title: SYNBIOSAFE e-conference: online community discussion on the societal aspects of synthetic biology.
abstract: As part of the SYNBIOSAFE project, we carried out an open electronic conference (e-conference), with the aim to stimulate an open debate on the societal issues of synthetic biology in a proactive way. The e-conference attracted 124 registered participants from 23 different countries and different professional backgrounds, who wrote 182 contributions in six different categories: (I) Ethics; (II) Safety; (III) Security; (IV) IPR; (V) Governance and regulation; (VI) and Public perception. In this paper we discuss the main arguments brought up during the e-conference and provide our conclusions about how the community thinks, and thinks differently on the societal impact of synthetic biology. Finally we conclude that there is a chance for an open discourse on the societal issues of synthetic biology happening, and that the rules to govern such a discourse might be set up much easier and be respected more readily than many would suggest.
authors.affiliation: Biosafety Working Group, Organisation for International Dialogue and Conflict Management (IDC), Vienna, Austria, markus.schmidt@idialog.eu.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Helge
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Torgersen
authors.forename: Agomoni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ganguli-Mitra
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kelle
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deplazes
authors.forename: Nikola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Biller-Andorno