The term NBIC convergence refers to the unification of four key technologies: nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and cognitive technology. This is expected to spawn many new innovations with radical applications. Examples include synthetic biology, brain-machine interaction, molecular medicine, ambient intelligence, persuasive technologies and robotics.
This prompted the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation to write, in a letter to the House of Representatives in October 2011, that ‘over the coming years we must remain alert to the implications of new technologies, including NBIC convergence, and if necessary take action in terms of research, risk policy and public debate’.
The Rathenau Institute plans to engage in activities in these three highly interconnected areas to provide building blocks on which the government can base its future position. We want to investigate the extent to which the current research system can and should cater for NBIC. We will also establish how adequate – or, rather, ‘future-proof’ – our current regulatory frameworks are in light of NBIC convergence. Finally, we shall explore the degree to which current institutions are capable of discussing and developing the moral frameworks needed to allow NBIC convergence to take root in society.
