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Differences in US and EU science and technology policy highlighted by NBIC analysis
Published: Thursday 1 May 2008
CONTECS (CONverging TEChnologies), a Network of Excellence (NoE) funded by the European Commission (FP6), published its final report entitled ‘Converging Technologies and their impact on the Social Sciences and Humanities - An analysis of critical issues and a suggestion for a future research agenda’.
CONTECS aimed to ‘address the potential roles that the social sciences and humanities (SSH) can play with regard to phenomenon of technological convergence (between Nano-, Bio-, Information technologies, Cognitive sciences and Social sciences and Humanities), its shaping and ethical and societal implications.’
The CONTECS final report highlights the current new concept of "Converging Technologies" (CT), which, at its core, consists of ‘relations, synergies or fusions between broad fields of research and development, such as nanoscience and -technology, biotechnology and the life sciences, information and communication technologies, cognitive science and neurotechnologies.’ It explains that ‘the starting point of the discussions about the CT was a 2001 research and technology policy initiative in the US; […] this so-called NBIC initiative (nano, bio, info, cogno) put emphasis on the aspect of "improving human performance" and, in particular, on the issue of "human enhancement", i.e. the technological augmentation of human capabilities and modification of human corporeality and intellect.’
The report notes a major difference between US and EU policy approach to technological convergence: while the US ‘focuses strongly on enhancement of the individual human being, the European concept of "Converging Technologies for the European Knowledge Society" (CTEKS) adopts a demand-driven approach in which CT respond to societal needs and demands. […] The European approach makes a special issue of interdisciplinary cooperation and its specific conditions and problems, whereas the US approach argues for a new unity of science underpinned by reductionism enabled by the possibility of tracking virtually everything down to the nano-level.’
Follow these links to find out more about CONTECS, or to download the final CONTECS report.