To celebrate the publication in Italian of the report “Taking European Knowledge Society seriously” the foundation organized an invited panel seminar at its Milan headquarters in Via Barozzi on 15th February 2008.
Among the guests were Brian Wynne, Chairperson of the working group that produced the report and Prof. Tallacchini, lawyer, member of this working group and translator of the report.
The report was produced by working group of experts with a mandate from the European Commission to study three particular aspects of European science and its governance: 1) How can one respond to European society’s widely held mistrust in science? 2) How can one promote democracy and the involvement of civil society? 3) To identify urgent policy challenges regarding climate change and sustainable development. The seminar proposed an analysis of these problems from the point of view of the widespread perception for the need to characterise a “knowledge society” in terms of responsible innovation.
Piero Bassetti defined innovation as the realisation of the improbable. Within the term improbable we find reference to uncertainty, doubt, risk and all that is out of human control. This therefore implies responsibility.
While speaking of uncertainty in science, the sociologist of Science Brian Wynne introduced the term “risk”, in which the variables are known and there is the possibility to quantify their probability, of “uncertainty”, in which even when the essential variables are known it is impossible to define their effect, of “ignorance”, in which not only is the data unavailable but one does not even understand the problem and of “indeterminacy”, with co-production of social and scientific dimensions.
The event at the Bassetti premises was supported by the two day conference “Building a bridge between science and society: looking for the foundations of the communication of science” held in Bergamo on 14th and 15th February 2008.

Here are all the resources available in English on the site:

• Science and governance, new rites for democracy on Grasseni’s blog.
• Report from the conference in Bergamo “building a bridge between science and society” by Roberta Gabbatore. With photos of the event.
• Article by Valentina Porcellana “Science and Governance: the EU report on Science and Governance presented at FGB.
• Interview with Mariachiara Tallacchini Science and Governance: the provocation of responsibility by Valentina Porcellana
• Photos of the seminar at the Bassetti Foundation premises.