This report describes how a “societal incubator” could contribute to embedding promising new technologies within society. A societal incubator is a gathering place for collective learning processes at which all parties involved get to know one another’s opinions and motives better. It involves more than just looking for public acceptance. For example, a societal incubator challenges technology developers to show how innovation can contribute to solving important societal challenges. In that sense, it can be seen as an example of responsible research and innovation.
The report Beyond public acceptance: Design of a societal incubator for promising (nano)technologies is the result of an exploratory study by the Rathenau Instituut (in collaboration with the Agricultural Economics Research Institute at Wageningen University), that was commissioned by the Dutch research and innovation consortium NanoNextNL.