Final Report Summary - ENGAGE2020 (Engaging Society in Horizon 2020) Executive Summary:Engage2020 is a two-year EU financed project under FP7 aimed at increasing the use of engagement methods and policies in research and innovation. The project have done this by mapping and exploring what is practiced and by spreading awareness of the opportunities amongst researchers, policy makers and other interested parties. For 2 years the project has mapped, explored and inspired how, where and why society can be engaged in research and innovation, from policy development to the research activity itself. In the first part of the project the Engage2020 project made an overview of current and potential policies, instruments, and praxis in Horizon2020 for engagement of society in research, innovation and related activities. The overview covers praxis of existing policies and structures, of methods, approaches, tools and instruments, and of promising new or adapted policies, which specifically is suited for engaging society in R&I activities related to the seven Grand Challenges. In the second half of the project, the Engage2020 project have focussed on disseminating and spreading awareness of the potential of public engagement, the current praxis of engagement and how it can be improved, how, on a practical level, one can engage society in R&I, and last but not least which measures and policies that can support a broader and deeper societal engagement in R&I in Europe.The Engage2020 Consortium consists of 6 European partners from research institutions, universities and civil society organizations coordinated by The Danish Board of Technology Foundation.The key results are:• Reports providing an overview of the reasoning behind engaging society in research (D2.1: Public Engagement - Promises, demands and fields of practice), an overview and analysis of policies and activities that support the engagement of societal actors in research and innovation activities (D3.1: Current Praxis of Policies and Activities Supporting Societal Engagement in Research and Innovation), a thorough overview and description of 57 methods for societal engagement (D3.2: Public Engagement Methods and Tools), as well as possible new developments (D4.1 Policy options for engagement in science and innovation within the frame of Horizon2020, and D4.2: What the Future Holds for Societal Engagement)• Anthology eBook, which provides an easy-to-read introduction to engagement in research and innovation. It includes practical examples on why, when and how to engage the broader society in R&I policies and activities, brief descriptions of engagement tools, examples of good practice, and information on where to go for further information.• Grand Challenge workshop, a training workshop for Policy Officers, Heads of Operational units and other EC staff in Brussels on Public Engagement and how it can be embedded in the their work.• Action Catalogue, an online decision support tool that will enable researchers, policy-makers and others wanting to engage society in research and innovation, to find the method that is best suited for their specific project needs. The Action Catalogue is a searchable tool on 57 engagement methods, and includes thorough descriptions of the methods, highlight their strengths and weaknesses, which societal challenges they can be used to address, and examples of what they have been used for previously and much more.• Policy Briefs, throughout the project 6 policy briefs have been published addressing how society can be engaged in R&I, what measures that can be introduced, strengthened or further developed to achieve good-quality outcomes of engaging society in the R&I processes, and which policy options can stimulate an increased public engagement in R&I.• European conference - Engaging Society in Responsible Research and Innovation: What’s Next?, a two-day conference in Brussels presenting the results of the project and staging discussions of trends, needs, tools and instruments for an increased and better societal engagement in research and innovation.• Webinars, a small series of webinars held for researchers and policy-makers on the options for engaging members of the public in R&I, future trends and opportunities, and policy options for a broader and deeper societal engagement in R&I.• An informative project website, where information about the project, published reports, blog articles about engagement can be found - www.engage2020.eu.Project Context and Objectives:Engage2020 is a two-year EU financed project under FP7 aimed at increasing the use of engagement methods and policies in research and innovation. For 2 years the project has mapped, explored and inspired to how, where and why society can be engaged in research and innovation, from policy development to the research activity itself. In short the action plan for the Engage2020 consisted of the following goals and activities:Map and explore existing policies and methods, tools and instruments for engagement. In the project we have done an extensive mapping and analysis of methods used for societal engagement in Europe and beyond. This has resulted in an overview of 57 methods for engagement. All 57 methods have been thoroughly described in the form of a detailed factsheets, which are presented in the report “Public Engagement Methods and Tools”. This work also laid the groundwork for the Action Catalogue, an online toolbox and guideline for finding the best methods for the purpose. Another key mapping and analysis was made on policies and activities that support the engagement of societal actors in research and innovation activities. This scanning process included desktop research and interviews and data on more than 200 policies and activities supporting societal engagement was collected and documented in the form of factsheets. After further analysis and verification, 124 