Science Governance, Technology Assessment

Abstract

After introducing concepts like sustainability, responsibility, risk, and the connection between scientific activity and ethical values, we still miss a crucial link: why would this matter to chemists, and what can they do, that is within their power, about the impact of chemical research and design (R&D) on society and the environment? This chapter will introduce channels and established procedures for chemical professionals in science, research and innovation to contribute to their competence and expertise in the context of science and technology (S&T) governance and policy, in public stakeholder discourse, or in any form of S&T assessment. In Chapter 10, we discussed the Manhattan project as an example for scientists taking social responsibility. Einstein wrote a letter to President Roosevelt to warn him of a threat. Today, scientists don't need to write letters to political leaders. Instead, a variety of communication and exchange platforms have been created. In the European Union and its member states, offices of technology assessment are associated with parliaments or governments in order to inform S&T governance and policy of state-of-the-art scientific knowledge and a competent estimation of the expectable trends of the near future. Decision-making in the context of societally important topics like health care, energy supply, mobility, infrastructure, food supply, and so on, requires input from experts who, ideally, are skilled in interdisciplinary discourse and communication with non-experts. After an overview of the role of scientific expertise in policy-making and the implemented approaches for a fruitful contribution, a guide for successful policy-relevant knowledge reporting is presented. The considerations of Chapter 1 – the role of ethics as a discourse methodology for the clarification of facts and norms through an ethical prism – become most effective in this chapter.