Immediately after its start date on 1 November, the first Steering Group Meeting was held to set the main directions for the project. A meeting report summarising the discussions is available here (pdf-download).
First Horizon Scanning Workshop, 19-21 January 2006
The first Horizon Scanning Workshop: "Making the human-machine-interface specific - Ethical, legal and social aspects of implants and neurobionics" was organised jointly by Nano2Life and Nanobio-RAISE at Hotel Schloss Wilkinghege in Münster. A workshop report will become available shortly (powerpoint presentations are available on request).
Convergence Seminars 2006
The Philosophy Division at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm will conduct focus group discussions on nanotechnology as part of the NanoBio-RAISE project. These discussions will take place in four different venues, corresponding to four different parts of Europe. The first two sessions will be held in Sweden and another country (probably Great Britain) before summer, and two additional sessions later this year at appropriate locations in the south, and east regions of Europe.
News
Roundtable Ethics of Nanomedicine
The European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE) is preparing its 21st Opinion on the Ethics of Nanomedicine and as part of the process has held a Roundtable meeting on 21 March 2006 in Brussels. EGE is a neutral, independent, pluralist and multidisciplinary body which advises the European Commission on ethical aspects of science and new technologies in connection with the preparation and implementation of Community legislation or policies.
Link: http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/european_group_ethics/index_en.htm
‘Talking nano’ wins ‘Best forum session’ prize at CER2005
Presentations of the Nano Dialogue, Nanologue and NanoBioRAISE projects formed the basis for a workshop on communicating nanotechnology at the CER2005 conference – which participants voted the event’s best forum session.
The workshop, which took place on 14 November 2005 at the Communicating European Research 2005 conference in Brussels, set out to explore the challenges of communicating nanoscience to the general public. It examined its novelty, its ethical, legal and social aspects, and the similarities and differences between the debate on nanotechnology and those surrounding other new technologies such as GMOs.
David Bennett presented NanoBio-RAISE, which is identifying lessons that can be learned from the GMO debate; Guglielmo Maglio of NanoDialogue described the project’s development of an integrated process for social debate of issues and expectations; and Nanologue’s Volker Türk outlined the ethical, legal and social questions raised by the new technology. Introductory presentations by Richard Hayhurst (4bio) and Wolfgang Heckl (Deutsches Museum) highlighted the importance of communicating nanotechnology from the perspectives of the journalist and the nanoscientist.
The presentations were followed by a lively debate moderated by Richard Hayhurst, and conference participants subsequently voted the session the event’s best forum session, winning the presenters an award presented by Director-General for Research, Achilleas Mitsos.
Source: European Commission > Research > Industrial technologies:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/industrial_technologies/articles/article_3328_en.html
Publications
Expert Survey: Envisioned Developments in Nanobiotechnology
This report presents an overview of results of a worldwide expert survey conducted within the Foresight and Strategy workpackage of the EU network of excellence “Nano-to-Life”. Main goal of the survey was to provide a useful perspective on future developments in Nanobiotechnology (NBT) and to contribute to a shared vision regarding the future of NBT research, taking into consideration barriers, ethics and public acceptance, commercialization prospects and the state of basic and applied research. The report was prepared by Aharon Hauptman and Yair Sharan from Interdisciplinary Center for Technology Analysis and Forecasting at Tel-Aviv University.
Download here (pdf, 500 kB).
Jane Macoubrie: Nanotechnology: public concerns, reasoning and trust in government
in: Public Understanding of Science 2006 15: 221-241.
Public perceptions of emergent technologies have become increasingly important to understand, in part due to the worldwide backlash against genetically modified foods, which effectively stalled a new industry. In this context, and given the predicted importance of nanotechnology, this article reports an investigation of US citizens' concerns about nanotechnology development
DEFRA reports on nanotechnology:
The UK department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) recently published several reports on nanotechnology:
Characterising the risks posed by engineered nanoparticles
The Group has produced a first research report setting out a programme of research objectives to characterise the potential risks posed by nanotechnologies, with a particular focus on nanoparticles. It describes ongoing activities and funding mechanisms to address research priorities. These will be revisited and further developed as the programme progresses.
