Enabling co-creation in nanotechnologies

Why co-creation?

Over the past three years, GoNano developed a co-creation approach to explore how researchers and engineers can work with publics and professional stakeholders to create novel suggestions for future nanotechnology products. Co-creation is a widely used, but loosely defined term that has been applied in different contexts. Co-creation can be understood as the collaborative development of new value. It is a form of collaborative innovation: ideas are shared and improved together. GoNano’ definition of co-creation is more focussed towards nanotechnology and defined co-creation as the emergence of productive collaborations between researchers and societal stakeholders over longer timeframes, focusing on specific nanotechnology research lines, leading to tangible outcomes such as a new research avenue, proposal, product or prototype.

Advantages of co-creation for researchers and engineers

The advantages of co-creation for researchers are two-fold: On the one hand, co-creation events offer opportunities for the articulation and deliberation of the needs and concerns of society and can contribute to the development and embedding of new, more desirable advances. In this way, innovators get vital feedback on their innovation processes as a result of these exercises, and stakeholders and citizen get the opportunity to voice their desires, wishes and concerns regarding the direction of research. On the other, society can learn about potential future advances which can enhance trust and the confidence of stakeholders that new technologies respond to their needs and values.

Researchers and engineers are key stakeholder in the process of making reseach and innovation more socially robust, since you are developing the new reseach avenue, proposal, product or prototype. Researchers and engineers have also insight concerning the effects of more socially robust nanotechnology reseacht and innovation, including the boundary conditions and what effects that would have on your work environment.

To explore how researchers and engineers can become more responsive so societal needs and valuea, GoNano developed co-creation workshops around real-life case studies proposed by researchers from the field. For example, during the first stakeholder workshop at the University of Twente the artificial pancreas (a monitoring device for diabetes type 1 patients that continuously measures glucose levels of the patients and adds insulin and glucagon when needed) was one topic. The discussion opened up the converstation for potential users (diabetes patients) of the artificial pancreas who was concerned about the data management considerations. The workshop led to a new data management plan that may be relevant for future data sharing agreements between the producer and users of the device.

The majority of the participating researchers responded positively to the co-creation process. Some were absolutely convinced of the potential added value of co-creation. The developer of the early diagnostic tool in the stakeholder workshop on health in the Netherlands confirmed that the discussions with different stakeholders along the value chain provided new research insights. She gained a

“more concrete understanding in what steps to take and what steps not to take during the rest of their research”, which helped “to build the next three years of my research life”.

See the interviews with workshop participants on the GoNano Youtube channel.

Distilled from the GoNano workshops (please see the GoNano approach for more information), we gained insight into your needs and wishes in terms of tools and guidelines that would help you to make your own research more socially robust. As a response, below you will find multiple tools and guidelines that GoNano developed to support your journey in improving the responsiveness of your research and innovation processes to public values and concerns.

Tools and materials to support reseachers and engineers in the process of co-creation

You can download all the material here:
– Brochure with all information for a co-creation workshop.
– PowerPoint presentation to support the process
– Two posters (extended and simpel version) to print for your event, showing the six-step approach to co-creation
– Practical and strategic canvases to support step 3: Start planning
– Toolkits from other projects and organizations to support step 4: Organize your co-creation event
– YouTube clips with an impression of the GoNano workshop to support step 4: Organizing your co-creation event
– Questionnaire canvas used by GoNano to support step 5: Evaluation and reflection on the process

2) The Road of Co-Creation

The Road of Co-Creation is a a section on the GoNano project website, which take the visitor through the entire process of developing and carrying out co-creation events, providing them with the necessary training materials and recommendations
that are relevant at the different steps along the way.

The roadmap is intended to function as a graphic table of content, allowing you to both get an overview of the steps when developing a co-creation event, and to access the training material GoNano developed in each of te steps. The training materials are PDF-files are easily accesable and can be downloaded via inserted links on the page.

3) Animated vignettes- the process and outcomes of the GoNano project

GoNano developed five audio-visual vignettes capturing the development of the concrete product suggestions or research aims that came out from a collaboration between citizens and stakeholders from each of the pilot countries – energy in Spain, food in the Czech Republic and health in the Netherlands. Please watch the five audio-visual vignettes

4) ‘How to..’ Guide on public engagement

GoNano also developed a ‘How to..’ guide for citizens on public participation to prepare your co-creation participants. This guide will support citizens who would like to engage with nanotechnologies to express their own needs and concerns and ensure that their thoughts are taken into account in future developments. The guide offers a five-step approach which aims to helps participants to define their interests, identify the right engagement opportunity, and shares tips and tricks on how become involved in nanotechnology research and development. It’s an invitation for citizens to express their own needs and concerns and help shape the future directions of nanotechnologies.

5) The GoNano winter school

GoNano also focused directly on(young) researchers during the GoNano winter school. The winter school was developed to challenge postgraduate students and early career researchers from a broad range of disciplines to step out of their comfort zones and work together to increase their responsiveness to societal needs and values in nanotechnology innovations. After the event, participants indicated that their experience was both enlightening and beneficial, with their expectations met or surpassed and most aims and objectives achieved. Many participants left with the desire to adapt their research approaches to be more aware of and responsive to societal inputs. See also the report from the Winter School (Deliverable 6.3).

