About the project
1. What is Meeting of Minds?
2. What are the objectives of Meeting of Minds?
3. How does Meeting of Minds work?
4. Why a European citizens deliberation?
5. Why a citizens’ deliberation on brain science?
6. Who are the citizens in the European Citizens’ panel?
7. Who are the partners?
8. Which are the Advisory Boards of Meeting of Minds partner organisations?
9. How has it been evaluated?
10. What has come out?
1. What is Meeting of Minds?
Meeting of Minds. European Citizens’ Deliberation on Brain Science is a two-year pilot project led by a European panel of 126 citizens. A partner consortium of technology assessment bodies, science museums, academic institutions and public foundations from nine European countries launched this initiative in 2004 with the support of the European Commission.
The initiative gives European citizens a unique opportunity to learn more about the impact of brain research on their daily lives and society as a whole, to discuss their questions and ideas with leading European researchers, experts and policy-makers, put them in touch with fellow citizens from other European countries and make a personal contribution to a report detailing what the people of Europe believe to be possible and desirable in the area of brain science and what they recommend policy-makers and researchers to be aware of for future developments in this field.
Through this approach, the Meeting of Minds initiative wishes to meet EU calls for greater public involvement in the debate on future research, technological decision-making and governance.
2. What are the objectives of Meeting of Minds?
The overall objective of the Meeting of Minds initiative is to involve European citizens in assessing and publicly discussing the issue of brain science with relevant research, policy and ethics experts, various stakeholders as well as representatives of European decision-making organisations.
As such, the initiative aims to give relevant inputs into European policy-making and wider public debate on brain science. It will also help set the issue of brain science on the policy and wider political agenda.
Meeting of Minds will help develop new forms of social debate and decision-making processes at European cross-national level.
3. How does Meeting of Minds work?
The project consists of three national and two European meetings held in 2005 and early 2006. Initially, 126 citizens from across Europe have been invited to explore the issue of brain science. This lead to the creation of a common framework and a common set of questions, setting out those aspects of brain science that need to be examined further and discussed in greater depth. National panels took these proposals home and continued working on them at two national assessment meetings. Each panel produced its own conclusions on desirability and potential of brain science and put forward selected issues for the European agenda.
The second European meeting took on board the national conclusions and recommendations and ran further with them, producing a European assessment report on brain research issues. The participants discussed areas of overlap, agreements and disagreements, the underlying reasons for them and what can be learnt. The results of these discussions have been incorporated in a European report with conclusions and recommendations handed over to high-level European officials and representatives of the European scientific and research community at a public ceremony on 23 January 2006. One of the aims of this exercise is to create an ongoing dialogue at European level between the general public and policy-makers on science-related matters.
4. Why a European citizens’ deliberation?
Over the last 10-15 years, there has been a growth in what has become generally known as 'participatory technology assessment' and 'participatory foresight' in various European national contexts. Broadly, the aim of participatory technology assessment and foresight is to address and consider socially relevant issues of science and technology through the active involvement of citizens, civil society actors and policy-makers in various forms of assessment. The envisaged effects of participatory technology assessment generally are: (i) to enhance social learning among experts, stakeholders and citizens; (ii) to stimulate public debate; and (iii) to provide policy advice.
Especially in the area of biotechnology, public involvement has become a frequently used tool of assessment, foresight and policy deliberation. So far, at practical level, there have however only been few and limited attempts to implement participatory initiatives at European level.
The Meeting of Minds - European Citizens' Deliberation on Brain Science initiative has to be understood as a serious, concerted attempt by leading organisations in the field to move participatory technology assessment and foresight to the European cross-national level. It thereby responds to the various demands for greater public involvement in European technology assessment and related policy-making and public debate.
Meeting of Minds will also make a concrete, tangible contribution to the development of the European governance agenda in the field of research. These are set out in the European Commission's plans for the European Research Area (ERA, 2000) and envisage greater interaction between scientists and various stakeholders (including citizens) in research and development and related policy-making.
5. Why a citizens’ deliberation on brain science?
The field of brain sciences is rapidly gaining societal importance. There are several distinct but interlinking reasons for this.
Firstly, there is a feeling within the scientific community that we are really beginning to understand the workings of the brain in a new and scientifically productive way. Neuro imaging facilitates insights into the living and working brain. The introduction of molecular biology techniques has started an equally important revolution in understanding the neurochemistry and the cellular functioning of the normal and pathologic brain.
Secondly, the average lifespan in Europe has grown enormously in recent decades. As individuals get older, demographic balances will shift, and the incidence of many age-related neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, will increase dramatically. Combine this with the recent dramatic rise in reported psychiatric conditions and it becomes clear that there will be a huge demand for ways to alleviate or cure brain-related diseases.
And thirdly, major theoretical advances in the cognitive neurosciences have provided the required level of analysis of these functions. All three fields have been boosted by the incredible increase in computing power available today. This situation is completely unprecedented and it produces important spin-offs for diagnosis as well as neurosurgical and pharmacological treatment -- and even for cyborg-type developments too.
6. Who are the citizens in the European Citizens’ panel?
Ordinary citizens are at the heart of the undertaking; The European citizens’ panel of 126 citizens drawn from 9 European countries: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom will focus on what they find to be the most important societal issues arising from brain sciences.
Each country has a ‘national’ citizens’ panel comprising 14 citizens. The 9 ‘national panels’ are selected by a ‘national project team’. For Belgium there are two such project teams and two panels: one for the Flemish Community, the other for the French Community. Together they will send a delegation of Belgian citizens to take part in the European panel during the two European conventions.
