Community and public participation in the risk assessment of experimental clinical trials

The role of the public and of public participation in science-based policy decisions has been and still represents a controversial issue. In science policy, a great deal of discussion surrounds the question of whether and how the general public or some selected publics should be involved in decisions related to technoscience innovation. This controversy is inherent in the history of science policy [1] but has become more vigorous due to emergencies in the health field (especially in Europe). Divergent opinions about this role are based on different visions of the relationships between science and society and, more specifically, of science in democratic societies.