RMIT micro-credentials – Content from the winter school, such as presentations and expert interviews, were repackaged to create a new micro-credential on “Understanding Responsible Research and Innovation” for RMIT’s suite of digital learning modules. RMIT has scheduled production of three such micro-credentials based on outputs from the GoNano project: The first one, which has already been successfully built and launched, focusses on RRI, the second on co-creation, and the third on putting the two together in practice are due to be completed by the end of 2020. The micro-credentials can be accessed by all 80,000+ students at RMIT and work to extend access to external audiences is under way.

6) GoNano webinars

To share our experiences, GoNano developed three webinars that discusses how we developed our co-creation process, our lessons learned, and tips an tricks on how you can develop your own co-creation process.

Each webinar consists of about 45 minutes and provide insights into different aspects of co-creation. Eah webinar is devided into three sessions of 15 min each.

• The first webinar is about What is co-creation and why co-create in research and innovation?
  • Session 1.1: What is co-creation? 
  • Session 1.2: Why co-create in research and innovation?
  • Session 1.3: Who are the stakeholders for a co-creation project?

• The second webinar is about Co-creation in practice
  • Session 2.1: The GoNano Methodology for co-creation
  • Session 2.2: Planning your co-creation process: part 1
  • Session 2.3: Planning your co-creation process: part 2

• The third webinar is about Outcomes and results of co-creation​.
  • Session 3.1: Outcomes and results of co-creation
  • Session 3.2: Recommendations for policy to support responsible research and innovation practices

The GoNano approach

GoNano believes that research and innovation can benefit from being more open to societal needs and concerns. Over the course of three years (2017-2020), GoNano enabled collaborative development (co-creation) in three nanotechnology application areas: food, energy and health. We first consulted citizens about their wishes, needs and concerns regarding future nanotechnology applications. This was used as input for the first and second stakeholder workshops, which aimed to stimulate citizens, civil society organisations, industry, researchers and policy makers across Europe to co-create research aims and think about concrete (product) suggestions for future nanotechnologies. Read more about the GoNano approach and results. 

As a CSO, you are an important stakeholder with a indispensable perspective that is very important when it comes to co-creating the future of nanotechnology. During the GoNano co-creation workshop, various CSOs helped to identify not only the needs, values and concerns of society that matter when it comes to innovation in nanotechnology, but also, through mutual exchange, worked together with other stakeholders to create a more robust and sustainable future of nanotechnology.

Why co-creation?

As you may know, co-creation can be broadly be understood as a collaborative development of new value (concepts, solutions, products, and services) together with various stakeholders (such as citizens, industry, research, civil society organisations and policymakers). It is a form of collaborative innovation: ideas are shared and improved together. During the GoNano co-creation workshops, civil society representatives emphesized that they events appreciated the process:

“The added value of the co-creation process was mostly on getting to know new types of stakeholders. As the workshops were quite intensive, and we had in-depth discussion with each other, I learned about new perspectives on nanotechnology and health and got to know some new interesting people”

Interestingly, during one of our best practices interview, an environmental organisation in Amsterdam that works in the field of energy. They initiated Carbonkiller: an initiative that enables citizens to buy emission rights in the European Emission Trading Scheme. his experience with attracting and working directly with citizens is that people (especially citizens) get motivated when they are working towards substantial outcomes and have the opportunity to become a stakeholder in the system:

“a key to the success, is that His project gives people a real opportunity to do something concrete”.

GoNano experienced that a multiple stakeholder co-creating event can help with that.

Supporting CSO’s

As a CSO, you represent societal issues such as patient well being, sustainability, care for nature and safety for employees and are therefore indispensable in the nanodebate. GoNano want to support your causes, so we took a closer look into your needs and wishes when is comes to making nanotechnology more socialy robust. Firstly, participating CSOs emphesized some participating boundaries: they are often financed by their members and donors and therefore need to focus their attention on those initiatives where interests of citizens are best represented. This means that the topic of the discussion must have a sense of urgency, requeres the need to act, and is close to their own mission.

The neccessity of this focus was explained by one of the CSOs from the stakeholder workshop in the Netherlands

“I really need to justify the importance of the meeting, because we are funded by public money and donations.These limited resources force us to cherry pick the most important and relevant events to go to”.

This was also acknowledged during an interview with a Dutch environmental organisation working in the field of energy, they said (with respect to the involvement of civil society)

“[..] there has to be a sense of urgency. It first has to become clear why people or civil society organisations have to react now”.

Find more interviews with the workshop participant and best practice example on the GoNano Youtube channel.

Secondly were the needs of CSOs: on the one hand CSOs are seraching for ways to include more citizens in research and innovation, and on the other, CSOs are searching for ways to themselfs have a larger impackt on research and innovation in general. To support these needs, we as GoNano have merged our experiences into various tools and materials, inculing 1) a public engagement database listing initiatives that are currently interested in involving citizens and CSOs in their debate and may ease the search for engagement options, 2) a co-creation toolkit on how you as a CSOs can become empowered during a co-creation even or yourselfs develop a co-creation event, and 3) a toolkit for citizens to help them prepare for a engament event.

