title: Integrated assessment of emerging science and technologies as creating learning processes among assessment communities.
abstract: Emerging science and technologies are often characterised by complexity, uncertainty and controversy. Regulation and governance of such scientific and technological developments needs to build on knowledge and evidence that reflect this complicated situation. This insight is sometimes formulated as a call for integrated assessment of emerging science and technologies, and such a call is analysed in this article. The article addresses two overall questions. The first is: to what extent are emerging science and technologies currently assessed in an integrated way. The second is: if there appears to be a need for further integration, what should such integration consist in? In the article we briefly outline the pedigree of the term 'integrated assessment' and present a number of interpretations of the concept that are useful for informing current analyses and discussions of integration in assessment. Based on four case studies of assessment of emerging science and technologies, studies of assessment traditions, literature analysis and dialogues with assessment professionals, currently under-developed integration dimensions are identified. It is suggested how these dimensions can be addressed in a practical approach to assessment where representatives of different assessment communities and stakeholders are involved. We call this approach the Trans Domain Technology Evaluation Process (TranSTEP).
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Responsible Innovation, Oslo and Akershus University College, P.O. Box 4 St Olavs plass, 0130, Oslo, Norway. Ellenmarie.Forsberg@hioa.no.
authors.forename: Ellen-Marie
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Forsberg
authors.affiliation: Centre for Applied Bioethics, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, UK.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI, Breslauer Strasse 48, 76139, Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Nils B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Heyen
authors.affiliation: Danish Board of Technology, Toldbodgade 12, 1253, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Rasmus Øjvind
authors.initials: RØ
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Responsible Innovation, Oslo and Akershus University College, P.O. Box 4 St Olavs plass, 0130, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Thorstensen
authors.affiliation: Agricultural Economics Research Institute (LEI), Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 29703, 2502LS, 'S Gravenhage, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Bakker
authors.affiliation: Danish Board of Technology, Toldbodgade 12, 1253, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Klüver
authors.affiliation: Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI, Breslauer Strasse 48, 76139, Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Reiss
authors.affiliation: Agricultural Economics Research Institute (LEI), Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 29703, 2502LS, 'S Gravenhage, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Volkert
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Beekman
authors.affiliation: Centre for Applied Bioethics, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, UK.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Millar
mesh_terms: D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D058615:Synthetic Biology / Q000639:trends*; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical / Q000639:trends*
keywords: Assessment; Dialogue; Emerging science and technologies; Integration; TranSTEP; Transparency