In this blog, Andrew Maynard, Director of the Risk Science Center at the University of Michigan, United States, discusses changes in federal tone with regard to regulation of emerging technologies. In 2007, the White House Office of Science and Technology (OSTP) issued a set of “Principles for Nanotechnology Environmental, Health and Safety Oversight”, which had, according to Maynard, a “don’t mess with business” tone. The White House Emerging Technologies Interagency Policy Coordination Committee (ETIPC), formed last year, recently released a joint memorandum on Principles for Regulation and Oversight of Emerging Technologies that is consistent with an Executive Order issued in January by President Obama. Both include much the same language as the 2007 document, but the tone and emphasis are, says Maynard, markedly different, without the much stronger primary focus on not interfering with business and innovation. The memorandum states: “Innovation with respect to emerging technologies — such as nanotechnology, synthetic biology, and genetic engineering, among others — requires not only coordinated research and development but also appropriate and balanced oversight….We share a fundamental desire for regulation and oversight that ensure the fulfillment of legitimate objectives such as the protection of safety, health, and the environment. Regulation and oversight should avoid unjustifiably inhibiting innovation, stigmatizing new technologies, or creating trade barriers.” Still, Maynard has some concerns about the new principles. First, they are extremely general, and lack details on how to move from a set of nice ideas to something with impact. Secondly, he’s “concerned that some of the principles hint at less than innovative thinking to address the safe and sustainable development of technology innovation.” Maynard concludes: “So although there is still a long way to go before technology innovation is accompanied by innovations in governance that will support rather than hinder its safe and sustainable development, these principles are an important step toward the federal government coordinating approaches to ensuring emerging technologies and emergent risks are regulated effectively.” The article, as well as a list of the principles, can be viewed online at the link below.