This 2011 article for The Irish Review examines a financial crisis-ridden Ireland's capacity to look at future science policy differently, how a current technocatic system might bring humanities and social sciences principles into 'imaginaries', imagining a future Ireland that contains high-end responsible technology. The paper proposes a move from 'lab to market' policy in favour of new approaches from the STS-influenced areas of technology assessment, and takes the example of nanotechnology as a test case for anticipatory, and responsible, governance.