POLICY PRIORITIES - APPLICATION 2
Delphi Results
Synthetic Organisms
Large-scale production of chemical compounds and commodities via synthetic organisms
Plausibly available in the medium term
(up to 5/10 years from now)
BENEFITS AND COSTS
What benefits are most relevant?
1. expansion of sustainable industrial sectors (e.g. green chemistry) (μ=7,36; SD=1,10)
2. reduction of any environmental impact, in terms of a more efficient exploitation of natural resources, less pollution, and/or CO2 emissions (μ=6,79; SD=1,26)
Which stakeholders will mostly benefit?
1. Petrochemical and agri-food industrial companies (μ=6,64; SD=1,45)
2. Consumers (μ=6,50; SD=1,40)
What costs are most relevant ?
1. Creation of R&D and commercial monopolies, e.g. through patenting policies (μ=6,36; SD=1,10)
2. Incapacity to deal with safety and risk related issues effectively because of inadequate regulatory frameworks and ill-equipped regulators” (μ=6,00; SD=1,31)
3. Disruption of local economies and communities in developing countries as commodities are produced through new processes based on synthetic biology (μ=6,00; SD=1,61)
Which stakeholders will have to bear the highest costs ?
1. Petrochemical and agri-food industrial companies (μ=6,11; SD=1,66)
2. Local communities (μ=5,57; SD=1,37)
Which stakeholders can have a relevant role in the allocation of costs and benefits ?
1. Policy Makers
2. Company and Industry Associations
Which procedures should be used to asses the costs and benefits of the application?
1. Risk Assessment Procedures
GOVERNANCE AND REGULATORY TOOLS
Which governance framework should be used to regulate R&D activities ?
1. international guidelines” (μ=7,29; SD=1,05)
Which procedures should be used to to foster compliance with regulatory measures ?
1. Legally binding procedures
2. Regularly monitored and evaluated through audit procedures
Which approaches are most useful in encouraging companies and research organization to comply with regulatory and governance?
1. Reputational Incentives (ethical labels, brands, and rankings) (μ=7,00; SD=1,36)
2. Financial Incentives (μ=6,68; SD=1,66)