ITA-Berichte

Non-scientific factors such as general attitudes, media coverage and political support influence the public image of a scientific-technological field – but how does a new field find its image? To shed light on relevant processes, COSY did investigations in three areas: public attitude formation, media reporting and program funding. As an example we chose the emerging field of Synthetic Biology (SB), being considered a “hot topic”. Having received increased media attention recently, it provides a living communication experiment: prone to elicit attitudes, they are not yet determined. To find out how lay people cope with challenging insights from SB using their everyday knowledge, we performed an experiment shaped after the flow of information as it actually occurs: scientists wrote press releases on their work, Austrian journalists made newspaper articles thereof and focus groups of lay people summarised and discussed them. Journalists and scientists were then confronted with the outcome. The results show that popularisation and framing start early; for example, press releases tended to omit technical terms and emphasised benefits. Journalists considered applications to be most important for the reader and thought their main task was to present balanced information on risks and benefits. In the focus groups, attention shifted further to risks and ethical issues, and concerns and hopes were similar to those over genetic engineering years ago. While most participants felt better informed after the discussions, attitudes to SB polarised along pre-existing opinions on biotechnology. In addition, many attendants thought that what SB promises had already been achieved – which means that science only catches up with long-standing projections. Groups dominated by female participant raised the “playing god” metaphor more often. However, in serial reproduction experiments (“Chinese whispers”) morally tainted issues, even “creating artificial life”, disappeared quicker compared to benefit and risk issues. Media coverage usually counts as the most important factor in shaping a technology’s image. In German-language media (2004-2009), SB was a side issue despite its recent prominence, mostly confined to science sections and online portals. Here as well, the focus shifted to concrete applications over time, with a strong emphasis on benefits. In 2007 and 2008, the person of Craig Venter dominated coverage. While he got presented with both fascination and repulsion, the technology as such was associated with more positive effects than risks. In contrast, scientists in interviews more often emphasised potential risks. Media coverage also showed a strong gender bias towards male actors, role models and gendered connotations of SB artefacts. Funding may be seen as a result of officially acknowledging the importance of a new field. While SB was a major issue in the US, both R&D and SB-related ELSA funding varied considerably in several European countries in the past. The UK successfully integrated all forms of research, while other countries suffered from different funding problems or a lack of dedicated scientific SB or ELSA communities. Taken together, we were able to show that lay people do not consider SB to be entirely novel, and that interest may be higher in pragmatic aspects than in moral issues. This corresponds to the emphasis on applications and benefits in media coverage. However, it might also contribute to sustaining the hype some protagonists are busy to create. Policy finally does not yet seem to have found a consistent way of dealing with SB, at least in Europe.

Privatsphäre 2.0...: Diese Kurzstudie versucht, anknüpfend an die Studie „Beeinträchtigung der Privatsphäre in Österreich“, die im Jahr 2000 im Auftrag der Bundesarbeitskammer erstellt wurde, die wesentlichen Entwicklungen der letzten Jahre aufzuzeigen, die veränderte Situation im Hinblick auf die Privatsphäre der BürgerInnen zu beschreiben und daraus mögliche Vorgehensweisen zum Schutz derselben abzuleiten.

GM plants and their role in European agriculture as well as in the regulatory system and in society at large have long been controversial issues. In addition, recent developments with respect to new technologies, expanding international trade and the increasing demand for food and fuel have changed the general framework. The question is whether these developments challenge the established way in which GM plants and food have been dealt with in Europe so far. Reviews of reports from EPTA member organisations on various aspects of GM plant application, their regulation and associated problems rendered a list of developments and consequently possible challenges to European policy on GM plants. Proceeding from this list of challenges, a questionnaire was developed, and 183 experts involved in the development, assessment and policy making on GM plants in Europe were invited to respond. These experts, 71 of whom completed the questionnaire, come from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The questionnaire results and the experts’ comments were analysed in the light of the results of the EPTA members’ reports. All in all, the regulatory system for GM plants and food in Europe does not seem to be fully prepared to meet all existing and foreseeable future challenges. Five key areas of challenges for the European system of GMO regulation in the years to come were identified, as were a number of possible approaches for future technology assessment activities.

Die österreichische Forschungslandschaft im Bereich der raumbezogenen Forschung im weiteren Sinne stellt sich heterogen und bislang wenig vernetzt dar und verfügt über keine gemeinsame Webplattform. Der vorliegende Projektbericht stellt im Auftrag der Forschungsabteilung des österreichischen Bundesministeriums für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Umwelt- und Wasserwirtschaft Informationen, Anregungen und Einschätzungen zusammen, die sich auf die Idee des Aufbaus einer solchen Plattform beziehen.Das Portal soll eine Weiterentwicklung jenes elektronischen Forschungsverwaltungssystems werden, welches derzeit unter dem Akronym DaFNE implementiert wird. Auf Basis einer Darstellung unterschiedlicher technisch-organisatorischer Optionen, werden verschiedene Module, wie ein Publikationsarchiv, eine kommentierte Linksammlung, ein Online-Newsletter usw. für das Portal empfohlen. Da selbst eine perfekte technische Infrastruktur nicht sicherstellen könnte, dass das Portal auch seinen Zweck, nämlich die kommunikative und inhaltliche Vernetzung der Forschungscommunity, nachhaltig erfüllt, sind ein wesentlicher Teil des vorgeschlagenen Konzepts Maßnahmen zur organisatorischen Umsetzung, die auf nationalen und internationalen Erfahrungen mit ähnlichen Projekten beruhen. Die hier gemachten Vorschläge reichen von der organisierten Sicherung der Datenqualität über begleitende Maßnahmen zum Communitybuilding bis zur Beachtung verschiedener internationaler Standards.In einem Exkurs wird die noch weitergehende Vision eines Informationssystems mit einem geographischen Interface (GIS) ausgelotet. Es wird empfohlen, dieses in Erweiterung des ressortinternen eGIS-Systems schrittweise zu implementieren, jedoch auf die aus Forschungsprojekten stammenden raumbezogenen (quantiativen und qualitativen) Daten zu beschränken.