Besides the tools and materials, GoNano also wrote three White papers that provide insights into different aspects of co-creation and responsiveness in the field of nanotechnology. Especially white paper 2 can be helpfull for CSOs, as it provides a strategic focus regarding how to implement co-creation. Complementary to the white papers, below you will find our policy briefs, presenting the main results of the GoNano engagement activities and provide recommendations based on the GoNano experiences.

Materials for CSOs

Three ways to become involved in the Nanodebate

1) Join in: engagement opportunities

One way to become involved in the Nanodebate is to search for engagement opportunities. Nanotechnology researchers and developers, like in all novel scientific advances, struggle with opportunities and uncertainties. This invites important questions about what products citizens may or may not want, and about the risks we are prepared to tolerate. Some forward-thinking companies or research centres invite you to participate in their future research and innovation processes, and would like to find out more about your concerns, needs and wishes on nanotechnology-related topics. To give you a hand in finding these initiatives, GoNano did some exploratory research and developed a public engagement database, listing organizations and projects that are currently out there looking for your feedback.  The list is not meant to be exhaustive, but it is a good base and gives an indication of what is out there and how to get involved. You will find three types of initiatives; EU-projects, networks or platforms, and local projects and organisations. As you will see, some initiatives would like to find out about your concerns, needs and wishes on nanotechnology-related topics, others directly invite you to join their discussion or offer guidance on how to become involved in the nanodebate . Click here for the public engagement database.

2) Co-creation toolkit

Another way to become involved in the Nanodebate is to create your own engagement opportunity. Please note, this is more challenging and costs more time and effort. To support you, GoNano developed a Co-creation toolkit in which we would like to share our lessons learned. The toolkit was initially created for researchers and engineers who would like to engage with citizens and societal stakeholders as a source of creative thinking. But the co-creation approach can also be used by CSOs interested in co-creation with other stakeholders.

The toolkit offers a six-step approach to help researchers and engineers define their goal, identify the relevant stakeholders and design, implement and reflect on the co-creation process. GoNano hopes to inspire researchers and engineers to continue this journey, working together with citizens and societal stakeholders to create value in new settings, with new topics and with creative outcomes.

Downloadable tools:

Brochure with all information for a co-creation workshop.
PowerPoint presentation to support the process
Two posters (extended and simpel version) to print for your event, showing the six-step approach to co-creation
Practical and strategic canvases to support step 3: Start planning
Toolkits from other projects and organizations to support step 4: Organize your co-creation event
YouTube clips with an impression of the GoNano workshop to support step 4: Organizing your co-creation event
Questionnaire canvas used by GoNano to support step 5: Evaluation and reflection on the process

3) Citizens’ guide

As a CSOs, you may know citizens who themselves are interested in participating in the nanodebate. To support those citizens, GoNano developed a ‘How to..’ guide on public participation. With this guide, we would like to share our lessons learned. It helps citizens to express their own needs and concerns and ensure that their thoughts are taken into account in future developments. The guide offers a five-step approach which aims to help you define your interests, identify the right opportunity and become involved in nanotechnology research and development. It’s an invitation for interested citizens to express their own needs and concerns and help shape the future directions of nanotechnologies. Click here for the ‘How to..’ guide.

White papers and policy briefs

To understand the concept and values of co-creation, with a focus on responsiveness, innovation eco-system, and gender and diversity aspects GoNano developed three white papers and seven policy briefs.

4. Policy brief

The GoNano policy briefs present the results of the engagement activities and provide recommendations based on the GoNano experiences.

Policy brief 1: Co-creation: A Practical Tool to Enhance Responsiveness in Research and Innovation

About: Co-creation can enhance responsiveness

Policy brief 2: Moving from reflection to proactive engagement and action on societal needs, values, and concerns 

About: The move to action

Policy brief 3: Opportunities and Challenges of Co-Creation: Experiences from the GoNano Project

About: Strategies for overcoming challenges for co-creation

Policy brief 4: The Value Chain: An approach to Implement Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) practices in Nanotechnologies Development

About: How the value chain approach can support the implantation of RRI

Policy brief 5: Positioning Co-Creation: Democratisation versus Added Value

About: Possible uses of co-creation in research and innovation

Policy brief 6: Inclusion in Co-creation: What is Needed in Practice?

About: Key requirements for realising inclusion in co-creation

Policy brief 7: Gender Issues in Nanotechnologies research and innovation

About: Gender issues in nanotechnologies research and innovation include

5. Whitepaper

The white papers provide insights into different aspects of co-creation and responsiveness in the field of nanotechnology. Each paper addresses the question of ‘conditions for Responsible Research and Innovation in nanotechnology research and innovation from a different angle. Whit these white papers GoNano aims to 1) feedback GoNano outcomes towards the development of concrete policy recommendations for governance of research and innovation in nanotechnology for increased responsiveness to societal needs and values and 2) feedback governance recommendations widely to policymakers, industry, research and innovation partnerships and consumer groups.

