RRI in action: policy and practice in Europe

• Welcome

• Overview

• Why RRI?

• RRI in action

• The way ahead

Agenda

Welcome & Overview

Introduction

Purpose Format

Can RRI do the trick?

Why RRI? What is the problem?

Developments in science come along with promises for

progress and concerns

If science is part of the problem and the solution, we need

Responsible Innovation

RRI is meant to make science more

responsive towards societal dimensions

Starting from an academic debate, now firmly established in Horizon 2020

RRI in Action: Approaches and Initiatives

Numerous initiatives in a range of European countries Inclusive Innovation linked to RRI ?

RRI in Action: Approaches and Initiatives

The demand for practical approaches and instruments supporting the transformation towards RRI is increasing

The Way Ahead

Responsibility in R&I is shown to be a context-specific, emergent process. It is important that policy makers as well as individual organisations adjust and adapt the spirit of RRI to their own circumstances, mobilizing bottom-up inclusive processes.

Actors themselves are best placed to determine the specific content of RRI through collective negotiations and action.

The Way Ahead

To fix the normative content of RRI risks it becoming a bureaucratic tick-box exercise, an example of ‘responsibility-wash.

Policy and funder efforts in China, India, and South Africa to achieve “inclusive innovation” through innovating for and with the poor need to be taken into account in RRI debates in high income settings.

The Way Ahead

Given the impressive conceptual and empirical knowledge in the field of RRI, it is now time for governments and funding institutions vigorously to encourage, enable and fund experimentation with different approaches and instruments in a diversity of settings.

RRI

Examples linked to RRI Definitions

RRI Examples

Inclusive Innovation (for the bottom of the pyramid)

“Inclusive innovation is the means by which new goods and services are developed for and/or by the billions living on the lowest incomes" (Foster and Heeks).”

Inclusive Innovation (for the bottom of the pyramid)

National Grassroots Innovation AwardsIndia

Mitti Cool Refrigerator

2016 Prize: 75 Euros(average prize for standard refrigerator = 350 Euros)

Rene von Schomberg’s RRI Definition

Ethicalacceptability

Sustainability

Societal desirability

Inclusive Innovation and Societal Desirability

Embrace Infant Warmer 25 US $ (incubator = 20,000 US $)200,000 lives saved to date

Responsible innovation is a collective commitment of care for thefuture through responsive stewardship of science and innovation in the present

Richard Owen et al. – Responsive Stewardship

“RI is a collective commitment of care for the future through responsive stewardship of science and innovation in the present.”

Responsive Stewardship - Sustainability

Collapsible shipping containers

5 containers = space of one

Significant energy savings in transport of empty containers

EC Science with and for Society RRI Action Points

Societal desirability

Open access

Societal engagement

Ethics and governance

Science education

Gender equality

Ambiact (www.oldntec.eu)

The ambiact is a smart meter for social alarm that automatically initiates an emergency call as soon as a connected electrical appliance is not used for an untypically long time.

Also, faster market entry and lower development costs achieved through early engagement.

considering specific key issuesRRI is about

Policy Makers

ResearchCommunity

CivilSocietyOrganisations

Business & Industry

EducationCommunity

Science Education

Ethics

GenderEquality

Governance

OpenAccess

PublicEngagement

Diverse and Inclusive

Open andTransparent

Responsiveand Adaptive

Anticipativeand Reflective

including all actors, and integrating some

process dimensions in the R&I practice

Working together towards ethically acceptable, socially desirable and environmentally sustainable products and services

The Portuguese Sea and Atmosphere Institute: A case of Stakeholder engagement

in marine research

www.rri-tools.eu

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