The interface of science and law is a territory frequently occupied by policymakers. In facilitating this interface, epistemic communities have become significant influencers in policymaking, especially at the European Union (EU) level, as a result of its complex multilevel governance system. In this article we assess the quality and nature of interactions between epistemic communities and EU stakeholders on the Horizon-funded project ‘PrecisionTox’, by deploying the concept of epistemic communities developed by Haas, as well as the learning modes of epistemic communities as presented and adapted by Dunlop. The overarching goal of PrecisionTox is to advance the safety assessment of chemicals by establishing a new, cost-effective testing paradigm built from evolutionary theory, which entails reduction, replacement, and refinement of mammalian testing (the 3Rs). The study shows that EU-funded projects can provide an excellent platform for building epistemic communities and forging alliances with EU policymakers, especially when novel technologies may be unlocked and socialized. This study also explores the early interaction of policymakers with epistemic communities through different forms of learning to better understand the complexities surrounding these new technologies in order to set an agenda for policy interventions.

中文翻译：

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认知社区在制定欧盟政策中的作用：PrecisionTox 项目


科学和法律的界面是政策制定者经常占据的领域。在促进这种界面的过程中，由于其复杂的多级治理系统，认知社区已成为政策制定的重要影响者，尤其是在欧盟 （EU） 层面。在本文中，我们通过部署 Haas 开发的认识社区概念以及邓禄普提出和改编的认识社区的学习模式，评估了 Horizon-Focused 项目“PrecisionTox”中知识社区与欧盟利益相关者之间互动的质量和性质。PrecisionTox 的总体目标是通过建立基于进化理论的新的、具有成本效益的测试范式来推进化学品的安全评估，这需要减少、替换和改进哺乳动物测试 （3R）。研究表明，欧盟资助的项目可以为建立认知社区和与欧盟政策制定者建立联盟提供一个极好的平台，尤其是在新技术可能被解锁和社会化的情况下。本研究还探讨了政策制定者通过不同形式的学习与认知社区的早期互动，以更好地了解这些新技术的复杂性，从而为政策干预制定议程。