Public Engagement, Public Consultation, Innovation and the Market

Abstract

Engagement of the public regarding new science and technology is almost a routine feature of the innovation cycle in Canada. Recent examples include: the Health Canada-initiated consultation on xenotransplanation, public engagement in self-standing GE3LS research programs or projects embedded in scientific platforms, the launch of the National Research Council’s e-democracy laboratory, and the Canadian Biotechnology Secretariat’s rolling study of consumer attitudes toward biotechnology. The vast majority of research into the methods, effectiveness, and merits of public engagement is conducted by, or with the assistance of, university-based researchers, the major exception being opinion polls conducted by professional pollsters. In order to fulfill the requirements of university-based research, academics collect kudos from like-minded peers by presenting their results at conferences and publishing in academic journals and books. Often the research is also deliberately or derivatively disseminated into the grey literature for use by industry and the public service. In this dissemination mode, researchers are often regarded as consultants who provide nonacademic constituencies with expert advice on assessment of public attitudes toward new science and technology.