Nano&me. Responding to citizen interest in nanotech

The UK government and the UK's various Research Councils have pioneered a number of new approaches to Responsible Innovation, to better understand public views, involve stakeholders in significant decisions about research directions and innovative approaches to considering novel risks early in the research process. It all started in earnest with Nanotechnologies, from 2005 following the publication of the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering's seminal report Nanoscience and Nanotechnologies:  opportunities and uncertainties. 

 Public dialogue with Nanotechnologies to inform decision making. 

 The UK government pioneered public involvement in nanotechnologies from 2005 to 2014, with the consultations to understand public views through a number of Nanodialogues, a Nanotechnologies Engagement Group nano and schools projects.    With the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research, it also undertook to consider a dialogue process to inform future consideration of emerging technologies, which has been influential. 

 In 2014 it undertook a further dialogue with the general public to understand perceptions of specific nano-enhanced products and to consult them on the possibility of lifting the moratorium on free nanoparticles in the environment (Hilary was involved on the advisory board of this project).   

Nano&me - a public website for nanotechnologies.

Most of these dialogues elicited from the public the desire to know more about nanotechnologies and new technologies in general. Hilary proposed a website be created to respond to this ongoing request particularly around nanotechnologies.

The UK government’s department of Business, Innovation and Skills as it was then known agreed, and commissioned her to write and produce www.nanoandme.org. This is not now a live site, but has been kept available by the design agency that created the site The Together Agency in Nottingham. (If the picture doesn’t show click on the Flash logo to load the image and contact Jonathan Turner if you would like to know more about this and their other excellent work) 

Nano&me was created as a pilot, to offer a 'one stop shop' of information for nanotech stakeholders - the public or other stakeholders looking to understand what it was; businesses wanting more information about opportunities or about regulation and others interested in the safety of nanomaterials or some of the social or ethical issues associated with their use.

The site was surprisingly popular, but unfortunately due to lack of funding we were unable to maintain the site after its pilot period.