Posted: February 6, 2008 |
European Commission gives grant to investigate transatlantic oversight of nanotechnology |
(Nanowerk News) Researchers at the London
School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Chatham House,
Environmental Law Institute (ELI) and the Project on Emerging
Nanotechnologies (PEN), an initiative of Woodrow Wilson International
Center for Scholars and The Pew Charitable Trusts, have been awarded a
$587,000 European Commission grant to conduct an international research
project on regulating nanotechnologies in the European Union and United
States.
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In recent years, several transatlantic conflicts have erupted over how
to regulate chemicals, beef hormones and genetically modified food. These
disputes have shown the need for better international coordination of risk
assessment and management. But how can nanotechnologies be effectively
regulated to ensure both innovation and safety? And how can emerging
European and U.S. regulations be made compatible so as to avoid future
conflicts in this major growth area?
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The project will be coordinated by Dr. Robert Falkner at LSE. Dr.
Falkner, a deputy director of LSE's Centre for Environmental Policy and
Governance and international relations expert, says:
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"High profile controversies such as those concerning genetically
engineered crops have highlighted how important it is for policymakers to
identify potential risks associated with new technologies and to promote
international cooperation in the early stages of the policy process. There
are known gaps and inadequacies in existing regulatory approaches to
nanotechnology that must be addressed if we are to effectively promote
innovation while ensuring safety and enhancing public acceptability. This
project aims to examine current practice and provide recommendations to
policy makers on both sides of the Atlantic on how to promote best
practices and avoid future trade conflicts."
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This research effort also will try to look beyond the current and
near-term state of nanotechnology development and oversight. According to
PEN director David Rejeski:
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"The first generation of nanotechnology applications and products is
here. Second generation uses -- in electronics, sensors, targeted drugs and
active nanostructures -- are emerging. But capabilities of these early
nanotechnology products pale in comparison to third and fourth generation
applications in areas such as robotics, multiscale chemical and
bio-assembly, and supramolecular structures. This project is aimed at
helping governments, businesses and scientists around the world make
informed policy decisions that will not only help protect the public today,
but ensure continued and responsible technological development in the
future."
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ELI President Leslie Carothers lauds the potential for international
cooperation on nanotechnology environmental, health, and safety governance.
According to Carothers:
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"This inventive, transatlantic research partnership is an essential
step forward and will make an important contribution at a critical juncture
in the development of governance structures for nanotechnologies worldwide.
With hundreds of nanotechnology-enabled products already available to the
public and many more reaching the marketplace each year, the need for
effective governance structures to manage the potential risks associated
with nanotechnologies becomes more and more urgent. This project will help
inform ongoing and future efforts in the US to develop much-needed
regulatory and alternative nanotech governance tools."
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The aim of the project is threefold:
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To produce high quality analysis of the comparative dimensions of
nanotechnologies regulation in the EU and U.S.;
To publish and widely disseminate policy-relevant research results
that will assist policy processes and debates on both sides of the
Atlantic;
To create greater awareness among decision-makers and opinion
formers for congruent approaches and transatlantic convergence in nanotech
regulation.
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The impetus for this project came out of the April 2007 U.S.-EU summit,
at which U.S. President George W. Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel
launched an initiative to seek closer cooperation on trade and regulation.
The project will involve a research report and analytical papers based on
comparative research, a major international conference to be held at
Chatham House and a series of outreach events in Brussels, Berlin, Paris
and Washington throughout 2009. The project findings will feed into a major
EU conference in 2009 and the 2010 EU-U.S. Summit.
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Website address: http://www.lse.ac.uk/nanoregulation
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