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[Responsible research and development? Translating absences from nanotechnology in Portugal]
Paulo F C Fonseca1, Tiago Santos Pereira2
1Pesquisador pós-doutorando, Instituto de Pesquisa em Risco e Sustentabilidade/Departamento de Sociologia e Ciência Política/Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Campus Universitário, Trindade - Caixa Postal 476. 88040-900 - Florianópolis - SC - Brasil. dopaulo@gmail.com.
Historia, Ciencias, Saude--Manguinhos
|April 6, 2017
Summary
Responsible innovation in nanotechnology faced challenges at the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory. The focus on global competitiveness hindered the implementation of robust responsible development practices.
Area of Science:
- Sociology of Technology
- Innovation Studies
- Nanotechnology Policy
Context:
- Analysis of responsible innovation within a key Portuguese government initiative for nanotechnology.
- Focus on the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) as a case study.
Purpose:
- Investigate the discussion and implementation of responsible innovation at the INL.
- Utilize actor-network theory and the sociology of absences to analyze coproduction processes.
- Identify how responsible development concerns are integrated or overlooked in the INL's rules and practices.
Summary:
- The INL was conceived with a sociotechnical imagination prioritizing autonomous technological innovation for global market competitiveness.
- This singular focus on competitiveness has acted as a barrier to establishing and implementing comprehensive responsible development practices.
- The study reveals a gap between the discourse of responsible innovation and its materialization within the laboratory's operations.
Impact:
- Highlights the challenges in embedding responsible innovation within state-sponsored technological development initiatives.
- Provides insights into how institutional goals, like market competitiveness, can overshadow ethical considerations in emerging technologies.
- Suggests a need for re-evaluating sociotechnical imaginaries to foster more robust responsible innovation frameworks in nanotechnology.