White Paper one establishes the foundation as to why co-creation responsiveness makes sense in nanotechnology and describes conceptual and empirical aspects of responsiveness of researchers and engineers in co-creation processes. It mainly addresses researchers, engineers, as well as other stakeholders involved in the research system (e.g. research funding or research institutions).

White Paper two provides a strategic focus regarding how to implement co-creation, considering research and the innovation eco-system. Thus, it addresses industrial and business partners, research institutions, and policy makers who are active in and are influencing research and innovation processes.

White paper three provides guidance on how to realize co-creation considering a gender and diversity perspectives in order to better integrate these in nano-related R&I. The main addressees of the paper are organizers and/or researchers in a position to put co-creation into practice.

The GoNano approach

GoNano believes that research and innovation can benefit from being more open to societal needs and concerns. Over the course of three years (2017-2020), GoNano enabled collaborative development (co-creation) in three nanotechnology application areas: food, energy and health. We first consulted citizens about their wishes, needs and concerns regarding future nanotechnology applications. This was used as input for the first and second stakeholder workshops, which aimed to stimulate citizens, civil society organisations, industry, researchers and policy makers across Europe to co-create research aims and think about concrete (product) suggestions for future nanotechnologies. Read more about the GoNano approach and results. 

This report aims to integrate the insights and lessons learned over the course of the project, reviewing findings from the knowledge base and methodology developed in the early stages of the project and the results of a series of engagement activities organised in the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Spain from October 2018 to November 2019. It considers how the various project activities have contributed to the specific objectives of the GoNano project as well as the overall aim to improve the responsiveness of research and innovation processes to public values and concerns.

The overall GoNano experience has elucidated opportunities and challenges of co-creation as a tool to enhance the responsiveness of research and innovation. The results suggest how focused, guided interactions between different stakeholders can in principle lead to novel suggestions on how to integrate broader considerations in research and innovation decisions. Several insights evolved from wild ideas into specific propositions towards the end of the co-creation process. That said, the gap between the appreciation of broader issues around research and innovation, and the actual integration of those issues in daily research practices and priorities remains significant: the challenge is to get from constructive dialogue to practical action. The GoNano experience suggests that co-creation processes need to identify the concrete interests and address the motivations of all participants, maintain continuity of thought, ‘translate’ needs and concerns from the social realm to practical options in the technological realm, and drill down to the level where the discussion topics and identified courses of action are specific enough to affect the decisions of the actors involved.

Read the full report here: GoNano D4.4 – Insights and lessons from the engagement activities

In summary

GoNano sought to design and implement a co-creation process that aligns nanotechnologies with societal needs and values. The co-creation process aimed to derive concrete suggestions from a deeper understanding of the needs and values of European citizens, and to explore the potential commercial value of integrating societal considerations in nanotechnology research and innovation. To realise these ambitious objectives, the project partners have produced a wealth of information on research and innovation policy, public engagement and co-creation in nanotechnologies.

The overall co-creation process spanned a wide range of activities across Europe. All in all, the workshops have mobilized 249 participants around co-creation in nanotechnologies. Moreover, 46 interviewees from 14 countries have provided their views on nanotechnologies and engagement in the initial stages of the project, 893 respondents from across Europe have commented through an online consultation on the product suggestions resulting from the workshops, and 198 persons responded to the evaluation questionnaires and interviews.

The overall GoNano experience has elucidated opportunities and challenges of co-creation as a tool to enhance the responsiveness of research and innovation. The findings of the GoNano co-creation process confirm that with some effort and careful preparation, it is possible to demonstrate to stakeholders that it does make sense to look at the broader dimensions of research. Participants valued the general opportunities for mutual learning and networking. However, getting from constructive dialogue to practical action remains a significant bottleneck: there is a gap between the appreciation of broader issues around research and innovation and the actual integration of those issues in daily research practices.

The GoNano experience suggests that co-creation processes need to identify the concrete interests and address the motivations of all participants, maintain continuity of thought, ‘translate’ needs and concerns from the social realm to practical options in the technological realm, and drill down to the level where the discussion topics and identified courses of action are specific enough to affect the decisions of the actors involved.

Aligning research and innovation to societal needs and values is not just a matter of deciding what sorts of future applications European citizens and stakeholders want and need (which is difficult enough, given widely divergent responses). It is also a matter of practically realising the desired change. Due to the relative autonomy of the research and innovation system, calls for responsiveness will need to identify the win-win opportunities where ‘doing good’ and ‘doing well’ coincide.

Read the full report here: GoNano D4.4 – Insights and lessons from the engagement activities

*The document may not be seen as an official deliverable of the GoNano project as it has not yet been approved by the European Commission

Over the course of three years, GoNano brought together citizens, civil society organizations, industry, researchers, and policy makers across Europe to align future nanotechnologies with societal needs and concerns. The co-creation process aimed to demonstrate how researchers can work with public and professional stakeholders to create novel suggestions for future nanotechnology products.

