ORIGINAL PAPER Governing Nanotechnologies: Weaving New Regulatory Webs or Patching Up the Old? Diana M. Bowman Received: 11 June 2008 /Accepted: 11 June 2008 / Published online: 9 July 2008 # Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2008 As the number of nanotechnology-based products entering the marketplace continues to rise, so too it would seem have the number of initiatives focused on governing the technology. Rarely a week goes by without an announcement of, for example, a new inquiry into nanotechnologies, such as the NSW Standing Committee on State Development’ s Inquiry [1], invitations for public consultation on the develop- ment of codes of conduct for nanotechnology-focused businesses such as the Responsible NanoCode, the implementation of risk governance frameworks [2–5], or voluntary codes to govern a specific stage of the technology’ s life cycle [6–8]. As these policy and other governance activities continue to gather momentum, it is interesting to reflect that these initiatives are being driven by a diversity of actors, both large and small, spanning public, private and civil society sectors. Seemingly, the issues of risk governance and the regulation of nanotechnologies are becoming as ubiqui- tous as the technology itself. Yet while many of these endeavours aim to minimise or manage the potential risks posed by nanotechnologies appear unprecedented—both in terms of their proactive nature and their collaborations—a growing number of commentators continue to question governments’ abil- ity to adequately regulate all facets of nanotechnologies [9–14]. For the most part, the degree to which these concerns are justified remain ambiguous, and appear likely to remain so for some time yet. With the emerging technology already appearing to stretch, existing regu- latory frameworks, it has been suggested that the challenge for governments is as follows: to regulate unknown (potential) risks and balance these against the public interest, while simultaneously promoting inno- vation in order to ensure the successful development and commercialisation of a promising technology [15]. In order for further examine the regulatory future of nanotechnologies, including the potential scope for regulatory innovation and new frameworks, and the possible renewal of existing regulatory regimes, a panel session title ‘Governing Nanotechnologies: Weaving New Regulatory Webs or Patching Up the Old?’ was held as part of the Fourth ECPR General Conference, Pisa, 6–8 September 2007. The four papers presented during the course of the panel explored a variety of themes, threads and tensions, many of which transverse traditional boundaries and geographical borders. These included an analysis of the current tensions and challenges of regulating nano- technologies within the United States; the impact, uncertainties and potential regulatory burden of the European Union’ s REACH Regulation in relation to nanoscale substances; the limitations and potential Nanoethics (2008) 2:179–181 DOI 10.1007/s11569-008-0036-9 DO00036; No of Pages D. M. Bowman (*) Monash Centre for Regulatory Studies, Faculty of Law, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia e-mail: diana.bowman@law.monash.edu.au