7 October 2011
At the fourth meeting of the Expert Forum, the Chair reported that he had made a presentation on the contemporary role, practice and value of foresighting to the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research and is scheduled to make one to the National Measurement Institute. The Chair also noted Paul Harris’s recent science policy discussion paper for DIISR that comments on the importance of foresighting, the role of NETS and the need for improved analysis and discussion of the various impacts of science and new technologies. Paul Harris is the Deputy Director of the Australian National Institute for Public Policy.
Professor Max Lu, Dr Deborah Rathjen and Professor Ron Johnston agreed to be available to the Minister’s Press Office for media comments on matters relating to nano- and bio- technology and the work of the Expert Forum. It was also agreed to ensure the Australian Science Media Centre also have experts to deal with enabling technologies issues. The Expert Forum was informed of recent projects completed or underway under the National Enabling Technology Strategy (NETS) by the Enabling Technology Policy section (ETP): the Nanotechnology Patent Survey, the Nanotechnology Business Survey, the development of further case studies of firms engaged in commercialising nanotechnology and biotechnology, a feasibility study of a mandatory nano product registry, the Flinders University NanoConnect project, and a grant to the Australian Academy of Sciences to develop a National Nanotechnology Research Strategy. NETS involvement in the October Ausbiotech national conference in Adelaide and a satellite event with Ausfoodtech was also noted.
The Public Awareness and Community Engagement (PACE) program of NETS also reported on their projects, including their framework for community engagement in decisions about science and technology. PACE’s latest survey into public attitudes found that Australians are increasingly positive about nanotechnology, in particular its potential to improve human health. The Biotechnology Innovation Policy section of NETS reported on its biomass value chain coping studies and the stem cell research and industry capability study.
The Expert Forum received the penultimate final draft report of the Enabling Technologies Roadmap, prepared by the Australian Institute for Commercialisation. Following some further amendments it is hoped to make the report available for public comment before its final publication later this year. The report will provide the basis for understanding the potential contribution of enabling technologies to addressing some Australia’s major national challenges and inform future policy discussion about Australia’s strategic position in advanced manufacturing in the changing global economy.
The Expert Forum expressed its strong support for the new Terms of Reference being proposed for the Regulatory Review, with an emphasis on the development of principles to guide the development of regulatory frameworks and structures to manage the potential benefits and risks of enabling technologies.
Under the Expert Forum’s program of industry uptake foresight workshops, the Forum received the report of the Enabling Assistive Technologies in Aged Care workshop report, and watched a short DVD produced from the workshop. Members noted that the report and DVD emphasise the crucial role for enabling bio and nano assistive technologies in supporting the international trend towards ‘ageing in place’ in response to the ageing of populations in all OECD economies, and including China and Taiwan. Advancing this agenda calls for improved horizontal integration between policy initiatives involved in reforming the funding of aged care and recent developments in eHealth and telemedicine within the Department of Health and Ageing. The recommendations of the report could be used to inform the Government’s response to the Productivity Commission Report Caring for Older Australians.
An industry uptake foresight workshop on the post farm-gate food industry, focusing on packaging, processing, waste management and functional foods will be held on 17 November 2011 in Melbourne. Members also noted the ETP is supporting the AusFoodTech workshop that is part of the AusBiotech National Conference on 18 October, which will canvas some of the issues and involve some of the participants from the Foresighitng Workshop. The Expert Forum is not planning to hold another industry foresight workshop this financial year but hasn’t ruled out holding further such workshops in the 2012-13 financial year, should suitable subjects be identified.
Members were also briefed for their participation the following day in the Expert Forum’s annual public foresighting event, ‘three technologies that may change the way we live’, which formed part of the Adelaide Festival of Ideas. Computer animations for this event are available on the TechNyou website. The meeting concluded with a discussion about a possible joint foresighting workshop with members of the Stakeholder Advisory Council, to be held in 2012, which would be developed by further discussion among the two committees and the ETP.