European Centre for Environment and Human Health, PeninsulaCollege of Medicine and Dentristy, Truro, UK.
Risk Anal. 2010 Nov;30(11):1699-707. doi: 10.1111/j.1539-6924.2010.01517.x.
Significant time lags between the development of novel innovations (e.g., nanotechnologies), understanding of their wider impacts, and subsequent governance (e.g., regulation) have led to repeated calls for more anticipatory and adaptive approaches that promote the responsible emergence of new technologies in democratic societies. A key challenge is implementation in a pragmatic way. Results are presented of a study with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the largest public funder of basic innovation research in the United Kingdom who, for the first time, asked applicants to submit a risk register identifying the wider potential impacts and associated risks (environment, health, societal, and ethical) of their proposed research. This focused on nanoscience for carbon capture and utilization. Risk registers were completed conservatively, with most identified impacts concerning researchers' health associated with nanoparticle synthesis, handling, and prototype device fabrication, i.e., risks that could be identified and managed with a reasonable level of certainty. Few wider environmental impacts and no future impacts on society were identified, reflecting the often uncertain and unpredictable nature of innovation. However, some applicants addressed this by including investigators with expertise beyond engineering and nanosciences supporting integrated activities that included life cycle and real-time technology assessment, which in some cases were also framed by stakeholder and/or public engagement. Proposals underpinned by a strong commitment to responsible science and innovation promoted continuous reflexivity, embedding a suite of multidisciplinary approaches around the innovation research core to support decisions modulating the trajectory of their innovation research in real-time.
新创新（例如纳米技术）的发展与对其更广泛影响的理解以及随后的治理（例如监管）之间存在显著的时间滞后，这导致人们反复呼吁采取更具前瞻性和适应性的方法，以促进新技术在民主社会中的负责任出现。一个关键的挑战是以务实的方式实施。本文介绍了一项与工程和物理科学研究理事会（英国最大的基础创新研究公共资助者）合作的研究结果，该理事会首次要求申请人提交风险登记簿，以识别其拟议研究的更广泛潜在影响和相关风险（环境、健康、社会和伦理）。这集中在碳捕获和利用的纳米科学上。风险登记簿的填写非常保守，大多数确定的影响与研究人员的健康有关，涉及纳米颗粒合成、处理和原型设备制造，即可以通过合理的确定性识别和管理的风险。很少有更广泛的环境影响，也没有对社会的未来影响，这反映了创新的不确定性和不可预测性。然而，一些申请人通过包括具有超越工程和纳米科学专业知识的调查人员来解决这个问题，支持包括生命周期和实时技术评估在内的综合活动，在某些情况下，这些活动也由利益相关者和/或公众参与来构建。有强烈承诺的负责任的科学和创新的提案促进了持续的反思，围绕创新研究核心嵌入了一系列多学科方法，以支持实时调整其创新研究轨迹的决策。
