Fostering better engagement in biotechnology research in Thailand:

Context

New technologies are often assessed for their technical readiness, but their success and wider adoption also depends on society being engaged and ‘ready’ for them. This requires a broader understanding of public perceptions, policy considerations, industry engagement, and the ways in which any costs and benefits from the innovation will be perceived and shared among different groups. Without this understanding, innovations may face barriers to adoption, slowing their potential benefits for society, economies, and the environment.

Societal readiness assessment offers a structured approach to evaluating innovations based on their social impact, utility, equity, and environmental goals. By engaging stakeholders throughout the lifespan of an innovation, from idea generation to implementation, this approach ensures that a diverse range of perspectives contribute to decision-making. Ultimately, societal readiness assessment helps innovators and policymakers translate ambitions for socially responsible research and innovation into practical design and deployment strategies.

Aims and Objectives

This project focuses on agricultural biotechnology in Thailand – an innovation that presents both opportunities and challenges for wider society. The project does not pass any judgement on the ethics or utility of biotechnology but instead aims to develop and test a process for assessing societal readiness for these technologies, ensuring that innovation aligns with the needs and concerns of different stakeholder groups, including farmers, policymakers, researchers, and private sector representatives. 

The project aims to:

• Improve stakeholder engagement processes in biotechnology research
• Co-develop and test an internationally-applicable, responsible process to assess the level of societal readiness using a case study of biotechnology
• Engage policymakers, the private sector and other innovation stakeholders in dialogues regarding socially-responsible informed and ethical approaches to international research.

By improving how we assess societal readiness and moving beyond societal acceptance of innovations, this research will help reduce risks in technology development, build investor confidence, and support more sustainable agricultural innovations that align with societal values. This research will ultimately inform a more socially-responsible, informed and ethical approach to research and innovation that could be applied to any technological innovation.