Why co-creation?

As you may know, co-creation can broadly be understood as a collaborative development of new value (concepts, solutions, products, and services) together with various stakeholders (such as organized customers, industry, research, civil society organisations, and policymakers). It is a form of collaborative innovation: ideas are shared and improved together.

Policy makers like yourself are an essential stakeholder in this process for two reasons. Firstly, during the co-creation process you provide essential input about the external conditions and framework to promote societal engagement in nanotechnologies. And secondly, since the findings from the GoNano experiences are fed back into policy recommendations (GoNano white papers and policy briefs), policy makers are key stakeholders in using these recommendations in real-life cases to ensure the future governance of nanotechnology is more responsible and responsive to societal needs and values.

Co-creation enables policy makers to work more closely with society and ensures support from all sides. This is a new sort of conversation according to a policy maker of the Provincial Council of Flevoland in The Netherlands:

“Rather than external professional facilitators, it was the politicians themselves who facilitated the group sessions. This heightened the sense of being involved in the ‘real’ conversation among all participants and allowed the residents to get a direct response to their ideas and possible concerns”

See the interviews with the workshop participant and best practice example on the GoNano Youtube channel.

Supporting policy makers in the process of co-creation

To support you in the aligning of R&I with the values, needs and expectations of society, GoNano developed various tools, guidelines and policy papers: 1) The GoNano policy briefs present the results of the engagement activities and provide recommendations based on the GoNano experiences, 2) The GoNano white papers provide insights into different aspects of co-creation and responsiveness in the field of nanotechnology. 3) The GoNano co-creation toolkit and ‘The Road of Co-creation’ website section are developed to support stakeholders to develop their own co-creation event. and 4) The ‘How to..’ guide for citizens is developed to prepare your participants for a co-creation event, to improve your co-creation event.

1) The GoNano Policy Briefs

The GoNano policy briefs present the results of the engagement activities and provide recommendations based on the GoNano experiences.

Policy brief 1: Co-creation: A Practical Tool to Enhance Responsiveness in Research and Innovation

About: Co-creation can enhance responsiveness by

Policy brief 2: Moving from reflection to proactive engagement and action on societal needs, values, and concerns 

About: The move to action can be supported by

Policy brief 3: Opportunities and Challenges of Co-Creation: Experiences from the GoNano Project

About: Strategies for overcoming challenges for co-creation

Policy brief 4: The Value Chain: An approach to Implement Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) practices in Nanotechnologies Development

About: How the value chain approach can support the implantation of RRI

Policy brief 5: Positioning Co-Creation: Democratisation versus Added Value

About: Possible uses of co-creation in research and innovation

Policy brief 6: Inclusion in Co-creation: What is Needed in Practice?

About: Key requirements for realising inclusion in co-creation

Policy brief 7: Gender Issues in Nanotechnologies research and innovation

About: Gender issues in nanotechnologies research and innovation include

Industry Brief: The Power of co-creation

About: Designing solutions to shared problems with citizens and stakeholders

2) The GoNano White Papers

GoNano developed three white papers through and interactive writing process with stakeholders and the general public. Each white paper focusses on specific aspects of co-creation and responsiveness in the field of nanotechnologies.

White Paper one establishes the foundation as to why co-creation responsiveness makes sense in nanotechnology and describes conceptual and empirical aspects of responsiveness of researchers and engineers in co-creation processes. It mainly addresses researchers, engineers, as well as other stakeholders involved in the research system (e.g. research funding or research institutions)

White Paper two provides a strategic focus regarding how to implement co-creation, considering research and the innovation eco-system. Thus, it addresses industrial and business partners, research institutions, and policy makers who are active in and are influencing research and innovation processes.

White paper three provides guidance on how to realize co-creation considering a gender and diversity perspectives in order to better integrate these in nano-related R&I. The main addressees of the paper are organizers and/or researchers in a position to put co-creation into practice.

Read the full report about the white papers here: GoNano Deliverable 5.3- Collection of the GoNano White papers

3) Develop your own co-creation process

The co-creation is a downloadable guideline that offers a six-step approach to help enacting stakeholders to develop their own co-creation process. The guideline describes how to define your co-creation goal, identify relevant stakeholders, and design, implement and reflect on the co-creation process afterwards.

The Road of Co-creation is a website a section on the GoNano website, which take the visitor through the entire process of developing and carrying out co-creation events, providing them with the necessary training materials and recommendations that are relevant at the different steps along the way.

4) Prepare your participants for the co-creation process

With the ‘How to..’ guide for citizens on public participation, we would like to share our lessons learned and support citizens and other stakeholders who would like to engage with nanotechnologies. The guide supports participants to express their own needs and concerns and ensure that their thoughts are taken into account in future developments. It offers a five-step approach that aims to help you define your interests, identify the right opportunity, and become involved in nanotechnology research and development. It’s an invitation for citizens to express their own needs and concerns and help shape the future directions of nanotechnologies.

