1 Social Perspectives on Nanotechnology Research and Development: A view from Australia

There are growing calls for the evaluation, regulation and improved governance of nanotechnologies to anticipate and address their likely social impacts. The national science research organisation in Australia, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is carrying out scientific research at the nanoscale in a range of areas. At the same time as the technical work, a team of social scientists has concentrated on the social implications and public perceptions of nanotechnologies in a local Australian context. In this paper we introduce some of the findings of our experiences in public engagement approaches and our attempts to integrate these into research governance within CSIRO. We describe some of the key concerns about nanotechnologies as raised by participants in our research and reflect on some of the tensions and challenges such forums raise for social scientists working as practitioner-researchers within scientific institutions, and discuss issues of contingency and contestability in relation to our research findings