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Newsletter no.3 | October 2017
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Welcome to the third edition of our Newsletter!
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In the last months, six citizen dialogue events took place in different European countries within NANO2ALL. These events gathered groups of citizens to reflect upon their values, concerns and needs regarding nanotechnology. This did not only bring us important insight into citizen views about this technological area, but also collected essential inputs into the upcoming multi-stakeholder dialogue events. These will involve participants active in fields relevant to nanotechnology research and innovation (researchers, technologists, research funders, political decision-makers), interest groups, science journalists and citizen representatives.
Through this newsletter you will learn more about these events, as well as other NANO2ALL activities and materials. We also gathered for you news from other interesting initiatives. We thank you for your interest in NANO2ALL and wish you good reading!
NANO2ALL Team.
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NANO2ALL - Nanotechnology Mutual Learning Action Plan for Transparent and Responsible Understanding of Science and Technology aims to create a climate of dialogue and aspires to engage different societal groups (citizens, researchers, technology developers, policy makers, civil society organizations and journalists) in discussing how nanotechnology can result in socially desirable solutions and products through Responsible Research and Innovation uptake (RRI). It will also debate how the involvement of the public and stakeholders can be increased in nanotechnology research and development (R&D), allowing such communities to contribute to shaping the future of these technologies. This 42-month initiative started in October 2015 and has received funding through the Horizon 2020 programme of the European Union.
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NANO2ALL is coordinated by Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovação (SPI), and the consortium is composed of 11 other partners: Vilabs (Greece); MALSCH (The Netherlands); APRE (Italy); ECSITE (Belgium); NANOfutures (Belgium); EUSJA (France); EMRS (France); VU/VUmc (The Netherlands); UNINOVA (Portugal); SYSTASI (Greece) and JRC (Belgium).
NANO2ALL also integrates science centres linked to ECSITE (The Bloomfield Science Museum, Jerusalem, TRACES, Innovatum Science Center, Bialystok University of Technology, MUSE, ICN2) and PRODINTEC and CERTH linked to NANOfutures.
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How do citizens feel about nanotechnology?
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What were citizen dialogues about?
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The NANO2ALL citizen dialogues were deliberative events that took place in France, Israel, Italy, Poland, Spain and Sweden during the last months. They aimed to gather input from citizens about their values, desires, and concerns regarding nanotechnology. Citizens in the dialogues were encouraged to build their own objects that helped them compose narratives of the future in relation to three different nanotechnology application fields: Nanotextiles, Brain-machine interfaces and Nanomedicine. Narratives served as a fruitful basis for discussion amongst participants about their perspective on nanotechnology research and innovation (R&I). These citizen perspectives will be used to broaden stakeholder reflections in the national multi-stakeholder dialogues organized in autumn 2017.
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How did citizens feel about nanotextiles?
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Citizen dialogues focusing on nanotextiles took place in Italy and Poland. Italian citizens stressed that nanotextile products for health and medical purposes were important, as they respond to real needs of the society. Transparency and responsibility were highlighted as crucial values to be adopted by the actors involved in R&D of nanotechnology, in particular those that are in charge of governing research. As for the concerns, participants gave more importance to social issues that nanotextile products might generate, including social discrimination. Polish citizens also thought nanotextile products should contribute to health and quality of life, making life easier, more efficient and comfortable. Sustainability and no harm to environment were important values. Polish citizens feared that by these types of products, consumers may become technology-dependent, losing personal control over their lives.
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How did citizens feel about nanomedicine?
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Citizen dialogues on nanomedicine took place in Israel and Sweden. Israeli citizens thought nanotechnology could have an important role in creating personal autonomy, as well as developing preventive treatment for disabilities. They were most afraid that nanotechnology through robotization could cause the loss of jobs. They also feared that nanotechnology could be used to empower a minority of people allowing them to exert social control over the rest or other groups of the society. Social inequalities due to unequal access to nanomedicine were also highlighted by Swedish citizens, as one of the concerns. They emphasized that these technologies should be affordable and accessible to everyone. They stressed that the development of these technologies should be driven by the right of everyone to participate in society and lead a good and dignified life.
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How did citizens feel about nanotechnology for brain-machine interfaces?