The GoNano approach

GoNano believes that research and innovation can benefit from being more open to societal needs and concerns. Over the course of three years (2017-2020), GoNano enabled collaborative development (co-creation) in three nanotechnology application areas: food, energy and health. We first consulted citizens about their wishes, needs and concerns regarding future nanotechnology applications. This was used as input for the first and second stakeholder workshops, which aimed to stimulate citizens, civil society organisations, industry, researchers and policy makers across Europe to co-create research aims and think about concrete (product) suggestions for future nanotechnologies. Read more about the GoNano approach and results. 

You can download all the material in the left sidebar:
– Brochure with all information for a co-creation workshop.
– PowerPoint presentation to support the process
– Two posters (extended and simpel version) to print for your event, showing the six-step approach to co-creation
– Practical and strategic canvases to support step 3: Start planning
– Toolkits from other projects and organizations to support step 4: Organize your co-creation event
– YouTube clips with an impression of the GoNano workshop to support step 4: Organizing your co-creation event
– Questionnaire canvas used by GoNano to support step 5: Evaluation and reflection on the process

The GoNano approach

GoNano believes that research and innovation can benefit from being more open to societal needs and concerns. Over the course of three years (2017-2020), GoNano enabled collaborative development (co-creation) in three nanotechnology application areas: food, energy and health. We first consulted citizens about their wishes, needs and concerns regarding future nanotechnology applications. This was used as input for the first and second stakeholder workshops, which aimed to stimulate citizens, civil society organisations, industry, researchers and policy makers across Europe to co-create research aims and think about concrete (product) suggestions for future nanotechnologies. Read more about the GoNano approach and results. 

The GoNano project established an iterative, four-step co-creation process to integrate societal considerations in nanotechnologies, from which a wealth of creative ideas for future nanotechnologies have been produced. These 92 suggestions vary wildly in scope and nature. The co-creation process was not just intended to generate wild ideas, however. It was also meant to produce concrete ‘responsive’ design suggestions which can be fed back in ongoing research and innovation activities. This report presents five narratives from the different pilot studies that suggest how key suggestions evolved over time, maturing from an initial suggestion made in the expert interviews at the beginning of the project into a highly specific proposition towards the end. These cases suggest that focused, guided interactions between different stakeholders can in principle lead to novel suggestions on how to integrate broader considerations in research and innovation decisions.

Read the full report here GoNano D4.5 – Concrete product suggestions for future nanotechnologies

In summary

GoNano established an iterative, four-step co-creation process to integrate societal considerations in nanotechnologies: the first step consisted of a series of citizen workshops (one in each of the three pilot countries: the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Spain) where citizens expressed their wishes and concerns with respect to each of the application areas (health, food and energy, respectively). In the second step, the pilot partners organised co-creation workshops with stakeholders to explore ways to take the wishes and concerns of citizens into account in nanotechnology research and innovation. The results from this first stakeholder workshop were subsequently discussed in the third step of the co-creation process: an online citizen consultation to get responses from citizens from various European countries to the product suggestions of the first round of stakeholder workshops. The fourth and final step of the co-creation process consisted of a second round of stakeholder workshops organised in October and November 2019 in each of the pilot countries. These workshops explored how the product suggestions derived from the first workshops and subsequent input from the online consultation could be integrated in concrete research and innovation decisions.

The GoNano co-creation process has produced a wealth of creative ideas for future nanotechnologies. Some 92 product suggestions have been collected over the course of the project. These suggestions vary wildly in scope and nature. Some of these suggestions were discarded or amalgamated during the workshops themselves through brainstorming, focussing and selection procedures. The suggestions were also categorised by GoNano partners after each step in order to produce viable options for workshop participants in subsequent steps. Given the specific objectives and limited timeframes of the project, it was impossible to follow up on every single suggestion. Still, each of the 92 ideas could in principle serve as the start of a new cycle of co-creation – provided that one of the participants sees merit in the idea**

The co-creation process was not just intended to generate wild ideas, however. It was also meant to produce concrete ‘responsive’ design suggestions which can be fed back in ongoing research and innovation activities. This is why the product suggestions became more focused and directed towards concrete suggestions over the course of the events. This report presents five narratives from the different pilot studies that suggest how key suggestions evolved over time, maturing from an initial suggestion made in the expert interviews at the beginning of the project into a highly specific proposition towards the end:

1. Developing a data management plan for the artificial pancreas.
2. Strengthening user-producer interactions in the development of new diagnostic tools for cancer detection.
3. Designing a packaging system for perishable foods.
4. Defining safety measures for the use of nanomaterials in food.
5. Capturing energy from the environment and converting it to electrical energy for clean storage and use.

These cases suggest that focused, guided interactions between different stakeholders can in principle lead to novel suggestions on how to integrate broader considerations in research and innovation decisions.

The product suggestions are not the “concrete” products we ambitiously envisaged at the outset of the project; however, they are the truest reflection of the GoNano co-creation process that produced them (deliverable D4.4. will consider the extent to which the workshops succeeded in promoting changes in research and innovation decisions, and will review the preconditions for enabling concrete change through co-creation).

