Project

Embedding Safe-by-Design in circular bio-economy research

Despite being regarded since years as essential for conducting research with a valuable and applicable output for industry and ultimately for society, Safe-by-Design is still lacking distinct action strategies for all involved stakeholders along the process from the start to the final product. We would like to change that and provide within this short study a first guideline for biotechnology research for the future bio-economy.

Background

The concept of Safe-by-Design (SbD) finds implementations in several fields of engineering (van Gelder et al. 2021). Constitutive elements of the concept include: risk identification, life cycle assessment, risk assessment, risk management, stakeholder engagement, reflections on risk perception. At the same time, Safe-by-Design implies early decisions in design that aim towards risk minimization, and therefore places a larger responsibility for safety on designers and engineers (Robaey et al. 2017). Such a development, while desirable, is challenging.  

Recent research into the concept of SbD has identified the following challenges: (i) using SbD can give rise to value conflicts (Bouchaut et al., 2021; Ishmaev et al., 2021), (ii) there lacks an alignment with university R&D and industry R&D in implementing SbD measures (Asin Garcia et al., 2020), (iii) the understanding of a broader context is very important to defining what SbD should achieve (Kallergi et al., 2021), and several publications point to a need to think of Safe-by-Design as a concept of responsibility for safety (van de Poel & Robaey 2017; Huijs et al., submitted; Bouchaut & Asveld, 2021).  

These challenges can be categorized as some that pertain to technological choices directly (e.g., Life Cycle Assessment, Risk assessment & perception), and other more broadly that relate to a research and innovation process where innovators are invited to engage in several activities that are not traditionally part of their innovation trajectory (e.g., compliance, responsibility, stakeholder engagement). 

Goal & driving question 

Our goal is to identify and ascertain some of the basic elements for implementation of Safe-by-Design principles in circular biotechnology research. Some of the driving questions are:  

  1. Who needs to be pushed towards implementing Safe-by-Design, and why?
  2. How to raise awareness of biotechnology researchers and other relevant stakeholders towards Safe-by-Design principles along the whole lifecycle of products and processes?
  3. What do researchers need to be supported with - both technically and through reflection and anticipation?
  4. When and where are best moments/places to develop, apply and evaluate a SbD methodology with stakeholders together?

Approach 

To answer the above questions, we will perform extensive research on the constitutive elements of SbD and on how they interact throughout innovative research. We will organize interviews with several diverse stakeholders who are actively involved in the fields of circular bio-economy and biomanufacturing. By doing this, we will be able to pin-point the missing gaps in organization, task distribution and communication throughout the various research steps for the successful implementation of SbD from the beginning to the very end of each process cycle. 

Finally, we would like  to develop a set of precise recommendations, guiding questions and a checklist for the implementation of Safe-by-Design in circular bioeconomy research. 

Publications

  • Huijs, H., Asin-Garcia E., Roabey, Z, Martins dos Santos V. Towards an attitude for responsibility in safety education. Submitted
  • Kallergi A, Asveld L. Perceptions of Safe-by-Design for biotechnology. Report to Ministry I&W, 2021
  • Bouchaut, B. and Asveld L. Safe-by-Design: Stakeholders’ Perceptions and Expectations of How to Deal with Uncertain Risks of Emerging Biotechnologies in the Netherlands. Risk Analysis, Vol. 40, No. 8, 2020
  • Kampers L., Asin Garcia-E. Martins dos Santos V. Navigating the Valley of Death: Perceptions of Industry and Academia on Production Platforms and Opportunities in Biotechnology. EFB Journal, Vol. 2, 2022
  • Schuurbier D. Modellen voor een reflexieve component in technisch onderzoek gericht op Safe-by-Design. Report to Ministry I&W, 2019
  • Schuurbier D. Over biotechnologie en veiligheid: Verslag van een serie interviews met onderzoekers binnen het NWO-TTW programma Biotechnologie en Veiligheid. Report to Ministry I&W, 2020