Annual Report 2011 Painful Political Choices Necessary Book on Energy in 2030 > 4

Rathenau Instituut Annual Report 2011 Painful political choices necessary Book on Energy in 2030 > 4 Intimate technology part of world around us more and more Theme of 25th anniversary > 12 Extra funding does not necessarily lead to extra growth in research ‘Focus and Mass’ report > 18 Rathenau Instituut PREFACE Rathenau Instituut A word from the Chairman Mission ‘The Rathenau Instituut had real impact in several areas in 2011. The book Nier te koop – Baarmoeder The Rathenau Instituut promotes the formation of political and public te huur (‘Kidney for Sale – Womb to Let’) prompted opinion on science and technology. heated political and public debate, and accelerated the To this end, the Institute studies the legislation process for donor systems and the trade in organisation and development of bodily material in the Netherlands. s cience systems, produces publications on the social impact of new technologies, and organizes debates ‘The ‘Focus and Mass’ report concluded that putting on issues and dilemmas related to extra money into certain areas of research does not science and technology. necessarily lead to greater output in those areas. The timing of the report was perfect: it was published just Rathenau Instituut as MPs and government ministries were working hard on a new policy for the country’s leading economic The Rathenau Instituut is an autono- sectors. Our report featured prominently in the mous organisation which was founded debates. by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science in 1986. It is still funded by the Ministry, with responsibility ‘It is also gratifying to look back on a very successful for governance falling to the Royal meeting on ‘valorisation’ – making academic knowl- Netherlands Academy of Arts and edge applicable and broadly accessible. We were able Sciences (KNAW). to offer some 300 young academics practical tools to use for valorisation. And we managed to stoke up Who was Rathenau? the debate on ‘intimate technology’, for example – technology that is literally getting under our skin. A The Rathenau Instituut is named competition in nrc.next newspaper attracted interest after Professor G.W. Rathenau from a wide, young audience. (1911-1989), who was professor of experimental physics at the University of Amsterdam, director of the Philips ‘The challenge for 2012 is to focus on the government’s Physics Laboratory in Eindhoven, and new innovation policy. Will we be able to make clear a member of the Scientific Advisory the effects of the initiatives now being launched? And Council on Government Policy. He can we provide building blocks to ensure those initia- achieved national fame as chairman of the commission formed in 1978 tives take the most effective form? to investigate the societal implications of microelectronics. One of the ‘Focusing on issues like this allows us to keep contrib- commission’s recommendations was uting to the debate and keep pace with new develop- that there should be ongoing and systematic monitoring of the societal ments. Or even anticipate them slightly, because the significance of all technological Rathenau Instituut is best known for being a trail- advances. Rathenau’s activities led blazer.’ to the foundation of the Netherlands Organisation for Technology Assess- ment (NOTA) in 1986. On 2 June 1994, the organisation was renamed Sander Dekker the Rathenau Instituut. RATHENAU INSTITUUT 2 ANNUAL REPORT 2011 CONTENTS uitgeverij bert bakker 6 4 € 850,– ₤ 5,000 8 12 18 € 1900,– 16 $ 1250,– 12 20 Wereldwijde handel 22 Science System Assessment NIER TE KOOP in lichaamsmateriaal BAARMOEDER TE HUUR Focus en massa in het wetenschappelijk onderzoek: Geesink20 & Steegers de Nederlandse onderzoeksportfolio 4 Projects/1 10 2012 in figures 18 Focusin andinternationaal mass in science: perspectief 6 FlyerWe Niertekoop live def.inddin a 1technotope 11 Jan Staman’s Top 5 23-02-11 12:17 more money, more output, 6 Trade in bodily material: 12 25th anniversary: intimate more volume? scores of reactions technology 20 Projects/4 8 Projects/2 16 Projects/3 22 Publications Peter van den Besselaar & Edwin Horlings 18 The importance of innovation RATHENAU INSTITUUT ANNUAL REPORT 2011 3 PROJECTS / 1 Natural The book gas ex Energie traction in 2030 50 years (Energy in ago. 2030) was launched at a sympo sium in The Hague on 12 September attended, by energy experts and Jurgen Ganzevles en Rinie van Est (red.) MPs. ENERGIE IN 2030 Maatschappelijke keuzes van nu What will we do when European Parliament: natural gas runs out? ‘Take up the debate on bioengineering’ ‘It is generally only technical experts who attend conferences on energy. The Energy in ‘We have to convince people that human 2030 conference brought academics, politi- dignity will not be undermined by develop- cians and civil servants from all specialisms ments in bioengineering’, said MEP Vittorio together. It