A scoping study to identify hazard data needs for addressing the risks presented by nanoparticles and nanotubes
Two studies have recently been completed for Defra by the Health and Safety Laboratory and the Institute of Occupational Medicine to identify exposure and hazard data needs respectively for addressing the risks presented by nanoparticles and nanotubes. The reports have been used to identify research needs to find out more about the potential risks associated with free engineered nanoparticles to the environment and human health.
A database of UK nano-scale material production and use and a regulatory gaps study will be available soon on the website.
See: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/nanotech/nrcg/reports/index.htm
Better Humans? DEMOS publishes new collection of essays on the politics of human enhancement and life extension
DEMOS has completed a project on the implications of human enhancement technologies. Their collection of essays - Better Humans? - can be downloaded for free from the DEMOS website.
According to DEMOS: "We all share a desire for self-improvement. Whether through education, work, parenthood or adhering to religious or ethical codes, each of us seeks to become a ‘better human’ in a variety of ways. And for some people, more consumerist pursuits hold the key to self-improvement: working out in the gym, wearing makeup, buying new clothes, or indulging in a spot of cosmetic surgery. But now a new set of possibilities is opening up. Advances in biotechnology, neuroscience, computing and nanotechnology mean that we are in the early stages of a period of huge technological potential. Within the next 30 years, it may become commonplace to alter the genetic make-up of our children, to insert artificial implants into our bodies, or to radically extend life expectancy. This collection of essays by leading scientists and commentators explores the implications of human enhancement technologies and asks how citizens and policy-makers should respond."
Link: www.demos.co.uk/catalogue/betterhumanscollection
Selected events
NTNE2006 Congress and Exhibition
16-18 May 2006, Helsinki, Finland
The largest nanotechology
event in Northern Europe, NTNE2006 combines latest research to industrial
developments and gives you the opportunity to meet 400-500 scientists, industry
experts, entrepreneurs, investors and up to 100 innovative companies: http://www.nano.fi/ntne2006/index.htm.
NanoBio-Europe 2006
14-Jun-2006 to 16-Jun-2006, Grenoble, FR
NanoBio-Europe is the merger of the NanoBioTec - Congress and Exhibition and the NanoBiotechnologies X-France. The scientific program will address nanotechnological results, developments and applications in the field of increasingly efficient, more targeted and less invasive analysis and therapeutic systems for health care. NanoBioEurope innovations are expected to bring high added value to biotechnological and pharmaceutical industries. Most of these innovations are based on multidisciplinary collaborations with experts from life science, micro- and nanotechnologies, material sciences, physics and medicine. Five high-level workshops with plenary and invited lectures held by speakers of international reputation, poster sessions and an exhibition of nanobiotech companies will offer extensive information. The congress will be held over three days.
InNaBioTech 2006
24-Oct-2006 to 26-Oct-2006, Toulouse, FR
InNaBioTech is an international symposium on Info, Nano, Bio technologies, Convergence and Ethics. This event pursues the ambitious goal to gather economic and institutional actors and offer them the opportunity to get informed and exchange about those technologies, develop new markets, and deal with Ethics. InNaBioTech 2006 is set up by IEC France, a branch of Expomedia Group.
For further details on these and other events, please see: www.nanobio-raise.org/events
Resources on the web
www.nanochina.cn - this newly launched bi-lingual NanoChina website offers a news service to
nanotechnologists, business investors and IP companies who want to know what's
happening in the Chinese and Asian nanotech sector.
www.nanotechnology.net,
a new website dedicated to the field of nanobiotechnology. With focused
news; both onsite and delivered via eNewsletter, upcoming events in
this field, new posters, market reports, and product developments.
