Presentation given by Alain-Michel Boudet from University of Toulouse III, Paul Sabatier in the framework of the Emergence Forum Barcelona Biocat organized the Barcelona Emergence Forum (April 10-11th, 2014, Congress Palace, Montjuïc) supported by the TRANSBIO SUDOE, a translational cooperation project dedicated to innovation in life sciences in South-West Europe. The Barcelona Emergence Forum contributed to bringing together Academics, Companies, Investment Entities, Technology Platforms and Technology Transfer Offices from Spain, France and Portugal to set up collaborative projects on Human Health & Agro-food Innovation. More information at: http://www.b2match.eu/emergenceforum2014

1. Workshop 1 : « Innovation and risks:
public and expert perceptions
Chairman : Alain-Michel Boudet – University of Toulouse
Samantha Leonard – INSERM/ University of Toulouse
Pere Oliver Reus (Instituto Nacional de Oceanografía,
Balearic Islands)
Vicenç Tur Tur (Lipopharma Therapeutics, Balearic
Islands)
Jorge Cortell (Kanteron Systems USA, Valencia)
Damien Dessis (SIRIC BRIO, Bordeaux)
François Roman (Amylgen, Montpelier)

2. Program of the workshop
• Introductory remarks
• Presentation of a case study by Samantha
Leonard « Stakeholders visions of innovation
in medical genetic testing »
• Opening of the round table with all the
participants and the audience

3. 1.main actions for promoting innovation in the different
regions
2.main obstacles for developping innovation
3.in which way potential risks associated with
technologies may preclude innovation
4.how can public perception can be improved ?
5.the role and the responsability of the producers of new
technologies
Main topics of the roundtable

4. Eurobarometer 2013 in the field of
sciences and of technologies
• 50 % Europeans are interested in the developments in
sciences and technologies
• 77 % think that sciences and technologies have a
positive impact
BUT
• 62 % think that sciences and technologies change their
life style too quickly
• 54 % think that the applications of sciences and
technologies may threaten human rights

5. A product innovation is the act of
bringing something new to the market
place
An innovation is a discovery
(an invention) that has
found a MARKET

6. Classical concerns in our different countries
are:
• How to stimulate discoveries ?.
• How to stimulate innovations ?
But
Prerequisite to the second question
Is
To anticipate the reactions of the public
in front of a new technology

7. • The technology does not correspond to a
need
• The technology appears risky

8. The tremendous potential of some
technologies induces significant fears
• Biotechnology human cloning
• ICT disappearance of private life
• Nuclear energy extinction of societies
• Nanobiotechnology transhumanism
• Artificial intelligence fear of being surpassed by the
technology
Each techology involves both : - positive demonstrated impacts
- negative anticipated impacts

9. The risks (or potential risks) may be at the levels
- of individuals
OR
- of the society
In some cases the adoption of a technology is not
only a minor decision but can correspond to a
society choice

10. An an example :
« GMOs may be a marvellous solution for a certain type of
project for society. But it is precisely this project for
society that we do not want. »
Bruno Rebelle (Greenpeace 2002)
The public debates on new technologies are often less
focused on the intrinsic risks of the products than on the
way their use is supposed to change the society

11. A few explanations at the level of individuals
for having reservations and increasing
suspicion about technologies
• Fast emerging new innovations
• Media strategies (dramatisation, uncontrolled
information)
• Desacralisation of Science
• The commitment of active militant groups

12. 1.main actions for promoting innovation in
the different regions

13. 2.main obstacles for developping
innovation

14. 3.in which way potential risks associated
with technologies may preclude innovation

15. 4.how can public perception can be
improved ?

16. Eurobarometer 2013 in the field of
sciences and of technologies
• 40 % feel they are informed
• 85 % are in favour of a compulsory training of
researchers in ethics
• 65 % think that the governments do too little to raise
young people’s interest in science

17. The public opinion has the feeling of an
acceleration of technological advances
associated with negative effects
• Difficult technical and psychological appropriation of new
technologies
• Scheduled obsolescence
• Advertisements for unnecessary product
Are we the masters of the technologies or their slaves ?

18. « The speed with which innovations succeed each
other leaves no respite, hence a social and
psychological disorientation which is unprecedented
in history ».
Bernard Stiegler 1996
« Society seems to be kind of exhausted seeing that its
thinking framework is changing relentlessly »
Marie Ange Lhermitte

19. The remoteness between the products of
technology and the society is increasing
• Before : bicycle, car, …
• Now : Smart phone, PC, recent car
• Is society moving away from technological products
or are said technological products moving away
from society?

20. 5.the role and the responsability of the
producers of new technologies

21. What about the producers of new technologies
A more pronounced ethical concern :
• Increased consideration of human and environmental issues
• Identification of « no go areas »
A new attitude :
• To develop more interactions with human and social sciences
• To contribute to the education of the public
• To be more involved in the deployment of the technology. They
will play an increasing role in accompanying this deployment

22. Possible solutions
• Improving basic scientific culture and the judgmental mind
of our fellow citizens (but in the long run).
• Improving the popularisation quality and efforts with the
public at large
• Setting up in each country an undisputable
pluridisciplinary structure to give advice on emerging
technologies and their applications
• Anticipate reflections at economic, societal, ethical levels
as soon as a new technology appears
• Considerate in the decisions « the global ecosystem», the
human factor, the environment, the solidarities, the
development.