This book is the product of a NATO Advanced Research Workshop held in Manchester, UK from 12th to 14th September 2004. The Workshop was hosted by the University of Manchester's PREST science and technology policy research centre. The Workshop was directed by Andrew James of PREST and co-directed by Professor Myklov Ozheven, Kiev Taras Shevchenko National University, Ukraine.

The objectives of the Workshop were to critically consider the science and technology policies necessary for defence against terrorism and other threats to security; to assess the priorities for governments, universities, national laboratories and industrial firms; to identify how governments and the science and technology community can most effectively work together to enhance our security; and to share the experiences of policy makers and policy analysts.

The importance and relevance of the Workshop topic to the policy community was reflected in the seniority of the speakers and participants. These included Dr Parney Albright who at the time of the Workshop held the position of Assistant Secretary for Science & Technology at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as well as senior figures from the UK Home Office, UK Office of Science & Technology, the European Commission and NATO. Our Key Note Speaker was Dr Ian Gibson MP who at the time was Chairman of the House of Commons Science & Technology Committee. The timeliness of the Workshop was also reflected in the high quality of participants from the academic and think tank communities. In all, 50 people attended the Workshop. Participants were drawn from 11 countries representing NATO, the Partnership for Peace countries and the NATO Mediterranean Dialogue.

Active and open discussion and the sharing of experience were critical to the success of the Workshop and I would like to thank all the participants for their contributions. I would also like to thank several colleagues at PREST without whom the Workshop would have been impossible. In particular, Jessica Chen, Deborah Cox and Susan Nicholson provided excellent organisational support. James Allen's editorial assistance is also gratefully acknowledged.

Andrew D. James, Manchester, UK, June 2006