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From 'intelligent' fridges to climate change - Britain looks to the future with sciencehorizons

DEPARTMENT FOR INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS News Release issued by The Government News Network on 12 September 2007

Many people would not mind strangers knowing what was in their fridge, if it meant that supermarkets could help them plan meals and automatically restock it to make grocery shopping a thing of the past, the UK's first public discussion about the future of science and technology has found.

The sciencehorizons programme was the first public engagement exercise in the UK to focus on the potential future uses for science and technology, using a set of fictitious potential scenarios set from 2025.

While light-hearted issues such as the future of fridges were on the table for discussion, more serious subjects such as climate change, health, genetics and the loss of the 'human' touch in an increasingly technological world were debated.

Participants were broadly excited about the future for science and technology, particularly its capacity to help improve our health, environment and lifestyle.

However, this was tempered by concerns about over dependence on technology, potential risks and worries that some technology might not be distributed equally to benefit ordinary people.

The results of the sciencehorizons programme, funded by the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills' (DIUS) Sciencewise public engagement programme, were unveiled today at the BA Festival of Science in York. It is part of the Government's ongoing work to gauge the public's views about particular issues well in advance of policymaking decisions.

Minister for Science and Innovation, Ian Pearson, said:

"I spend a lot of time thinking about what the world will be like in 2025 and how we will live our everyday lives. It helps with thinking about how policy needs to move forward. For instance, I can't believe most homes won't have smart meters and energy management systems by then - and probably intelligent fridges too. This public discussion represents a new, different way of talking with the public about science and technology - finding out people's hopes, fears and ideas on a range of topics.

"It also represented a test model for evaluating how effectively different styles of public engagement might work. This will help us to further develop our method of public dialogue and consultations for Government policy or legislation."

Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir David King, who appeared at the BA Festival of Science to discuss his Universal Ethical Code for Scientists, said it was vital that people felt confidence in scientific decision-making, and had an avenue to air their views on how science and technology should progress.

"Scientists earn their mandate to operate from the public. We want our new developments, treatments and technologies to be trusted and used. That's why I have championed a universal ethical code for scientists to help us to further build an environment where science and scientists are recognised as a valued part of society.

"Public engagement like sciencehorizons offers a key way for us to find out people's views to feed into the way we shape new scientific developments."

The Sciencewise programme involved a deliberative panel of 30 members of the public which met twice over two months for extended discussions and presentations from expert speakers on range of topics including climate change and cyber-security and genetic testing.

The other two strands of the programme included facilitated public meetings in science centres and community spaces and self-managed group discussions run by community bodies including schools, Women's Institutes and faith groups.

The discussions used a specially designed pack showing how life in 2025 could differ from today. The pack is based on a series of papers called Horizon Scans, written by expert scientists mapping out potential future technological developments.

Along with the pack, an interactive web site was developed to stimulate discussion and debate. Visitors to http://www.sciencehorizons.org.uk can see the sciencehorizons stories that were used to stimulate discussion, and view the results of all three strands of the project.

The results of all of these activities will be used to inform policy setting the direction of research and regulation of science and technology.

Notes for editors

The link to the new sciencehorizons report is http://www.sciencewise.org.uk/html/projects.php?source=projectdetail&project_ID=9

1. This project uses information from two Horizon Scans, the Delta and Sigma Scans. The Delta (Science &Technology) Scan is an overview of future science and technology issues and trends, with contributions by science and technology experts from government, business, academia and communication. The Sigma Scan is a quality assured synthesis of some of the best Horizon Scanning sources. It covers future issues and trends across the full public policy agenda. The scans are designed to challenge current thinking and implicit assumptions.

2. They do not to attempt to predict the future. The Sigma Scan was produced for the HSC by Outsights - Ipsos MORI; the Delta Scan by the Institute for the Future (IFTF).

3. The project is funded by the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills' (DIUS) Sciencewise programme and run by a consortium of Dialogue by Design, the Graphic Science Unit, BBC Worldwide Interactive Learning and Shared Practice.

4. Sciencewise, funded by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) helps policy makers commission and use public dialogue to inform decisions and policy making in emerging areas of science and technology. Its core aim is to develop the capacity of government to engage in successful two-way communication with the public and other stakeholders and to embed the principles of good dialogue into internal Government processes. Sciencewise works closely with the Horizon Scanning Centre and Foresight, and is also part of the 'Together We Can' initiative - bringing the public and government together - which is funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).

5. For further information please log on to http://www.sciencewise.org.uk or http://www.dius.gov.uk

1 Victoria Street, London, SW1H 0ET
Tel:+44 (0)20 7215 5555

http://www.dius.gov.uk