SCHUURBIERS DANIEL

Their core work

De Proeffabriek is a Dutch consultancy specializing in responsible research and innovation (RRI), with deep expertise in how emerging technologies — particularly nanotechnologies — interact with society. They design and facilitate public engagement processes, risk governance frameworks, and science-society dialogue for EU research consortia. Their work bridges the gap between technical research teams and the public, helping projects navigate societal acceptance, risk perception, and policy implications of new technologies.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their trajectory shows a clear maturation from awareness-raising to governance framework design. Early projects (SeeingNano, 2014; GCOF, 2015) focused on public awareness and societal readiness for emerging technologies — informing and consulting citizens. Later projects (GoNano, 2017; NANORIGO, 2019) shifted decisively toward structured governance: formal risk assessment, mitigation strategies, and policy-level frameworks. This evolution mirrors the broader EU shift from soft RRI activities toward concrete regulatory and governance toolkits for nanotechnologies.

Moving from informing the public about emerging technologies toward building the formal governance and risk management structures that regulators and industry need — a valuable trajectory as EU nano-regulation tightens.

How they like to work

Exclusively a participant, never a coordinator — they embed into large consortia as a specialist contributor bringing societal engagement and governance expertise. With 65 unique partners across just 4 projects, they operate in large, diverse consortia (averaging 16+ partners per project). This pattern suggests they are a trusted go-to partner when consortia need someone to handle the responsible innovation and public engagement work packages.

Remarkably broad network for a small organization: 65 unique consortium partners spanning 19 countries across just 4 projects. Their reach is pan-European, indicating strong recognition in the RRI and nanotechnology governance community.

What sets them apart

De Proeffabriek occupies a niche that few organizations fill well: they are practitioners of science-society dialogue with deep domain knowledge in nanotechnology. While many universities do RRI research theoretically, this organization designs and runs the actual engagement processes, risk communication, and governance frameworks that projects need. For any consortium working on emerging technologies that needs to demonstrate societal engagement or develop a governance component, they bring proven methodology and an extensive European network.

Highlights from their portfolio

• NANORIGO
  Their largest project (EUR 181K) and most mature work — establishing a comprehensive nanotechnology risk governance framework, representing the culmination of their expertise trajectory.
• GoNano
  Their best-funded project (EUR 260K) focused on governing nanotechnologies through societal engagement, connecting citizens, industry, and policymakers in co-creation processes.
• GCOF
  Demonstrates versatility beyond nanotechnology — applying their societal engagement expertise to the genetics and health domain.