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Citizen dialogues on nanomedicine took place in France and Spain. French citizens thought equality, wider access to technologies for medical treatments, autonomy and independent choice for everyone as important values to consider in R&D in this area. They specifically pointed out that every technological improvement should be made in collaboration with citizens, and within a very strict ethical framework. The main worries concerning these technologies were related to unethical and inappropriate use of data, but also to the health consequences of brain implants. Spanish citizens welcomed using nanodevices to enable the recovery of cognitive and motor functions but were concerned that this same technology could be used as an intelligence- or strength-enhancing device that would compound existing and even create new social inequalities. In general, they highly valued the pursuit of more efficient, more safety compliant and fairer societies and social processes.
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MULTI-STAKEHOLDER DIALOGUES
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Multi-stakeholder dialogue events will take place this autumn in NANO2ALL in the six countries where we previously organised the citizen dialogues. In these sessions, participants will discuss how societal values, needs and concerns can be better reflected through an increased uptake of societal engagement in R&I in the area of nanomedicine, nanotextiles and nanotechnology applied to brain-computer interface. The sessions will bring together policy-makers, researchers, industry, interest groups, science journalists and citizen representatives from the national contexts that will take part in interactive group work, open discussions and a scenario exploration experience developed and adapted to the area of nanotechnologies by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. The results of the dialogue event will be taken forward towards national and European decision makers in the area of science and technology and help them in the development of national and European policies that stimulate improved alignment between nanotechnology R&I and societal expectations.
The following multi-stakeholder dialogues will take place in local languages.
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23 November
2017
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Multi-stakeholder dialogue France
Espace des Sciences Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, Paris, France
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19 October
2017
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Multi-stakeholder dialogue Israel
The Bloomfield science museum, Jerusalem, Israel
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21 October
2017
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Multi-stakeholder dialogue Italy
Museo delle Scienze Corso del Lavoro e della Scienza, Trento, Italy
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21 October
2017
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Multi-stakeholder dialogue Poland
Faculty of Management, Bialystok University of Technology, Kleosin, Poland
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5 December
2017
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Multi-stakeholder dialogue Spain
Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB), Barcelona, Spain
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23 November
2017
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Multi-stakeholder dialogue Sweden
Innovatum Science Center, Trollhättan, Sweden (CCCB)
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MEET US AT THE FOLLOWING EVENTS
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11 october
2017
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COMPASS NANOTECHNOLOGY RRI LAB
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The COMPASS project organises Labs with Small and Medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the field of nanotechnologies, in order to co-design visions towards RRI with companies and roadmaps for incorporating the principles of RRI in companies´ everyday activities. NANO2ALL will take part in the virtual Lab of 11 October, 2017.
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24 October
2017
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WORKSHOP ON CONTAMINATION BETWEEN MARINE RRI KNOWLEDGE AND NANOTECHNOLOGIES FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE
Brussels, Belgium
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This cross-sectoral exploitation workshop (24 October, Brussels, Belgium) is organized under the MARINA project. The event focuses on exploring potential synergies between MARINA and the domain of nanotechnologies and establishes the basis for transferring the MARINA results into nanotechnologies. NANO2ALL´s progress and insights into the application of RRI to nanotechnology will be presented.
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10 November
2017
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2017 RIVM-KIR Nano ANNUAL MEETING OF THE NATIONAL PLATFORM ON NANOMEDICINE
Netherlands
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NANO2ALL will report on its nanomedicine related findings resulting from the citizen and multi-stakeholder dialogues at the tour-de-table of the 7th annual meeting of the National Platform Nanomedicine organised by RIVM-KIR Nano on 10 November, 2017 in the Netherlands. The aim of the meeting is to bring together policy makers, scientists, industrialists and other stakeholders interested in nanomedicine in the Netherlands, to informally exchange information.
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20 November
2017
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ARK OF INQUIRY FINAL CONFERENCE
Paris, France
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NANO2ALL will present its findings at the Ark of Inquiry project final conference (20 November, 2017 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France). In addition to the 13 Ark of Inquiry consortium members, teachers, representatives from selected Science Centers and Museums, Researchers, Policy-makers and others from the 12 participating countries of the Ark of Inquiry project and beyond will also be present. NANO2ALL will share its RRI methodologies and findings at the conference.
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