factsheets formed the basis for the analysis in the report “Current Praxis of Policies and Activities Supporting Societal Engagement in Research and Innovation”.Highlight what is possible for societal engagement in the coming years. Through the research and participatory activities in the project we have looked at what is the future perspective of societal engagement in research and innovation. These findings have been presented in the two reports “What the Future Holds for Societal Engagement” and “Policy options for engagement in science and innovation within the frame of Horizon2020”. Furthermore, our recommendations for how to support the further development of societal engagement is highlighted in our 6 policy briefs as well on the blog posts on our project website, www.engage2020.eu. Arrange conferences and workshops to discuss how we can improve praxis. A key part of action of the Engage2020 project is also to stage and lead discussions on how we can improve the praxis of societal engagement in research and innovation. This refers to how to improve the engagement praxis itself, e.g. how to ensure methods development, capacity building, community building, and ensure a high quality. And also to how we can improve the current praxis of engagement by supporting it by infrastructures and policies. The activities for this includes the Grand Challenge workshop, where Policy Officers, Heads of Operational units and other European Commission staff engaged in discussions of how to embed engagement in the grand challenges of the H2020 programme, and the European conference - Engaging Society in Responsible Research and Innovation: What’s Next?, the final conference of the project presenting the results and staging discussions of trends, needs, tools and instruments for an increased and better societal engagement in research and innovation. Additionally we’ve organised 3 workshops on future praxis, and a series of webinars. Inspire new actors to include societal engagement in research and innovation. Inspiring new actors to actively engage society in research and innovation have been a main interest in our work in the second half of the project. Most importantly here is the Action Catalogue and eAnthology, which both serves as easy to understand introductions to new actors getting involved with engagement. The Action Catalogue provides basic information and help to choosing the right method, while the anthology eBook provides basic information about the reasoning about public engagement, how to get started and where to find additional information. Moreover, our conference, webinars and workshops also served to enthuse actors to more and better engagement. While the Policy Briefs on a policy level digs into how policy-makers better can support the engagement of society.Create an Action Catalogue – an online decision support tool on relevant engagement approaches. The tool which builds on the extensive work of the scanning of praxis and methods, supports practitioners and researchers in finding the most relevant method for a specific challenges, target group etc.Inspire future developments aimed at policy makers and practitioners. Several activities have aimed at this, but especially our European Conference, which put a focus on current trends and possible developments, our reports on future praxis and our policy briefs have aimed strengthening the societal engagement in R&I.Project Results:In the following we will present the main results of the Engage2020 project. We’ll present our key findings on future engagement practices, and recommends measures to deepen and broaden public engagement within the European research and innovation landscape. Engaging with societal actors and civil society is a key element of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), and in the efforts of doing science with and for society. Horizon2020 has taken significant steps in supporting RRI and engagement. However, the capacity of key actors for mainstreaming engagement practices in R&I is still weak in terms of experience and knowledge of approaches and methods; in terms of embedded practice; and in terms of resources, platforms, training systems and communities, which can support a mainstreaming effort. Engage2020 has developed three types of mutually supportive outcomes for strengthening the societal engagement in R&I, based on a global mapping of policies and methods for engagement. Firstly, the project has scanned and prioritised a set of policy options for widening and deepening the engagement practices in European R&I. These cover • Engagement methods development • Capacity building • Mainstreaming Secondly, Engage2020 has developed an entry-level introduction to engagement, aimed at researchers, research institutions, funders, government and Commission services, and other actors around research and innovation. The anthology provides the background for understanding the rational, need and principles of engagement practices, and thereby makes the reader ready for stepping into action around engagement. The document is available in interactive eBook and PDF formats. The third outcome is an online engagement method selection tool, aimed at researchers who need to implement engagement activities in their project proposals. This ‘Action Catalogue’ tool (http://actioncatalogue.eu/) makes it possible to select the qualities needed in a method and receive a prioritised list of almost 60 well-tested methods. Each method is described to a level where the user is able to evaluate what using the method means for the project work plan, resources/budget and for the composition of the project consortium. Engagement is not a new development. Public engagement methods have been developed and used across the world during more than 30 years. We now know that participants - being consumers, citizens, employees, patients - are fully capable of