7. Who are the partner organisations running the project?
Meeting of Minds is an initiative of an international group of 12 organisations coordinated by the King Baudouin Foundation. They are pooling their respective expertise and experience in public consultation to collaborate on this unique exercise in public engagement with science.
1) King Baudouin Foundation (Belgium)
The King Baudouin Foundation supports projects and citizens with a commitment to build a better society. We look for sustainable ways of bringing about justice, democracy and respect for diversity. The King Baudouin Foundation is independent and pluralistic. It was founded in 1976 to mark the 25th anniversary of King Baudouin's reign. The KBF is funding and coordinating the Meeting of Minds project.
More information: http://www.kbs-frb.be
2) University of Westminster (UoW, London)
Participatory technology assessment and Science and Technology studies experts from the Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD) at the UoW are providing scientific and methodological advice. CSD is doing the internal evaluation and methodological coordination of the Meeting of Minds project.
More information: http://www.wmin.ac.uk/csd
3) Flemish Institute for Science and Technology Assessment (Flemish Community, Belgium)
The Technology Assessment organisation of the regional parliament of Flanders, together with (12) the University of Liège bear shared responsibility for the Belgian input in the project.
More information: http://www.viwta.be
4) Danish Board of Technology (Denmark)
The Danish Board of technology is the parliamentary technology assessment institution of Denmark. The Board is independent. The role of the Board is to perform technology assessment, advise the parliament and the government, and to further debate on the issue of technology in Denmark.
More information: http://www.tekno.dk/
5) Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie (France)
The Cité des sciences et de l’industrie is a science museum welcoming around three millions visitors per year. Through its permanent and temporary exhibitions, through its programmes of lectures and debates, it develops a strategy of disseminating scientific culture and strengthening the dialogue between science and society.
More information: http://www.cite-sciences.fr
6) Stiftung Deutsches Hygiene-Museum (Germany)
The German Hygiene Museum as a science museum reflects the impact of science on society in the 21st century. The museum’s educational task is to promote discussion on the trends in science and research.
More information: http://www.dhmd.de/
7) Fondazione IDIS Città della Scienza (Italy)
A non-profit making organisation aimed at playing a leading role in the dissemination of scientific knowledge and technological innovation. It has different functions and offers services including a Science Centre, whose first aim is to establish a dialogue between science and society.
More information: http://www.cittadellascienza.it
8) Rathenau Institute (The Netherlands)
An independent organisation established and financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science whose task is to support the formation of public and political opinion with respect to developments in science and technology
More information: http://www.rathenau.nl
9) Science Museum’s Dana Centre (United Kingdom)
The Science Museum has a long tradition of liaising with its visitors – and with the wider public – on issues of contemporary importance and its Dana Centre – which is the Museum’s new venue for adults to discuss contemporary science - has become a national focus of public engagement with science activities.
More information: http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
10) University of Debrecen, Medical and Health Science Centre (Hungary)
Responsible for a progressive medical attendance on the highest possible level for the population of the North-eastern region of Hungary. It represents one of the focal points of medical research in Hungary. Several of its basic science and clinical departments carry out brain research.
More information: http://www.ceebd.co.uk/ceeed/un/hu/hu005.htm
11) Eugenides Foundation (Greece)
An independent, non-profit welfare organisation with a mission to enhance the scientific, technological and technical education of the Greek youth and to promote Science and Technology to the wider public.
More information: http://www.eugenfound.edu.gr/
12) University of Liège, SPIRAL (French Community, Belgium)
The Spiral (Scientific and Public Involvement in Risk Allocations Laboratory) is a research centre in the field of risk analysis and public participation. The centre promotes methods of deliberative democracy about scientific progress and technological innovation. The University of Liège bears shared responsibility with the Flemish Institute of Science and Technology Assessment for the Belgian input in the project.
More information: http://www.ulg.ac.be/spiral
The initiative also has the support of the European Commission, Directorate-General on Research under the 6th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development in the European Union. The European Commission’s plan for the European Research Area envisages greater interaction between scientists and stakeholders, including citizens, in research and development and related policy-making.
8. Which are the Advisory Boards of Meeting of Minds partner organisations?
In each of the nine countries, Meeting of Minds partner organisations have installed advisory boards acting as a soundboard for national organisers on the content and/or the method of the project. The size and composition of these boards differ per country. They comprise between 4 to 10 members with different fields of expertise, including for instance neurologists, psychiatrists, researchers, and prominent persons with a background in the field of health.
View the compositon of the Advisory Boards here.
9. How has it been evaluated?
The Meeting of Minds project has been subject to an internal and external evaluation process. Each had a different focus.
The external evaluation was commissioned to an independent external team to review the methodological concept, the procedural design and the actual performance of the ECD-Project focusing on the European process level.
Click here to find the report and an executive summary.
The internal evaluation consisted of a process of self-evaluation focusing on the internal aspects of its implementation and organisation. This process was aimed at immediate learning, adjusting the participatory process and knowledge building throughout the duration of the project. It incorporates the feedback from the citizens throughout the trajectory.
Click here to find the report and an executive summary.
Both reports give a critical assessment of the project which according to the external evaluation report "accomplished all envisioned objectives - the content related objectives with great success, the procedural objectives with satisfactory success.
10. What has come out?
On 23 January 2006 the citizens presented the results of their deliberation process at the European Parliament and handed over their European Citizens’ Assessment report to important decision makers in the European Union. Their report contained 37 recommendations on the ethical, legal and social implications of advances in brain science.