Research on risks and safety of new technologies like agrobiotechnology or mobile communication technology has become an important point of reference for technology policies, public opinion making and public deliberation. Unfortunately, such inter- and transdisciplinary research transcends the well established criteria and processes of disciplinary quality assurance. This paper aims at addressing this deficit and at discussing specific quality criteria in interdisciplinary research under conditions of uncertainty and contingency. It is argued that the epistemic cultures of the involved disciplines need to be assessed for their ability to handle different kinds of uncertainty and ignorance in a precautionary policy context; that the form and the amount of interdisciplinary integration has socio-political implications; and that scientific aims and societal ends cannot be entirely separated within safety research projects.