Read the full report here GoNano D4.5 – Concrete product suggestions for future nanotechnologies

*The document may not be seen as an official deliverable of the GoNano project as it has not yet been approved by the European Commission

** Deliverable 4.4 provides a more elaborate assessment of the engagement process as a whole. It also considers in further detail why some ideas were taken up and others were not, with the aim to shed further light on the preconditions for co-creation

The deliverable aims to evaluate and demonstrate how co-creative deliberative processes contribute to public and mutual understanding of nanotechnology, how they contribute to building trust between citizens, between public and private institutions, and how co-creative deliberative processes contribute to increased confidence of companies to invest in new (nano-enabled) technologies.

Evaluation design

Post measurements were conducted and consisted of short survey questionnaires after each GoNano co-creation activity as well as follow-up interviews with different kinds of stakeholders after all co-creation activities were completed.

Evaluation findings

Early and continuous engagement of all stakeholders was secured by the iterative process of each co-creation activity (citizen workshop, two stakeholder workshops and the online consultation). Overall, the post-measurements indicated that both citizens and other stakeholders agreed that bringing their perspectives together adds value and insights in what is important to consider when developing nanotechnology applications in the areas of food, health and energy.

Co-creation of knowledge within a responsive R&I system was acknowledged by citizens. They valued the co-creation process where they were asked to provide their views. In addition, stakeholders valued the insights from citizens although not all believed in citizens being able to contribute at an equal level. The stakeholders indicated that co-creation contributes to the acceptability of nanotechnology innovations and leads to an increased understanding of other stakeholders’ perspectives on nanotechnology and product development. However, they were not convinced whether the co-creation could lead to concrete product development.

The quantitative data showed that a large majority of citizens thought their knowledge and understanding of nanotechnology had increased, and they evaluated nanotechnology applications mainly as positive. Their trust in researchers was high. Stakeholders saw the benefits of getting to know each other and learning from each other’s perspectives. In particular, they valued getting new insights and making new contacts. In all, the findings support that the activities contributed to enhanced public understanding of nanotechnology, trust and mutual understanding between citizens, and public and private institutions.

Reflection on the findings

The findings supported that the GoNano co-creation activities contributed to enhanced public understanding of nanotechnology, trust and mutual understanding between citizens, and public and private institutions. Learnings are that co-creation activities, as set up in the GoNano project, are fruitful ways of getting to know considerations from different types of stakeholders and listening to suggestions from citizens. The data also provided a more nuanced understanding of what co-creation entails and provided more context for the perspectives of both citizens and other stakeholders regarding such activities.

That said, also some criticism was raised. In the interviews, stakeholders were most critical about the ‘creation’ part. They thought the co-creation process led to interesting, and sometimes, novel ideas and generated awareness for specific applications of nanotechnology. However, at the same time, the process often remained in the conceptualization phase and did not lead to, for example, prototyping or implementation, while the stakeholders thought that should or could also be part of a co-creation process. They suggested organising a process with different stakeholders in which the implementation of ideas will be central as a follow-up activity. Nevertheless, a number of stakeholders mentioned undertaking specific actions after the co-creation workshops, including: setting up new partnerships, exploring funding opportunities for further product development, giving a presentation at the organization of one of the participants, further exploring one of the topics discussed at the workshop.

Read the full report D4.3 -Evaluation report on the outcomes of the MML platform

*The document may not be seen as an official deliverable of the GoNano project as it has not yet been approved by the European Commission

During the autumn of 2018, three thematic deliberative and envisioning citizen workshops in the areas food (Czech Republic), energy (Spain) and health (the Netherlands) formed the first step of the co-creation process. The goal of the workshops was to inform citizens on nanotechnologies and possible future application areas in order to facilitate their reflection on wishes, needs and concerns. The citizens’ inputs formed the basis for understanding social needs and values, and for working with professional stakeholders to align future nanotechnology applications with these societal values and needs.

Video impressions of the workshops are available on the project website and on YouTube.

Read the full GoNano report- D3.2 Briefing report from the citizen workshops

In summary

The three pilot partners organised a series of face-to-face citizen workshops in the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Spain in October/November 2018. The goal of the workshops wasto inform citizens on nanotechnologies and possible future application areas in orderto facilitate their reflection on wishes, needs and concerns. The citizens’ inputs form the basis for understanding social needs and values, and for working with professional stakeholders to align future nanotechnology applications with these societal values and needs.

Workshop design

The participants of the citizen workshops were guided in a process of envisioning and co-creating suggestions for the early stage of nanotechnology research and innovation that would live up to their needs.The aim of the workshop was to enable the citizens to come together, to consider and commonly reflect on specific nanotechnology applications. The outcome would thus be an overview of citizens’ needs, values and concerns related to future nanotechnologies and their application in the areas of food,energy and health. The figure below shows the pahses guiding the organisation of the citizen workshops.

Prior to the workshop,all participants received an information package. Participants worked in small groups and with the help of a moderator throughout the day. The moderator’s role was to make sure every participant wa sable to contribute to the debates at the tables, to take notes, and to make sure key points of discussions were recorded in the online tool. In terms of the composition of participants, organisersworked with the aim of collecting 48 participants from different backgrounds based on various demographic criteria (gender, age, education, economic activity, place of residence).

