title: [Regulatory science forum--its background and goal].
abstract: Regulatory science is, broadly speaking, the effort to insure that the products of our advanced technological civilization are developed in harmony with human needs. More specifically, regulatory science can be described as the science of evaluating the safety, efficacy and quality of these products. An unbiased assessment of these aspects is necessary for proper regulation of food, drugs, the environment, agricultural chemicals as well as the countless new materials available to the public every year. Evaluation does not interfere with product development; indeed, it often hastens the appearance of beneficial products in the public sector. Evaluation criteria should be established through consensus between industry, academia, and government and only after a thorough scientific discussion grounded in the basic principle of protecting the welfare of society's citizens. Even more important than broad-ranging knowledge is the need to develop new evaluation strategies and methodologies. Numerous problems confronting the world today can surely benefit from the evaluative techniques of regulatory science. Since research in the academic sphere often fails to address many of these issues, I want to reiterate the need for our National Institute to play a more prominent role in coordinating regulatory policy and pursuing these issues based on my firm belief that such activity is indispensable for human survival.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uchiyama
mesh_terms: D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D006077:Government Agencies; D006801:Humans; D012586:Science