was a real relief’, says Jacques Prodi at the European Parliament’s ‘Making Kimman, who lectures on new energy at Perfect Life’ meeting. Hogeschool Zuyd. The meeting was part of the Making Perfect The Rathenau Instituut launched a book entitled Life project, run by the Rathenau Instituut and Energie in 2030 (Energy in 2030) in which 14 a number of European partners. The project energy experts consider how the Netherlands explores how biology and technology are will meet its energy needs, once the Groningen becoming increasingly interwoven. ‘These gasfields run out around 2030. developments will give us more opportunity to intervene in biological and cognitive processes,’ ‘All the sources of energy that might help us says Rinie van Est of the Rathenau Instituut, avert a looming energy crisis are controver- ‘and they will give us the chance to create sial’, says Jurgen Ganzevles of the Rathenau technology with the same properties as living Instituut. ‘Nuclear energy, coal-fired power organisms, like intelligence and the ability to states and shale gas are all sensitive issues, and reproduce.’ biofuels and wind energy meet with resistance from the public, local authorities and environ- Scientists can already grow living tissue in the mental groups.’ The switch from natural gas lab and make synthetic DNA. ‘Tens of thou- to other forms of energy is going to hurt, that sands of patients worldwide have electrodes in much is clear. It will hurt our wallets, the envi- their brain that can influence their behaviour’, ronment or the landscape. ‘We have to accept says Van Est. ‘And there are devices that can the pain,’ says Ganzevles, ‘because the easily measure our emotions.’ This has major social accessible gas is definitely running out.’ and legal implications. Who is responsible, for example, when a patient treated with deep brain ‘The symposium got people thinking’, believes stimulation should displays extreme behaviour? lecturer Jacques Kimman of Hogeschool Zuyd. These developments are a constant challenge ‘It’s good that a wide range of people were there, to legislation, and politicians must respond in because you can’t solve the energy problem good time. The European Parliament is keen to with technology alone. The solution will need take up the challenge. ‘The Making Perfect Life the support of as many different parties as report gives us a framework and a methodology possible.’ The Rathenau Instituut could help for developing new legislation’, Prodi said. ‘So guide the search: ‘I’d say: good report, good let’s get on with it.’ symposium – now keep up the good work.’ RATHENAU INSTITUUT 4 ANNUAL REPORT 2011 Trans A protes A collec cranial tor’s view tion of mag on bio biofuels netic fuels. stimula tion can be used to treat depres sion. ‘Plants are for food first, wheat’, she says. ‘This leads to competition between energy and food, which is far from then biofuel’ ideal.’ So as not to affect the food supply, new agricultural land could of course be reclaimed The ‘biobased economy’ – the use of crops specially for biofuel production, but the land for fuel, for example – offers good prospects needs to be available. ‘That is not the case in the for substantially reducing greenhouse gas Netherlands’, Asveld points out. ‘And in other emissions. However, crops must be used first countries new agricultural land is often created and foremost for high-value applications like by clearing forest land, which is bad for atmos- food. A crop may be used as fuel only as a last pheric CO2 levels.’ resort. So there is plenty of room for improvement This is all in a manifesto that has been signed by in what Asveld refers to as first-generation over 40 companies and civil-society organisa- biofuels. The second generation should be tions, from KLM and DSM to the Worldwide obtained from the non-edible parts of food Fund for Nature and Oxfam Novib. The signa- crops, because if a plant is used for food and tories say they drew up the manifesto using the fuel, it’s a win-win situation. ‘The government recommendations of the Rathenau Instituut and should do more to encourage the development other organisations as a guide. of biofuels. I see it as our job to keep cranking up the debate.’ In the Rathenau Instituut’s Biobased Economy report, published in 2011, Lotte Asveld The English version of Biobased Economy was concluded that there are many problems associ- presented at the World Resources Forum in Davos in September. ated with biofuels. ‘A lot of biofuel is currently made from food crops like maize, palm oil and Biofuel from algae RATHENAU INSTITUUT ANNUAL REPORT 2011 5 FRANS BROM, head of the Technology Assessment Trade in bodily material: scores of reactions department and professor of the Ethics A book entitled Nier te of Technology koop – Baarmoeder te huur Assessment at (Kidney for Sale – Womb the University to Let), published in March of Utrecht 2011, caused a stir.

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