Die synthetische Biologie hat mit der spektakulären Ankündigung, Leben zu konstruieren, auf sich aufmerksam gemacht. Das öffentliche Interesse an diesem Forschungszweig ist bislang jedoch gering. Das EU-Projekt SYNENERGENE hat sich vorgenommen, das zu ändern.
Die synthetische Biologie will Lebewesen von Grund auf neu konstruieren oder mittels standardisierter genetischer Bauteile neu programmieren. Damit lassen sich Organismen mit gänzlich neuen Eigenschaften herstellen. Dies verspricht neue Anwendungen, z.B. im Pharmabereich. Biologie soll nach den Prinzipien einer Ingenieurswissenschaft betrieben werden, um effizient und planmäßig zu Produkten zu kommen.
Einige Expertengremien haben zu ethischen Aspekten sowie den Risiken dieses Forschungsfelds Stellung genommen. Aus forschungspolitischer Perspektive stellt sich vor allem die Frage, wie die Entwicklung der synthetischen Biologie gestaltet werden könnte, damit sie dem Anspruch verantwortlicher Innovation („Responsible Research and Innovation“) genügt.
An diese Thematik knüpfte SYNENERGENE an. Dieses Projekt, das im 7. Rahmenprogramm der EU („Science and Society“) gefördert wurde, setzte sich zum Ziel, öffentliches Interesse für die synthetische Biologie zu wecken und die Möglichkeiten einer verantwortlichen Technikgestaltung auszuloten. Zu diesem Zweck wurden Interessenvertreter aus Industrie, Wissenschaft und Zivilgesellschaft sowie Bürger in Dialog gebracht.
Die Aufgabe des ITA bestand darin, verschiedene Dialogformen vergleichend zu analysieren. Solche Dialoge fanden im Kontext von Ausstellungen, Film-Festivals oder Science Cafés statt. Die Analysen des ITA zeigten, dass sich im Rahmen dieser eingeladenen Partizipation vor allem dann lebhafte Kontroversen entwickeln, wenn im Bürgerpanel vielfältige normative Positionen vertreten sind und die Partizipierenden in der Lage sind, an der Rahmung der konkreten Problemstellung („Problem-Framing“) aktiv mitzuwirken.
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 AssessmentPublished: Vienna; November 2016Editor: Michael NentwichAuthors Chapter 'Austria': Tanja Sinozic, Michael Nantwich, Walter Peissl, Georg Aichholzer & Johann Čas
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.
Bauer, A. (Speaker), Fuchs, D. ((Co-)Author) & Bogner, A. ((Co-)Author)
Bauer, A. (Speaker) & Bogner, A. (Speaker)
Bogner, A. (Speaker)
Bogner, A. (Speaker)
The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme FP7-SCIENCE-IN-SOCIETY-2012-1 under grant agreement n° 321488. Any opinions expressed on this website do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the Community.
("Synthetic biology - Engaging with New and Emerging Science and Technology in Re-sponsible Governance of the Science and Society Relationship")
