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Background
The International Risk Governance Council (IRGC, http://www.irgc.org/) is an independent organisation whose purpose is to help the understanding and management of emerging global risks that have impacts on human health and safety, the environment, the economy and society at large. IRGC's work includes developing concepts of risk governance, anticipating major risk issues and providing risk governance policy recommendations for key decision makers. It operates as a think-tank, aiming to improve the understanding and assessment of important risk issues that are systemic and potentially global in nature, in particular those related to science and technology. To governments, industry and other organisations, it acts as a transfer institution and provides:
IRGC aims to reach a global community of public and private researchers, corporate leaders and policymakers, while simultaneously ensuring a strong local, contextual and cultural rooting. In order to achieve this aim, IRGC´s Governing Board has recently adopted, in March 2011, a decentralised structure, which will take the form of a global, multi-sector network of partners and affiliate organisations that are active in the field of risk governance. Establishing IRGC as an international network will be achieved through IRGC "poles" or "branches" throughout the world. These poles will develop their own programme for risk governance in their country or region, while benefitting at the same time from access to the larger IRGC network and support from a central secretariat. At a national or regional level, "poles" or IRGC "branches" are entities grouping together a number of public, private and academic institutions which, collectively, become one member of the IRGC network. Currently, IRGC "branches" are expected to be formed before summer 2011 in Switzerland (at EPFL, in Lausanne), United States of America (at Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh), Germany (at University of Stuttgart), China (at Thsingua University in Beijing) and Japan (Kyoto University).
The International Risk Governance Council (IRGC, http://www.irgc.org/) is an independent organisation whose purpose is to help the understanding and management of emerging global risks that have impacts on human health and safety, the environment, the economy and society at large. IRGC's work includes developing concepts of risk governance, anticipating major risk issues and providing risk governance policy recommendations for key decision makers. It operates as a think-tank, aiming to improve the understanding and assessment of important risk issues that are systemic and potentially global in nature, in particular those related to science and technology. To governments, industry and other organisations, it acts as a transfer institution and provides:
- Independent and authoritative science-based information, reflecting different views, practices and cultures;
- Advice on innovative, efficient and balanced governance strategies;
- Recommendations to foster public confidence in risk governance and in related decision-making;
- A network for joint-collaboration.
IRGC aims to reach a global community of public and private researchers, corporate leaders and policymakers, while simultaneously ensuring a strong local, contextual and cultural rooting. In order to achieve this aim, IRGC´s Governing Board has recently adopted, in March 2011, a decentralised structure, which will take the form of a global, multi-sector network of partners and affiliate organisations that are active in the field of risk governance. Establishing IRGC as an international network will be achieved through IRGC "poles" or "branches" throughout the world. These poles will develop their own programme for risk governance in their country or region, while benefitting at the same time from access to the larger IRGC network and support from a central secretariat. At a national or regional level, "poles" or IRGC "branches" are entities grouping together a number of public, private and academic institutions which, collectively, become one member of the IRGC network. Currently, IRGC "branches" are expected to be formed before summer 2011 in Switzerland (at EPFL, in Lausanne), United States of America (at Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh), Germany (at University of Stuttgart), China (at Thsingua University in Beijing) and Japan (Kyoto University).