Responsible Innovation: A Pilot Study with the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Responsible Innovation: A Pilot Study with the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
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DOI：
10.1111/j.1539-6924.2010.01517.x
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发表时间：
2010-11-01
期刊：
影响因子：
3.8
通讯作者：
Goldberg, Nicola
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Owen, Richard;Goldberg, Nicola
新的创新的发展之间存在明显的时间滞后（例如，纳米技术），了解其更广泛的影响，以及随后的治理（例如，监管）导致人们一再呼吁采取更具预见性和适应性的办法，促进民主社会负责任地出现新技术。一个关键的挑战是以务实的方式执行。工程和物理科学研究理事会，在英国的基础创新研究的最大的公共资助者，首次提出了一项研究的结果，要求申请人提交一份风险登记册，确定更广泛的潜在影响和相关的风险（环境，健康，社会和道德），他们提出的研究。会议的重点是碳捕获和利用的纳米科学。风险登记表是保守完成的，大多数确定的影响涉及研究人员的健康与纳米颗粒合成，处理和原型设备制造，即，可以合理确定地识别和管理的风险。很少发现更广泛的环境影响，也没有发现对社会的未来影响，这反映了创新往往具有不确定性和不可预测性。然而，一些申请人通过包括具有工程和纳米科学以外的专业知识的研究人员来解决这一问题，这些专业知识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，这些活动也是由利益相关者和/或公众参与制定的。以负责任的科学和创新的坚定承诺为基础的提案促进了持续的反思，围绕创新研究核心嵌入了一套多学科方法，以支持实时调整创新研究轨迹的决策。
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.