Siegrist
Fakultäten » Philosophische Fakultät » Psychologisches Institut » Sozialpsychologie » Prof. Dr. Heinz Gutscher » Siegrist
Completed research project
| Title / Titel | Nanotechnology - Opportunities and risks | ||||||
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| Abstract (PDF, 14 KB) | |||||||
| Summary / Zusammenfassung | Nanotechnology is perceived as one of the key technologies of the 21st century that has a major potential to generate new products and services with numerous benefits (see box right). Future developments in the field of nanotechnology are expected to multiply and diversify these benefits. However, the development of nanotechnology faces risks in terms of unintended economic, societal and environmental impacts. Recent studies in the field of nanotoxicology indicate that some nanomaterials have damage potential if they are exposed to humans or the environment during the production, manufacturing or application processes. Specific regulations and standardized risk assessments are still missing. One reason for this is that multiple agents with different and also evolving knowledge, interests, competences, and resources drive the development of nanotechnology. Currently, most of the people who are and will be affected by nanotechnological products are not well informed, and subsequently, have not made up their opinion neither on the opportunities nor on the risks of nanotechnology. The public discourse, for instance via the media, is still in the starting phase. Moreover, key agents from different institutional backgrounds are lead by hidden and latently conflicting agendas. Therefore, joint efforts have to be taken in order to proceed towards a sustainable nanotechnology development. The Institute for Human-Environment Systems (HES) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich is conducting a transdisciplinary case study on opportunities and risks of nanotechnology. The five project groups contribute to a better understanding of possible future developments, the agents involved and their interrelations, the “objective” risks and the perceived risks, as well as the acceptance and the apprehension potentials of nanotechnology applications. The overall aim of the study is to provide fundamental research results for governance of sustainable nanotechnology development (see next two pages). To ensure the appropriate integration of the multiple perspectives on nanotechnology development, the case study is conducted within a transdisciplinary setting. |
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| Keywords / Suchbegriffe | Nanotechnology, risk perception, trust, acceptance of new technologies | ||||||
| Project leadership and contacts / Projektleitung und Kontakte |
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| Funding source(s) / Unterstützt durch |
No project-specific funding |
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| In collaboration with / In Zusammenarbeit mit |
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| Duration of Project / Projektdauer | Apr 2005 to Mar 2007 |