Die BürgerInnenkonferenz Genetische Daten - woher, wohin, wozu? wurde vom 20. bis 23. Juni 2003 in Wien von der PR-Agentur communication matters als Teil einer Public-Awareness-Kampagne des Rats für Forschung und Technologieentwicklung zum Thema Innovation durchgeführt. Trotz zeitlicher Verzögerung und ökonomischer Engpässe wurde der Nachweis erbracht, dass dieses partzipative Verfahren auch in Österreich durchgeführt werden kann. Der institutionelle Kontext des Projekts erwies sich insofern als problematisch, als potenzielle Akteure der BürgerInnenkonferenz mangelnde Glaubwürdigkeit attestierten. Mit der konkreten Form der Durchführung hat der Veranstalter diese Bedenken entkräftet. Für die wissenschaftliche Beratung wurde eine Arbeitsgruppe aus Natur- und SozialwissenschafterInnen hinzu gezogen. Eine klare Zielvorstellung wurde für diese BürgerInnenkonferenz aber nicht entwickelt. Das Verfahren wurde vor allem unter dem pragmatischen Gesichtspunkt des reibungslosen Ablaufs durchgeführt.

There has been a dramatic increase in paediatric asthma rates over the last few decades. Despite the development of effective treatment options and innovations in patient education and trigger avoidance, the chronicity of the disease in a considerable proportion of patients poses an important socio-economic problem. There is increasing evidence that an interplay of genetic predisposition and environmental exposure to a number of agents, including air pollutants, allergens and infectious agents, are operative in the inception and persistence of the clinical asthma phenotype. Therefore, future research has to be performed with large cohorts that are appropriately genotyped, and their environment will then need to be monitored in relation to all possible environmental risk factors. Given the current limited research funding possibilities in a number of European countries, it may be necessary to direct and organise such research activities on a European level.
\r\nThis fast-track study is aimed at the identification of the amount of on-going research on asthma-related topics and the allocation of funding for such research. It focuses on EU25 countries and is restricted, as much as possible, to research on genetics and environmental factors in paediatric asthma.

Im Rahmen des Projektes wurde eine erste Bewertung der Grünen Bioraffinerie auf Technologieebene durchgeführt.Der erste Schritt war die Untersuchung des Standes der Technik. Zentrales Element der Arbeit war die Erarbeitung eines Kriteriensets zur Bewertung der Nachhaltigkeit einer Technologie. Die Auswirkungen der Technologie waren Inhalt einer Literaturrecherche. Der nächste Schritt war die Anwendung der Kriterien unter Nutzung des aktuellen Standes des Wissens und eine Beschreibung der im Rahmen der Bewertung sichtbar gewordenen möglichen Zielkonflikte. Den Abschluss bildete die Formulierung einiger Empfehlungen.

The study “Cyberscience” analysed the impact of information and communication technologies in academia. In a first step, we collected data on the status quo. E-mail is used practically universal and online databases are spread very widely. While E-mail discussion lists are partly considered very important, Internet video-conferencing is, so far, the rare exception. Virtual research institute exist only to some extent, but there is a trend to more. Electronic journals, full text databases for digital working papers, as well as digital libraries are gaining ground. Altogether, we elaborated and compared 13 case studies of academic disciplines. Contrary to expectations, not only the natural sciences use increasingly these new technologies. Also several fields in the humanities, social sciences and cultural studies, such as parts of history and papyrology, are well advanced in this respect.\r\nIn a second step, we analysed in-depth what kinds of impact the use of new media already has today, and which effects are to be expected in the future. In cyberscience, spatial distances (e.g. with regard to libraries) become less important. Peripheral research distant to the centres will be easier to some extent. In the field of academic publishing, in particular, important changes are looming. In academia, electronic publishing will replace print and paper in the not so distant future. New procedures of quality control are in the making and will complement the existing ones. New formats of knowledge representation (hypertext, multimedia) are likely to be seen soon next to the classical scientific article or book. In addition, the much cheaper electronic publishing opens up the opportunity that academia gets eventually rid of the financial burdens that are laid upon it by the present commercialised publishing system. As regards copyright law, there is urgent need for action in order to guarantee research the necessary access to all important information. Finally, the study found that, potentially, there will be even indirect impact on the substance of research. The electronic media trigger changes in methodologies, work modes and as regards the representation of knowledge. These changes may have an impact on knowledge production.

Der vorliegende Band enthält die Original-Berichte zur Literaturrecherche über die Grüne Bioraffinerie. Diese Recherche wurde aus den Blickwinkeln verschiedener Disziplinen vorgenommen und ausgearbeitet. Es liegen hier neben einer genauen Beschreibung der Technologie und deren Entwicklung auch Kurzberichte über soziale sowie ökonomische Aspekte vor. Diese bildeten die Grundlage für weitere Untersuchungen. \r\nDarüber hinaus findet sich hier das Protokoll des ExpertInnenworkshops „Grüne Bioraffinerie und Nachhaltigkeit“ der die Entwicklung von Nachhal-tigkeitskriterien für die Grüne Bioraffinerie zum Ziel hatte. \r\n