engaging very competently and constructively in engagement processes on very complex topics. We know that these methods travel well – both geographically and institutionally. And we know that they can bring knowledge, normative clarification and new action, which could not be made in other ways. However, engagement practices have not yet made their way into the domains of research and innovation in large scale, even though strong evidence points towards significant benefits by doing it systematically. Engage2020 has taken important steps towards a much wider use of engagement in R&I and it is the hope of the consortium that the outcomes can help those who want that to happen across Europe. WHY PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT? Societies in Europe today face challenges which need to be overcome in order to ensure the ‘smart, sustainable and inclusive’ growth envisioned in the Europe 2020 Strategy. These challenges have been outlined in the Horizon2020 Framework for Research and Innovation. The ‘Grand Challenges’ can only be tackled effectively if a wide range of societal actors are engaged in the process. Many policymakers acknowledge efforts to give the public a role and a voice in science and technology (S&T) policy-making and programme development that fosters socially robust and sustainable decision-making. There is growing awareness of the importance of embedding engagement directly in the process of research and innovation, as well as in the process of research definition. The inputs of multiple actors into research activities are increasingly being recognised as vital for advancing scientific knowledge – for example through citizen science projects and in project design and definition through science shops. Bringing science and society closer together makes science more relevant, more inclusive, reflexive and responsive to societal needs. ENGAGEMENT METHOD DEVELOPMENT The method mapping conducted by the Engage2020 consortium has identified almost 60 engagement methods in use world-wide in different settings and fields. The mapping reveals a great variety of approaches currently used to engage societal actors and citizens in R&I. Besides the well-tested approaches new elements are often incorporated in existing methods and new innovative approaches are designed. Digital engagement is one of these emergent fields. Digital technologies allow citizens to engage in various stages of R&I processes, such as in gathering, visualising and processing data. They also allow a large number of geographically dispersed participants to take part, can reduce costs of engagement processes, and they may encourage young people to participate. However, digital engagement cannot replace the qualities of face-to-face in-depth deliberative conversations needed to bring deeper insights, reflection and shift of position. Digital engagement risks excluding those without internet access or digital literacy. Therefore, what seem to be most needed is developing ‘blended methods’, which allow for in-depth face-to-face deliberation but at the same time take advantage of the opportunities new technologies provide. Evaluation is critical to improve engagement processes. Interim and final evaluations improve the understanding of the process, the pitfalls and the opportunities to maximize their impact. CAPACITY BUILDING The skills of researchers, engagement practitioners, funders and public research authorities needs to be improved in order to make meaningful and widespread engagement possible. Building knowledge of public engagement practices within public authorities, universities and other stakeholder groups is a critical step towards a wider societal impact of science and technology. Inclusion of public engagement in the curricula of higher education and secondary schools will contribute to societally relevant research and innovation outcomes. Tailor-made training of users would benefit scientists, public actors, CSOs and other interested parties, improving their understanding of engagement. In order to foster public engagement across Europe, pairing schemes between already established and less experienced users/institutions would be of great benefit. Public engagement in Europe today occurs in siloes. There is only scarce communication between engagement practitioners working in different arenas. This prevents practitioners from learning and developing. Supporting the development and operation of European and national communication and collaboration platforms, facilitating the exchange of knowledge between participation practitioners from the different fields, is essential. If we are to foster better societal engagement there is a need for an ‘engagement community’, where all types of practitioners and users can make mutual learning and improve their practices. MAINSTREAMING ENGAGEMENT The future looks promising for engagement in R&I. Nevertheless, more efforts are needed to broaden engagement – to underperforming countries and to sectors where engagement is rare – as well as to deepen public engagement in R&I institutions to become part of everyday practice. Participation and engagement is relevant for the whole ‘food-chain’ of science and society relation: • Science, technology and innovation policy-making and governance • Programme development and research funding systems • Steering of research and development of scientific institutions • Execution of research Mainstreaming is a complex process involving both horizontal mechanisms across this food-chain and vertical, specific to each level of the food-chain. Infrastructures and institutions New cultures of engagement need to be promoted and nurtured, both within research institutions and authorities. Building supportive infrastructures, codes of conduct and promoting the integration of engagement in the institutional ethos will be vital. The European Research