Nanotechnologies: Big Governance Issues for the Science of Small (in Taiwan and Beyond)

Nanotechnology is the new(est) star in the high technologies sky. Although there are a growing number of academic, policy and industry reports exploring nanotechnology, and although some nano-materials and nano-particle-reliant products are being produced, nanotechnologies remain technologies of promise with many questions yet to be answered about their nature, appropriate development, and optimal social and commercial deployment. Bearing the early nature of this interdisciplinary science in mind, this paper explores some of the essential issues relating to regulation of nanotechnologies, with an emphasis on Taiwan. After briefly reviewing the state of, and hopes for, the science, this paper examines two key regulatory arenas that of risk management, and that of value market creation with which policymakers in Taiwan and beyond must come to grips if the field is to evolve in a desirable manner. After highlighting the challenges represented by both for nanotech regulation, it offers some recommendations for the improvement of the regulatory setting, not only in Taiwan but more broadly.