Navigating toward our future : Fourth report

In this fourth report of the Navigator Network notable trends in emerging areas of science and technology and their associated policy implications include: • Recognition of the importance of climate change and the limits of growth more generally continue to have a wide impact on scientific, technological and policy development. • Energy security concerns continue to drive renewable energy research, sparking debate over shifts in land and food security, and the de-emphasis of agricultural productivity research. • The climate change driver is evident in nanotechnology research also, providing new developments in solar energy techniques. • Increasing recognition of the complexity of biological systems continues to drive rapid technological development and adaptations in the institutional context for science. • Understanding of the gut and the complexity of activity within this system is one area where progress has been rapid and could have high impact. • Scanning reports call attention to the impact of progress on 'identity' and 'citizenship' and call for a re-examination of public understanding and participation in politico-scientific deliberation. • Also of note is the observation that the increasing speed of technological and scientific increases is exacerbating regulatory lag. The report also draws together trends from the three previous scanning periods and identifies priorities for ongoing policy work as climate change, sustainability,