The role of the university in bridging the communication gap between science and technology and society

Research and education are keywords for the general universities. Fundamental research at the cutting edge forms the indispensable basis for technological progress. Only a small portion of the scientific results leads to technological innovations that finally reach society and the market. Before arriving at that stage, communication with the public should commence in order to explore the acceptability of the findings or products. To be prepared for this route and to be able to play an active role in that process the university students should in the regular curricula be confronted with the possible societal impact of scientific progress. A differentiation with respect to which part of the world and when should be taken into account