What´s that thing called RRI? By Jacqueline Broerse

RRI Tools Final Conference, 21-22 November 2016, Brussels

WHAT’S THAT THING CALLED RRI?

JACQUELINE BROERSEVRIJE UNIVERSITEIT AMSTERDAM

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Faculteit der Aard- en Levenswetenschappen2

• Science and technology important contribution to economic growth, improved health and living standards

• But also ethical concerns and negative consequences for people and the environment

• And mismatches:– Lack of innovation development for

certain problems– Vulnerable groups in society adopt

innovation less often• Increasing pleas for ‘better’ science

Tracing the origin of RRI

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R&I process

problem research implementation

IMPLEMENTATION GAPDEMAND GAP

Listen better

Explain better

Lack of communication

Frank Kupper

geef overal in de notities hieronder in steekwoorden aan wat je vindt dat er verteld moet worden.jacqueline moet het zo kunnen afdraaien dus maak het zo volledig.

Frank Kupper

hier moet heel duidelijk worden dat RRI de stap maakt van individuele consequentialistische verantwoordelijkheid naar collectieve, procesmatige verantwoordelijkheid

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Problem Research Implementation

Science and practice join hands Responsible Research & Innovation

R&I process

Lack of collaboration

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SocietyCorporate social responsibilitySustainable development

ECGrand societal challengesPublic engagementScience educationEthics and Gender

ScholarsTechnology assessmentPublic engagementResearch integrityParticipatory action researchMode-2 scienceTransdisciplinarity

science and society 2001 science in society 2007 science with and for society 2011 RRI

Tracing the origin of RRI

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Individual responsibility• Taking responsibility for acts: safeguarding research

integrity and avoiding e.g. plagiarism and fraud• Consequentialist judgments – no harm (however, R&I is

multi-actor and multi-level activity with unknown outcomes)

Responsibility as collective process• To counter systemic irresponsibility focus should (also) be

on the R&I process and variety of actors and under what conditions actors are involved

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Shift to responsibility as ‘collective process’

Frank Kupper

geef overal in de notities hieronder in steekwoorden aan wat je vindt dat er verteld moet worden.jacqueline moet het zo kunnen afdraaien dus maak het zo volledig.

Frank Kupper

hier moet heel duidelijk worden dat RRI de stap maakt van individuele consequentialistische verantwoordelijkheid naar collectieve, procesmatige verantwoordelijkheid

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Often-used definition of RRI:

“Responsible Research and Innovation is a transparent, interactive process by which societal actors and innovators become mutually responsive to each other with a view to the (ethical) acceptability, sustainability and societal desirability of the innovation process and its marketable products (in order to allow a proper embedding of scientific and technological advances in our society).” (von Schomberg, 2011:9)

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Process

Outcome

Conceptualizing RRI

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R&I outcomes

• Ethically acceptable

• Environmentally sustainable

• Socially desirable innovations

Societal impacts

Contribute to solving societal challenges

e.g. 7 Grand Challenges (EU)

Learning outcomes

• Engaged Publics

• Responsible actors

• Responsible institutions

Actors think and act according to principles of RRI

RRI process institutionalized in academia and other relevant organizations

Citizens empowered with competences to engage in RRI process effectively

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RRI Outcomes & Impacts

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RRI Process Requirements

Variety of researchers from different disciplines and broad range of stakeholders identified

All relevant stakeholders invited to participate

Meaningful, addressing purpose and context

Imagining plausible futures and technology paths

Alignment1st, 2nd and 3rd order

learning

Open to needs of others

Ability to change process and paths

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So, what could you do?

Process requirements as criteria:

• Evaluative framework to assess RRI initiatives: retrospective analysis

• Self-reflection tool to help shape RRI initiatives: prospective analysis

Diversity and

Inclusion

Engaging a variety of

stakeholder groups

Variety of means of

stakeholder engagement

Engagement of publics

Attention for appropriate R&I models

Institutional diversity

From theory to practice

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Engaging a variety of

stakeholder groups

Wide range

Demographic

diversity

Sufficient amount

Relevant voices

Is there a wide variety of stakeholders involved, such that there is a diversity of values and a diversity of types of knowledge/expertise?

Is there diversity in the stakeholders engaged such that all relevant voices are heard – silent as well as loud?

Is there diversity within the stakeholder groups involved in terms of gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status, age, disability etc.?

Are sufficiently many perspectives and participants included, such that eventual outcomes are robust?

This is not a checklist, but a thinking

tool!

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• Inspiring practices illustrate what a strong example can look like – not all process requirements are fulfilled in each case

• Catalogue is an inventory of practices across Europe, assembled with the aid of all RRI Tools Hubs

• 51 completed surveys from 18 European countries 31 practices selected

• This should become a living catalogue

Catalogue of inspiring practices

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RRI as a societal learning process

‘Learning for doing RRI’

‘Learning for RRI

governance’

‘Learning for learning’

RRI Tools

Classifying promising practices

ResearchersBusiness/IndustryCSOs

Policy makers CSOs researchers

EducatorsResearchers

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“Challenge-driven Innovation” Program by Swedish innovation agency VINNOVA. It funds R&I aimed at tackling societal challenges, involving all relevant stakeholders. Its three-stage funding scheme is implementation-oriented and has built in mechanisms for promoting responsiveness and adaptive change

D&I

A&R

O&T

Responsive-ness &

Adaptive change

Learning for governance

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We first need to educate citizens before they can participate! RRI—that’s just old wine

in new bottles…

I find it difficult to grasp. What is it and why is it important?

RRI is about much more than only research! It is too demanding for researchers!

Science needs to become Responsible? So scientists are irresponsible now?!

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RRI is the end of ‘true’ science!!

Workshops in 30 countries

> 400 participants This is only for applied research, not basic science

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• RRI is not a concept most researchers are familiar with

• They relate it mostly to outcomes – societal benefits – not so much to the research process itself

• We encountered a few proponents, but mostly met scepticism

• Low urgency for ‘better’ science for society!

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RRI in higher education and research institutions

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• Increasingly university boards put emphasis on ‘societal engagement’ and ‘contributing to society’ in their mission statement – need to equip researchers for the future

• However, perceptions and lack of competences of scientists on RRI are reflected in culture, structure and practice in HERIs

• Therefore embedding RRI in HERIs requires a transition fundamental change in culture, structure and practice

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PARADIGM SHIFT or SYSTEM CHANGE

RRI in higher education and research institutions

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‘Niches’ Innovative experiments in which actors create alternative practices (deviant from regime)

‘Regime’ Dominant structure, culture and practice of system

Regime

Landscape

Niche

‘Landscape’ Broader societal trends

Embedding RRI is complex process

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Research

SocietyEducation

Governance for RRI

• Advocacy• Training• Networking• Showcasing

• Mission statement• Provide support

• Experiment – be reflexive and learn!!

Bottom up AND top down!

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Thank you on behalf of the Athena team:

Frank Kupper, Pim Klaassen, Michelle Heijnen, Sara Vermeulen, Marlous

Arentshorst, Eugen Popa & Aafke Fraaije

For more information about the conceptualisation of RRI, the quality criteria, and the inspiring practices visit:

http://www.rri-tools.eu/workplan-deliverables

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