Strong will of stakeholders to overcome barriers in Responsible Research Innovation
The Res-AGorA project (EU FP7 project) is a three-year project, 2013-16, building a strategic governance framework aimed at encouraging reflective processes in policy-making on how to make European research and innovation more responsible and sustainable. Two years of intense conceptual and empirical work was followed by five stakeholder workshops held in major European cities. Approximately 80 stakeholders from a broad variety of fields have eagerly engaged in providing adjustments and inputs into discussions on Res-AGorA’s preliminary approach to strategically navigate through the rough waters of “Responsible Research and Innovation” (RRI). Barriers and challenges Through the spring and summer this year the workshop participants debated and reported a wide range of experiences in encountering barriers, challenges and conflict. They also stated that such experiences prevent opportunities that may heighten the possibilities for responsibility within the issues of research and innovation. Among these obstacles deep-seated distrust between researchers, industry, special interest groups, NGOs, the media and the wider public was designated. Another important subject pointed out was the lack of incentives provided by research and funding organizations for reflection on and pursuit of RRI. Even if organizations want to support RRI there is often a lack of financial means or the capabilities such as trained scientists. Towards RRI Despite the obstacles participants envisaged these as means to improve and further steer R&I processes. Public engagement processes need to be transparent, moderated and unbiased to their results. Participants stated the following basic agreements on issues of R&I: - Clarification of needs to be reached - The timescale considered in decision making - Criteria to select relevant stakeholders - An agreement on the concept of responsibility However participants also warned strongly against forcing consensus on antagonistic issues. "In my impression, what is new about RRI is that questions of responsibility are discussed under a different label now, and therefore, potentially, in these states and institutions which have not dealt with questions of sustainability so far, aspects of societal responsibility and also value orientation will play a role now" Ulla Burchardt,Former chair of the German Parliamentary Committee for Education, Science and Technology Assessment ”I think it has a very important role for civil society to be involved in this, to make sure the right questions are being asked and not the wrong questions.” Jurrien Westerhof, Engineer at The Austrian Renewable Energy Association. More Res-AGorA: http://www.res-agora.eu(opens in new window) - Article: Stakeholders navigating through rough waters: Five work-shops on Responsible Research and Innovation - Synthesis report on five thematic stakeholder workshops - Interim design requirement report: Presents the Res-Agora Governance Framework in a nutshell and and options with regard to the envisioned use of the Res-AGorA governance framework. Contact: Project coordinator, Prof. Dr. Ralf Lindner, Fraunhofer ISI, t: +49 721 6809-292, e: Ralf.Lindner@isi.fraunhofer.de Mag. Alexander Lang, MSc, Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS), t: +43 1 59991 256, e: lang@ihs.ac.at MA Soc. Nina Bryndum, Danish Board of Technology (DBT), t: +45 31662554, e: nb@tekno.dk,
Countries
Austria, Germany, Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, United Kingdom