Periodic Reporting for period 2 - TRANSFORM (Territories as Responsive and Accountable Networks of S3 through new Forms of Open and Responsible decision-Making)
Berichtszeitraum: 2021-04-01 bis 2022-12-31
TRANSFORM is aimed at transforming Research and Innovation (R&I) ecosystems into more open, transparent and democratic for more responsible territorial development. This process occurred across 3 EU regions: Lombardy, Catalonia and Brussels-Capital. It engaged regional governments in reflecting on, experimenting with, learning from and adopting Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) approaches to be applied within their R&I policies and actions.
To reach this goal, the project introduced 3 methodological frameworks of citizen engagement practices: participatory research agenda setting, multi-stakeholder engagement and citizen science.
Lombardy was committed to ensuring that citizens’ opinions are considered in setting up key regional R&I strategies as part of the definition and implementation of its new S3 Plan (2021-2027) and connected policies. Lombardy accomplished this goal via a structured participatory agenda-setting exercise, with online and offline consultations and deliberations.
In Catalonia, TRANSFORM contributed to the region’s transition to a more competitive, sustainable and inclusive economic model. The Catalan territory worked towards shifting regional R&I projects from the triple to the quadruple helix, adding citizen engagement through citizen science-based initiatives. 2 specific pilot activities were selected within 2 main sectors of RIS3CAT: health and urban waste.
The Brussels-Capital Region implemented multi-stakeholder engagement processes around various types of innovations, including citizen-led ones, related to the field of the circular economy. Such activities have aimed to harness collective intelligence around innovations in the making, better address societal needs, and provide a deep understanding of complex (and often conflictual) ecosystems by exploring common ground and shared solutions.
To reach this goal, the project introduced 3 methodological frameworks of citizen engagement practices: participatory research agenda setting, multi-stakeholder engagement and citizen science.
Lombardy was committed to ensuring that citizens’ opinions are considered in setting up key regional R&I strategies as part of the definition and implementation of its new S3 Plan (2021-2027) and connected policies. Lombardy accomplished this goal via a structured participatory agenda-setting exercise, with online and offline consultations and deliberations.
In Catalonia, TRANSFORM contributed to the region’s transition to a more competitive, sustainable and inclusive economic model. The Catalan territory worked towards shifting regional R&I projects from the triple to the quadruple helix, adding citizen engagement through citizen science-based initiatives. 2 specific pilot activities were selected within 2 main sectors of RIS3CAT: health and urban waste.
The Brussels-Capital Region implemented multi-stakeholder engagement processes around various types of innovations, including citizen-led ones, related to the field of the circular economy. Such activities have aimed to harness collective intelligence around innovations in the making, better address societal needs, and provide a deep understanding of complex (and often conflictual) ecosystems by exploring common ground and shared solutions.
In Lombardy, there were 3 different participatory actions for different local R&I policymaking purposes, all of them connected to the local S3 2021-2027:
- Survey (From Fall 2020 to Spring 2021)
- Online deliberative workshop (Spring 2021)
- Citizens’ Jury (From Fall 2021 to June 2022)
Thanks to TRANSFORM, Lombardy set participatory governance as one of the main challenges for the regional S3 (2021-2027), explicitly mentioning the TRANSFORM experience and dedicating an entire chapter to RRI principles. Outcomes from the survey and the deliberative workshop supported Lombardy Region in identifying territorial and citizens’ needs that are at the basis of the regional Three Years Strategic Program on Research and Innovation (2021-2023). Collective recommendations stemming from the Citizens’ Jury informed a call for funding to develop smart data-driven mobility services and will inform strategic documents on smart mobility in the near future.
In WP4, the Catalan cluster defined the criteria to test innovative citizen science interventions in two pilots thanks to creation sessions with an extended group of local stakeholders (the local Think Tank). The pilots were 1. Citizen science for the co-design and implementation of an “interactive waste game” to improve the selective collection system in the municipality of Mollet del Vallès (Barcelona). To this end, a digital game called Dilemma-R was co-designed and used as a citizen science tool involving secondary school students; and 2. A pilot to contribute to improving clinical approaches and health services to the disease endometriosis. To this end, a group of patients co-created recommendations for health professionals and policymakers.
Both pilots generated results that were taken into account by the competent local authorities when designing policies. Furthermore, the pilots have encouraged RRI and citizen science to be integrated into RIS3CAT 2030, and some of the funding programmes developed within this framework.
In WP5, following the definition of RRI regional needs and TRANSFORM potential actions which could allow to address them, defined through a multi-stakeholder engagement process, 3 pilots were selected and run: AcquaSens, to enable innovators to interact with citizens, experts from other fields, and local authorities around several aspects and potential uses of such innovation; Algorella, to better link innovations to societal needs and potential impacts of such innovation, and Unsold food to bring together stakeholders active on a shared resource and often in conflict with each other.
In the Brussels-Capiital region, TRANSFORM pilots showed how multi-stakeholder engagement can be key to identifying common ground and shared ideas and provide public funders with a better understanding of the potential impacts of R&I initiatives they support.
