Responsible Science

Everything related to Responsible Research and Innovation aka “RRI”, a cross-cutting issue of Horizon2020. Here we will answer how to align the outcomes of research with the values and needs of society.

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Responsible Science

Launch of the RRI toolkit

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Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is too often no more than a cryptic acronym to many in European research circles. It is at times not quite clear how to implement it. Now, thanks to the results of the RRI Tools project, an RRI Toolkit is about to be launched this week. Don’t hold back and feel free to explore all the available options. Read more […]
Responsible Science

Research can be more responsible with the right partner

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The drivers leading to responsible research and innovation are poorly understood. Now, empirical work done in the EU project “Governance of Responsible Innovation” (GREAT) has investigated the factors influencing the uptake of responsible research aspects in EU-funded research and innovation using an agent-based simulation approach to analyse the impact of responsibility measures. Results reveal, for example, that the involvement of civil society organisations does not necessarily tilt the balance towards greater responsibility in research as initially thought. Instead, what appears to be of vital importance is the capability of any research partner to perform research responsibly. Read more […]
Responsible Science

Can society-oriented research be academically influential?

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The dichotomy between research that aims at tackling specific societal challenges and blue sky research is not as wide as expected. A new Danish study on the impact of research funded by the last two framework programmes reveals that there may be no contradiction between research being challenge-oriented and being academically influential. This gives food for thought to steer future research policy. Read more […]

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Tackling grand challenges with socially acceptable solutions

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Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) encompasses a wide range of efforts. Their common objective is to tackle the grand societal challenges that Europe faces. To achieve this objective, the RRI strategy is to convey the processes of research and innovation towards socially desirable and acceptable solutions to these grand challenges. Read more […]

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An abridged genealogy of the RRI concept

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Responsible research and Innovation, or RRI, may not be well understood by some. Yet, what it means is: science policy should explicitly include society. It stems from the fact that resistance to technical progress has always existed, particularly when such new technology is disruptive. Those who, in the XIXth century, did not agree and contested the value of such progress were accused of adopting romantic attitudes, or of being irrational. Read more […]

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This article is sponsored by
RRI Tools
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Responsible Science

EC implementing RRI through institutional change

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Horizon 2020 has as a notable ambition to address grand societal challenges. It fits in Europe’s strategy for jobs and growth, called Europe 2020, where research and innovation play a key role. In this context, several questions have arisen. Read more […]

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Collective responsibility towards research and innovation’s risks and new ethical dilemmas

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Research and innovation constantly change our world. From the Internet and mobile phones, to climate change and new cancer treatments, science and technology have the potential to transform our lives. These developments also create new risks and new ethical dilemmas. Responsible research and innovation (RRI) seeks to bring these issues into the open. It also aims to anticipate the consequences and directions of research and innovation. Read more […]

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RRI Tools – where we are and what we are after

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Today’s societies face several challenges, ranging from healthy aging to climate change and security, for which there are no straightforward solutions. These challenges are reflected in the European Commission’s seven Grand Challenges, which constitute the focus of European research policy. Throughout the research and innovation (R&I) landscape, people are working to meet these challenges. Read more […]

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Why develop a toolkit for RRI?

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The role of research and innovation in society is increasingly being questioned. In the past few decades, this trend has been exacerbated by controversies around the acceptability of some technologies, such as GMOs, synthetic biology or nanotechnologies. Or even by the decrease in young people choosing science and technological careers. In response, research and innovation scholars, policy makers, scientists and engineers, teachers, civil society organisations as well as industry and business representatives have started to work together on RRI to better incorporate societal values, needs and expectations in research and innovation. The trouble is that it is such a new field that there are no real established ways to go about implementing RRI. Hence, the project RRI Tools set out to identify various practices in the field of RRI as a means to recognise best practice and best tools and share them widely. Read more […]

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A regional science centre’s perspective on RRI Tools

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How did we get involved in such an ambitious European project as RRI Tools? It all started when we were first approached by the European network of science centres and museums, Ecsite, to participate to a tender over a call pertaining to the production and use of a training and dissemination toolkit on responsible research and innovation. Read more […]