Towards an attitude of responsibility for safety in life science education

The rapid pace of innovation in the life sciences raises new questions about the safety and security of emerging technologies and processes. Therefore, it is important to investigate what is taught about safety and how it is taught during the early stages of scientific training in higher education. In this study, we conducted a gap analysis based on an inventory of learning content covering different dimensions and elements of safety, including understanding and reasoning related to the Safe-by-Design concept. Each topic was evaluated using two three-level scales: one describing how frequently it appeared in the curriculum and another reflecting the depth of learning, from cognitive knowledge to skill and attitude development. Using Wageningen University as a case study, we conducted a series of qualitative interviews with programme directors and lecturers from various life science divisions. Our results show that the technical aspects of safety received the most attention, particularly when teaching about the development phase of innovations. At the same time, skills related to anticipating and managing risks and other responsibility-related elements needed to be strengthened in the curricula. Notably, the frequency with which a safety element is taught was always higher than the extent to which the corresponding skills were developed. This highlights the need to equip students with the skills needed to improve their own judgment of safety in their future careers.