SYNENERGENE

Responsible Research and Innovation in synthetic biology

With its claim to construct living organisms, synthetic biology raised a lot of heads within the science community. Public interest, however, has remained low. An international team of experts, working within the EU funded project SYNENERGENE, set out to change that.

Synthetic biology aims at constructing living organisms from scratch. It wants to re-program existing organisms, using standardized genetic building blocks. This could lead to the construction of organisms with entirely new properties. The approach promises to deliver new applications, for example in the area of pharmaceuticals. If it works, biological science could be transformed following true engineering principles, creating “products” efficiently and in a well-planned way.

Different expert bodies have commented on both ethical aspects and risks associated with this field of research. From a science policy perspective, the main question is how the development of synthetic biology might be shaped to meet the requirements for responsible research and innovation.

SYNENERGENE picks up on this very issue. The project, executed as part of the EU’s 7th framework program (under ‘science and society’), aims at stimulating the publics’ interest in synthetic biology through various participatory methods. By drawing from a wider range of perspectives, it wants to add on to existing pools of knowledge that help shape technologies responsibly. To do so, stakeholders from industry, science and civil society are brought into a dialogue. The outcome of the dialogue events, for example concrete proposals for a potential regulation of synthetic biology, will be made available as recommendations for the EU’s innovation policy.

The ITA’s task is to comparatively analyse different forms of dialogue. Such dialogues will be held in the context of exhibitions, film festivals or science cafés, for example. Will they fulfil the demands for inclusiveness, openness and transparency? The ITA’s empirical analysis might not only serve to continuously improve the forms of dialogue events applied by the project partners. It might also contribute to the on-going debate on the benefit of participation.

Publications

Publications

  • Bauer, A., Bogner, A., & Torgersen, H. (2016). Capturing the Public Imagination: Input to SYNENERGENE Agendas. Third report for the EU-FP7 project SYNENERGENE. doi:/10.1553/ita-pb
    DOIRISENWBIB Abstract

    Digitalization, automation and increasing robotisation in health care, industry and beyond, coupled with the advent of platform-based competitive mediation of work (crowdworking) – all impact on the future of work and labour. The associated challenges to the labour market, working conditions, wages, and the blurring boundary between private and professional life are the topic of intensive political and societal debate in many countries. Just take the conflicts surrounding Uber and AirBnB and their entry to traditional markets, as well as the vision of the so-called Internet of Things or cyber-physical systems, as the most prominent issues. Technology assessment (TA) always tries to be at the forefront of such debates. It is therefore not surprising that the member institutions of the European Parliamentary Technology Assessment (EPTA) network have already devoted a number of projects on labour issues related to digitalisation. The Annual EPTA Conference 2016 'The future of labour in the digital era: Ubiquitous computing, virtual platforms and real-time production' was thus devoted to this timely and exciting topic. This report continues a series of similar reports compiled by the respective presidency of the EPTA network. As in previous years, it is a collection of contributions written from the perspectives of all full and associate members of EPTA. This report also includes a general introduction and a synthesis that gives the reader a compact summary of the state-of-the-art in the EPTA countries. The report was originally intended to inform the participants of the Annual EPTA Conference held in the Austrian Parliament in Vienna on 21st October 2016. After the conference it has been amended to reflect the lively debates and to include the preliminary results of the conference debates.
     
    Publisher: EPTA – European Parliamentary Technology Assessment
    Published: Vienna; November 2016
    Editor: Michael Nentwich
    Authors Chapter

  • Torgersen, H., & Bogner, A. (2016). Problematizing New Technology. Making Sense of Synthetic Biology. (C. Scherz, Michalek, T., Hennen, L., Hebáková, L., Hahn, J., & Seitz, S., Eds.). Prague: Technology Centre ASCR. Retrieved from http://epub.oeaw.ac.at/ita/pacita/pacita-2015-conference-proceedings.pdf
    WebsiteDownloadRISENWBIB
  • Bauer, A., Bogner, A., & Torgersen, H. (2015). Capturing the Public Imagination: In-depth Analysis of Participatory SYNENERGENE Actions. Second interim report for the EU-FP7 project SYNENERGENE. doi:/10.1553/ita-pb
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Bogner, A., & Torgersen, H. (2015). Different ways of problematising biotechnology – and what it means for technology governance, 24, 516-532; first published (online) on June 24, 2014. doi:10.1177/0963662514539074
    DOIWebsiteDownloadRISENWBIB Abstract

    To understand controversies over technologies better, we propose the concept of ‘problematisation’. Drawing on Foucault’s idea of problematisation and on the concept of frames in media research, we identify characteristic forms of problematising biotechnology in pertaining controversies, typically emphasising ethical, risk or economic aspects. They provide a common basis for disputes and allow participants to argue effectively. The different forms are important for how controversies are negotiated, which experts get involved, what role public engagement plays and how political decisions are legitimised – in short, for technology governance. We develop a heuristic for analysing the link between forms of problematisation and different options for technology governance. Applied to synthetic biology, we discuss different problematisations of this technology and the implications for governance.

  • Bogner, A., & Torgersen, H. (2014). Emerging Technologies and the Interpretative Turn in Technology Assessment. Teorija In Praksa, 51, 726-741. Retrieved from http://www.fdv.uni-lj.si/docs/default-source/tip/tip_05_2014_bogner_idr.pdf?sfvrsn=2
    WebsiteRISENWBIB
  • Bogner, A., & Torgersen, H. (2014). Capturing the Public Imagination: In-depth analysis of participatory SYNENERGENE Actions. First interim report for the EU-FP7 project SYNENERGENE. doi:/10.1553/ita-pb
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Riedlinger, D. (2013). Forschungspolitisch mitreden. Ita-Newsfeed. Retrieved from http://www.oeaw.ac.at/ita/projekte/news/forschungspolitisch-mitreden
    WebsiteRISENWBIB
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Conference Papers/Speeches

Conference Papers/Speeches

  • 18/09/2018 , Klagenfurt
    Alexander Bogner,  Daniela Fuchs,  Anja Bauer: 
    If you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail: Technology bias in invited participation on emerging technologies
    2nd STS Austria Conference – Innovation and Societal Transformation: Science, Democracy, and Sustainable Futures
  • 13/10/2016 , Bergen
    Alexander Bogner,  Anja Bauer: 
    Early engagement for RRI in synthetic biology: Experiences from SYNENERGENE
    S.Net Conference
  • 03/06/2015 , Lausanne
    Alexander Bogner: 
    A better way of engaging? Invited participation in science and technology
    Kongress der Schweizerischen Gesellschaft für Soziologie
  • 25/02/2015 , Berlin
    Alexander Bogner: 
    What’s the Problem with Upstream Engagement? The Case of Synthetic Biology
    2. Europäische TA-Konferenz
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