Hoping to avoid the sort of furor that arose in recent years over so-called “frankenfoods,” a group of European researchers is arguing that the public should have more of a say in decision-making in new technologies such as nanotech.

The researchers’ report, called “Reconfiguring Responsibility,” grows out of a movement within European science policy-making to consider the societal consequences of a new technology before the impacts become irreversible. In terms of nanotechnology, the report argues, the developments do not go far enough.

“Technologies are being driven forward with insufficient reflection on why they are being developed and on what this is likely to mean for future society,” says Phil Macnaghten of Durham University (England), leader of the EU-funded project, in a press release. “The public is keen to be involved in deliberating the often far-reaching questions that science is addressing, and policymakers need to find new ways to ensure that public views are heard, treated with respect and used to inform science policy.”

Although the long-term effects of nanotechnology on human health and the environment have received attention, the report notes public concern over the kind of society being created by such technologies. Because nanotechnology has the potential to fundamentally change everyday life, it raises profound social and ethical questions, the researchers say. Additionally, many non-scientists question whether the expected benefits of nanotechnology, in fields as varied as defense, cosmetics, and communications, will indeed prove to be beneficial, the report notes.