Area (ERA) is a core axis for achievement of the political aims of European research and innovation, including renewed growth and improved quality of public spending on research and innovation. Participative approaches, which foster the link between science and society, thus, need to be regarded as an indispensable part of the further development of the ERA. Public consultations in the process of formulating R&I visions for Europe and in designing research clusters and programmes should be part of the process. It would be useful to foster the societal responsiveness of ERA by including civil society organisations in the ERA stakeholder platforms and in the European Technology Platforms. Setting up a European platform for Public Engagement in R&I, co-owned by the EU, member states and civil society organisations, could identify concrete steps towards opening the European Research Area to the European public. It is essential to draw on and support existing experience, knowledge and institutions. Engage2020 clearly has shown that there are numerous good practices and successful initiatives and actors in Europe, which could be important actors in the mainstreaming of engagement in European R&I. In the area of policy making and policy advice, it is important to draw on the highly advanced experience of European Technology Assessment (TA) institutions. Existing infrastructures for collaboration between researchers and societal actors, such as science shops, can also serve as ‘mainstreamers’ across Europe. Encouraging institutions to embrace engagement as an indispensable part of responsible R&I practices and policy-making would imply supporting public authorities and researchers with practical expertise in selecting and implementing the various engagement methods. Platforms and competence centers can be a source of this support to practitioners. Establishing citizen science contact points on a national and/or regional level for citizens interested to actively take part in research would lower the threshold for researchers to begin experimenting with crowd science practices. Funding and incentives There should be a systematic reflection process on the need and relevance of engagement in specific calls issued by the Framework Programmes of the European Commission, allowing for a broad and targeted inclusion in European research. The inclusion of ‘societal impact’ as a criterion in the evaluation of research programmes would promote collaboration with various societal actors in research and innovation projects. On a project level, the need for engagement should be made explicit in calls for proposals so that applying consortia can plan their composition, work plan and project budgets accordingly. Non-conventional funders, such as unions, consumer interest groups, and charities can play an important role in encouraging public engagement. There are many successful examples from across Europe, demonstrating the positive effect these organisations can have when taking leadership in promoting engagement in research and innovation. A major obstacle for CSOs to participate in R&I processes is that they often lack the institutional structures required for completing demanding application procedures. Their scarce organisational resources make it difficult to finance the involvement of their staff in engagement activities and support the development of project proposals. Supporting CSOs financially will allow them to take part in the proposal stages. Another measure, to achieve better representation of civil society groups and interests in research, is to launch open calls for CSOs to formulate issues, which cannot otherwise be easily addressed. Communication and promotion Awareness about the benefits of engagement for society and for European research and innovation needs to be raised at all levels. EC engagement in creating media coverage of engagement activities will make objectives and achievements known beyond the directly involved groups and organisations, contributing to impacts in wider society. Establishing an annual EU award on public engagement would further contribute to promoting engagement among all important actors. Currently, most engagement practices at universities are conducted in social sciences. Engagement, however, needs to take place in other research pillars as well. Promoting interdisciplinary, problem-oriented and community-related research in academia will help diffusing the practice of engagement to all disciplines. Furthermore, scientists need to be rewarded for engaging actors affected by their research and innovation activities. In order to promote the exchange of experience and ideas among researchers, practitioners and policymakers, public engagement scientific journals and conferences need to be initiated and supported. ABOUT ENGAGE2020 Engage2020 is a project funded by the European Commission (DG Research) that looks at research, innovation and related activities, and explores how members of society are involved today and how they could be involved in the future. The core ambition of Engage2020 is to increase the use of engagement methods and policies by mapping what is practiced and to spread awareness of the opportunities amongst researchers, policy makers and other interested parties. Among the core deliverables of the project are: • An Anthology eBook which provides an introduction to public engagement in R&I. • www.actioncatalogue.eu – an online tool that helps users find the most appropriate method for their purposes. • In-depth reports on the scope of public engagement, current and promising praxis of engagement in R&I, and policy options for supporting engagement in R&I. • Six policy briefs synthesising the status quo and potentials of societal engagement in research and innovation. Potential Impact:Dissemination and outreach have been a key focus throughout the Engage2020 project. Especially in the second half of the project emphasis have been on spreading awareness of our findings and recommendations, staging discussions on how the societal engagement in Research and innovation can be strengthening, and inspiring new actors in the field by providing easy accessible tools and guidelines for why they should make engagement in the first place, how to get started, and how to select methods. The main target groups for this is new actors in societal engagement, and policy-makers setting up the frames for research and innovation.For this the Engage2020 project have utilised a wide range of activities ranging from workshops, conferences, webinars, briefs, reports, newsletters and social media. In the following we will present our activities more thoroughly.