Introduction to special section: Assessment of emerging science and technology

Emerging science and technology are expected to provide important contributions to developing future goods and services. Accordingly investment in respective research activities is increasing globally. However, emerging science and technology also raise a wide range of concerns that relate to economic development and social justice, and to their not intended societal, environmental or economic impacts. Against this background a need for new frameworks for integrated assessment of emerging science and technologies has emerged. Recent developments towards this end are presented and discussed in this special section.