Workshop findings

In general, the discourse from the citizen workshops reproduced well-known repertoires of optimism and concern: public perception studies consistently show that European citizens are cautiously optimistic about nanotechnologies.They have positive expectations; however, they also have concerns about the risks to human and environmental health and to societal well-being ingeneral. Throughout the three workshops, citizens highlighted the need to engage in dialogue on the impacts of nanotechnologies. A number of characteristics of the technology application correlated with the strength of the need to engage in dialogue:

1) The more widespread or the closer to a person’s body a technologyapplicationwould be, the stronger theneed the citizens expressed for dialogueand information

2) The less obvious a technology application’scontribution was to solvinga societal need or challenge, the more questions the citizens would have about the application. E.g. participants could understand nanotechnologies in health applications as a solution to aspecificdiseasemore easily than the preventative benefits of modified food

The results from the citizen workshops point both to desirable ends (reduce the use of food and energy; increase health and well-being; make water more available to more people, especially people in the third world) and to important needs that should be safeguarded in implementation (avoid harm to environment and humans; avoid polarisation in society;ensure accessibility and affordability; ensure nanotechnologies develop under public scrutiny and in dialogue with societal stakeholders and publics; support a circular economy; reduce waste;increase recycling;ensure sustainability;safeguard privacy and security, ease of use and maintenance).

Read the full GoNano report- D3.2 Briefing report from the citizen workshops

What is nanotechnology? And why does it matter?

Nanotechnology in a nutshell

Nano originates from the Greek word nanos, which means dwarf and refers to something very small. Nanotechnology is defined not by its subject matter, but by the scale at which it operates: the nanometer, or one billionth of a meter. Nanotechnology seeks to manipulate and control matter in a size range of 100 nanometer down to the size of atoms (approximately 0.2nm).

Not all nano-sized objects are man made. Many nanostructures occur naturally. They can be found in sea salt and volcanic ashes, among others. However, it is only in recent years that sophisticated tools have been developed to investigate and manipulate matter at the nanoscale. This has greatly enhanced our understanding of the nanoscale world. We now know that by rearranging or restructuring the atoms and molecules of a particle, the properties and behaviour (such as melting point, conductivity or chemical reactivity) of the particle change. For instance, gold particles at the nanoscale are not yellow as we know them, but can appear red or purple. Because of these changes in their optical properties, gold nanoparticles can be used for medical imaging. Nanomaterials may differ significantly from their larger scale relatives, opening doors for new technological opportunities. Read more about nanotechnology.

Why might you care about nanotechnology?

Nanotechnology is already a part of our lives. Nanomaterials are used to enhance the properties of consumer products like some toothpaste, sunscreen, food packaging, and smartphones. Proponents of nanotechnology claim that this is just a glimpse of the possible future benefits for consumers. But others are concerned that nanomaterials may harm human and environmental health. So, even though applications of nanotechnologies are developed to provide better products to consumers, there may be unforeseen consequences.

To what extent can we anticipate the future impacts of the use of nanomaterials? How should the potential benefits of nanotechnology be weighed against the possible unforeseen consequences? And who gets to decide? In recent years, a wide range of projects has been initiated to assess nanotechnology, measuring the effects of nanoparticles on human and environmental health and exploring possible future scenarios with citizens and stakeholders. Read more about the governance of nanotechnologies.

Join in: engagement opportunities

Nanotechnology, like all novel scientific advances, introduces new opportunities and uncertainties. This invites important questions about what products citizens may or may not want, and about the risks we are prepared to tolerate. These are questions which affect us all. As a stakeholder, you may also want to become involved in what happens next.

To help you get started, GoNano did some exploratory research and developed a public engagement database, listing organizations and projects that are currently out there looking for your feedback. These initiatives would like to find out about your concerns, needs and wishes on nanotechnology-related topics. Some directly invite you to join their discussion, others offer guidance on how to become involved in the nanodebate . Click here for the public engagement database.

GoNano also developed a ‘How to..’ guide for citizens on public participation. With this guide, we would like to share our lessons learned. Hopefully it will support citizens who would like to engage with nanotechnologies to express their own needs and concerns and ensure that their thoughts are taken into account in future developments. The guide offers a five-step approach which aims to help you define your interests, identify the right opportunity and become involved in nanotechnology research and development. It’s an invitation for citizens to express their own needs and concerns and help shape the future directions of nanotechnologies. Click here for the ‘How to..’ guide.

The GoNano approach

GoNano believes that research and innovation can benefit from being more open to societal needs and concerns. Over the course of three years (2017-2020), GoNano enabled collaborative development (co-creation) in three nanotechnology application areas: food, energy and health. We first consulted citizens about their wishes, needs and concerns regarding future nanotechnology applications. This was used as input for the first and second stakeholder workshops, which aimed to stimulate citizens, civil society organisations, industry, researchers and policy makers across Europe to co-create research aims and think about concrete (product) suggestions for future nanotechnologies. Read more about the GoNano approach and results.