• Grand Challenge workshop, a training workshop for Policy Officers, Heads of Operational units and other EC staff in Brussels on Public Engagement and how it can be embedded in the their work. • Action Catalogue, an online decision support tool that will enable researchers, policy-makers and others wanting to engage society in research and innovation, to find the method that is best suited for their specific project needs. The Action Catalogue is a searchable tool on 57 engagement methods, and includes thorough descriptions of the methods, highlight their strengths and weaknesses, which societal challenges they can be used to address, and examples of what they have been used for previously and much more. • Policy Briefs, throughout the project 6 policy briefs have been published addressing how society can be engaged in R&I, what measures that can be introduced, strengthened or further developed to achieve good-quality outcomes of engaging society in the R&I processes, and which policy options can stimulate an increased public engagement in R&I. • European conference - Engaging Society in Responsible Research and Innovation: What’s Next?, a two-day conference in Brussels presenting the results of the project and staging discussions of trends, needs, tools and instruments for an increased and better societal engagement in research and innovation. • Webinars, a small series of webinars held for researchers and policy-makers on the options for engaging members of the public in R&I, future trends and opportunities, and policy options for a broader and deeper societal engagement in R&I.• An informative project website, where information about the project, published reports, blog articles about engagement can be found - www.engage2020.eu. • Reports providing an overview of the reasoning behind engaging society in research (D2.1: Public Engagement - Promises, demands and fields of practice), an overview and analysis of policies and activities that support the engagement of societal actors in research and innovation activities (D3.1: Current Praxis of Policies and Activities Supporting Societal Engagement in Research and Innovation), a thorough overview and description of 57 methods for societal engagement (D3.2: Public Engagement Methods and Tools), as well as possible new developments (D4.1 Policy options for engagement in science and innovation within the frame of Horizon2020, and D4.2: What the Future Holds for Societal Engagement)• 2 Communication packages containing posters, flyers, videos and PP presenting the project objectives (in the beginning of the project) and results (at the end of the project).• Presentations at conferences and workshops. The Consortium partners have all presented the project and the project results in various scientific fora. These include: the PACITA summer School in June 2014, participatory workshop on multi-actor and public en¬gagement in science and innovation at the ESOF conference in Copenhagen 2014, at the Responsible Research and Innovation Conference in Copenhagen organised by the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science in December 2014, the Asia-Pacific's University Community Engagement Conference UCEC2015 in November 2015, the presentation “Involving the Public in Research and Innovation - a European horizon scanning exercise” at EASST-Conference in 2014, hosting the session "Engaging society in research and innovation" at the 4S/ECOSITE Conference in Buenos Aires in 2014.• Participant in Advisory Panels. Consortium partners have furthermore participated in the Advisory Panels of RRI Tools and PE2020 in order to disseminate some of the knowledge from Engage2020.• Articles and newsletters. Among other an article in the volTA magazine - Science, Technology and Society in Europe (number 8), and EUWIN newsletter article about public engagement and the Engage2020 European Conference Public engagement and workplace innovation presentation of a good practice from Bulgaria• Presentation for National Contact Points. 3rd Meeting for H2020 National Contact Points - "food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine and maritime and inland waters research and the bio-economy" in Brussels, January 26 2016• YouTube videos presenting the key results and ambitions with the project, as well as several interviews with key actors in the field.• Social media. Late the Engage2020 project started tweeting from its own Twitter account. This proved quite successful in communicating the final results to a larger audience.List of Websites:More information about the project, official reports and small articles can be found at www.engage2020.euThe Action Catalogue, a searchable tool for finding relevant methods for public engagement, can be found at http://actioncatalogue.eu/The coordinator of the project, Lars Klüver, Director of the Danish Board of Technology Foundation, can be reached at lk@tekno.dk. The coordinating Project Leader Marie Louise Jørgensen, Senior Project Manager at the Danish Board of Technology Foundation, can be reached at mlj@tekno.dk Documents connexes final1-a5_flyerengage2020.pdf
