How could developments in the area of public understanding of risk improve outcomes for individuals and society – to enable better decisions for a safer world?London, 5 June 2017: The Lloyd’s Register Foundation Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk (LRFI) has issued a draft foresight review on the public understanding of risk and is calling on interested parties to help strengthen the document by providing feedback.
The LRFI, set up last year by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation and the National University of Singapore, aims to achieve: increased public understanding of risk in everyday situations, increased evidence-based public policy making and decision making, increased informed public dialogue around risk, and increase in trust.
Prof Phoon Kok Kwang, Interim Director of LRFI, said: “The area of the public understanding of risk and communication of science is not as developed in Asia compared with the UK and USA – and the culture, attitude, and role of science are also different in Asian society. The LRFI seeks to lead critical research on the understanding of risk and to change the risk communication landscape in Asia.”
As part of this work, the foresight review examines how developments in the area of public understanding of risk might improve outcomes for individuals and society, to enable better decisions for a safer world in line with the Foundation’s charitable mission. It provides both an overview of the current state of knowledge and recommendations for promising directions for the nascent Institute so that it can achieve maximum impact in line with the Foundation’s charitable aims.
Prof Phoon continued: “As the final stage in the development of this report, we are seeking opinions and insights on the various topics explored. These inputs will not only help us to produce a most informative and compelling report, but they will also go towards LRFI’s mission to achieve the greatest societal impact in the area of risk research and communication.”
The draft foresight review on the public understanding of risk can be downloaded at http://lrfoundation.org.uk/
Foresight reviews
The Lloyd’s Register Foundation has published five foresight reviews in a series commissioned as part of its emerging technologies research theme. Foundation grants and programmes that have resulted from previous reviews include a £10 million research grant for the Turing Institute (The Foresight review of big data, 2014), grants totalling £9 million to three international consortia in the field of nanotechnology (Foresight review of nanotechnology, 2014), and a £10 million resilience engineering programme established by the Foundation in partnership with global engineering and consultancy firm, Arup (Foresight review of resilience engineering, 2015). The Foresight review of structural integrity and systems performance was also published in 2015 and the Foresight review of robotics and autonomous systems in 2016. All the foresight reviews can be downloaded from the Foundation’s website at http://lrfoundation.org.uk/
The Lloyd’s Register Foundation Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk (LRFI) was launched in 2016. Established through a generous gift from the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, LRFI is the first international academic and public outreach institution of its kind in Asia.LRFI will undertake research on the scientific understanding of scientific understanding of risk and its practical application through a multi-disciplinary approach that brings together science, engineering, social sciences, and humanities.Through outreach activities, LRFI will also enhance public dialogue on risk issues in Asia and internationally. Combined with its research and educational efforts, LRFI aspires to be a world-leading node of excellence to pave the way for policymakers, regulators, business leaders, scientists, and the general public to collectively make better decisions for the betterment of society.For more information on LRFI, please visit http://lrfi.nus.edu.sg/
The Lloyd’s Register Foundation: Connecting science, safety and society
The Lloyd’s Register Foundation’s strategy for 2014-2020 focuses funding on four strategic themes: promoting safety and public understanding of risk; advancing skills and education; supporting excellent scientific research; and accelerating the application of research. Four research themes have been prioritised: structural integrity and systems performance; resilience engineering; human and social factors; and emergent technologies. See more at: www.lrfoundation.org.uk/
About National University of Singapore (NUS)
A leading global university centred in Asia, the National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore’s flagship university, which offers a global approach to education and research, with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise.
NUS has 17 faculties and schools across three campuses. Its transformative education includes a broad-based curriculum underscored by multi-disciplinary courses and cross-faculty enrichment. Over 38,000 students from 100 countries enrich the community with their diverse social and cultural perspectives.
NUS takes an integrated and multi-disciplinary approach to research, working with partners from industry, government and academia, to address crucial and complex issues relevant to Asia and the world. Researchers in NUS’ Schools and Faculties, 30 university-level research institutes and centres, and Research Centres of Excellence cover a wide range of themes including: energy, environmental and urban sustainability; treatment and prevention of diseases common among Asians; active ageing; advanced materials; risk management and resilience of financial systems. The University’s latest research focus is to use data sciences, optimisation research and cyber-security to support Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative.
For more information on NUS, please visit www.nus.edu.sg
