Constructive lifecycle assessment: implementing a responsible research and innovation approach for synthetic biology

博士研究将探讨生物技术创新的可持续性影响，特别是合成生物学产品的情况。研究重点将是开发和测试一种建设性和预期性的方法，以评估基于生命周期评估（LCA）的合成生物学应用。生命周期评价已经被广泛用于评估产品生命周期各个阶段的环境影响。然而，将生命周期评估预期应用于新兴技术，以便为创新政策和战略提供信息，是一种相对新颖的方法。这种方法将超越预期的LCA，还考虑到合成生物学的广泛的社会，技术和环境方面，以实现负责任的研究和创新（RRI）。根据多方利益相关者的反思和审议，该研究将探讨这些方面之间的相互作用，以及如何将它们整合起来，为合成生物学的治理和决策提供信息，最终制定建设性LCA框架。该研究将建立在EPSRC先前资助的研究基础上，为新兴技术开发LCA框架。

The doctoral research will explore the sustainability implications of innovation in biotechnology, specifically the case of synthetic biology products. The research focus will be on developing and testing a constructive and anticipatory approach to the assessment of synthetic biology application building on life cycle assessments (LCA). LCA is already widely used to assess environmental impacts throughout all stages of a product's life. However, the anticipatory application of LCA to emerging technologies in order to inform innovation policies and strategies, is a relatively novel approach. This approach would go beyond anticipatory LCA to also consider the wide range of societal, technical and environmental aspects of synthetic biology necessary for achieving responsible research and innovation (RRI) in the field. Drawing on multi-stakeholder reflection and deliberation, the research would explore the interplay between these aspects and how they can be integrated to inform governance and decision-making in synthetic biology, culminating with the development of a framework for constructive LCA. The research would build on research previously funded by EPSRC developing LCA frameworks for emerging technologies.