Capacity building and mutual learning actions across the 3 regions and dialogues with the co-creation CC-PES initiative in the US, led by the Museum of Science in Boston, as well as extensive monitoring and evaluation activities, were also performed.
A broad range of dissemination activities, from social to multi-media, was put in place. TRANSFORM was selected for major EU events (i.e. EU Week of Regions and Cities 2021, JRC’s Public Participation and Deliberative Democracy Festival in 2021 and 2022, and ESOF 2022).
A successful final hybrid event was organized to present all the project outcomes, to interact with key EU policymakers and actors involved in the EU Missions, Cohesion Policy, Regional Innovation Partnerships and Conference of the Future of EU, and to launch the final project tools such as the project e-book and the 3 executive summaries of the 3 regional roadmaps.
- Survey (From Fall 2020 to Spring 2021)
- Online deliberative workshop (Spring 2021)
- Citizens’ Jury (From Fall 2021 to June 2022)
Thanks to TRANSFORM, Lombardy set participatory governance as one of the main challenges for the regional S3 (2021-2027), explicitly mentioning the TRANSFORM experience and dedicating an entire chapter to RRI principles. Outcomes from the survey and the deliberative workshop supported Lombardy Region in identifying territorial and citizens’ needs that are at the basis of the regional Three Years Strategic Program on Research and Innovation (2021-2023). Collective recommendations stemming from the Citizens’ Jury informed a call for funding to develop smart data-driven mobility services and will inform strategic documents on smart mobility in the near future.
In WP4, the Catalan cluster defined the criteria to test innovative citizen science interventions in two pilots thanks to creation sessions with an extended group of local stakeholders (the local Think Tank). The pilots were 1. Citizen science for the co-design and implementation of an “interactive waste game” to improve the selective collection system in the municipality of Mollet del Vallès (Barcelona). To this end, a digital game called Dilemma-R was co-designed and used as a citizen science tool involving secondary school students; and 2. A pilot to contribute to improving clinical approaches and health services to the disease endometriosis. To this end, a group of patients co-created recommendations for health professionals and policymakers.
Both pilots generated results that were taken into account by the competent local authorities when designing policies. Furthermore, the pilots have encouraged RRI and citizen science to be integrated into RIS3CAT 2030, and some of the funding programmes developed within this framework.
In WP5, following the definition of RRI regional needs and TRANSFORM potential actions which could allow to address them, defined through a multi-stakeholder engagement process, 3 pilots were selected and run: AcquaSens, to enable innovators to interact with citizens, experts from other fields, and local authorities around several aspects and potential uses of such innovation; Algorella, to better link innovations to societal needs and potential impacts of such innovation, and Unsold food to bring together stakeholders active on a shared resource and often in conflict with each other.
In the Brussels-Capiital region, TRANSFORM pilots showed how multi-stakeholder engagement can be key to identifying common ground and shared ideas and provide public funders with a better understanding of the potential impacts of R&I initiatives they support.
Capacity building and mutual learning actions across the 3 regions and dialogues with the co-creation CC-PES initiative in the US, led by the Museum of Science in Boston, as well as extensive monitoring and evaluation activities, were also performed.
A broad range of dissemination activities, from social to multi-media, was put in place. TRANSFORM was selected for major EU events (i.e. EU Week of Regions and Cities 2021, JRC’s Public Participation and Deliberative Democracy Festival in 2021 and 2022, and ESOF 2022).
A successful final hybrid event was organized to present all the project outcomes, to interact with key EU policymakers and actors involved in the EU Missions, Cohesion Policy, Regional Innovation Partnerships and Conference of the Future of EU, and to launch the final project tools such as the project e-book and the 3 executive summaries of the 3 regional roadmaps.
TRANSFORM went beyond the expected impacts, raising interest in further regions and authorities and also at the EU level.
The Lombardy cluster approach is at the centre of an ongoing exploitation activity, namely a training programme on public deliberation based on the experience in Lombardy for regional R&I policymaking in the Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy).
The Brussels-cluster methodology applied in the Unsold food pilot was found particularly interesting by other regional funding agencies (Brussels Environment and Perspective Brussels), who agreed to use it to set up a new project aimed at creating logistic hubs for local food in the region. Furthermore, the methodology was highlighted on the EC’s Knowledge Valorisation Platform as best practice and will be presented during the "Knowledge Valorisation Week" event.
In Catalonia, a strategy is being developed to replicate the citizen science pilot through the Dilemma R game in other municipalities. Similarly, the Catalan cluster continues to work with the Hospital de San Pau to replicate the methodology used in studying other problems (e.g. assisted reproduction) and with other hospitals in Catalonia.
At the EU level, EU DG R&I - Foresight, which has launched a ‘Foresight on Demand’ project, included TRANSFORM in the list of projects that may involve potentially important foresight elements and requested to cooperate during the year for networking and dissemination. Furthermore, for their experience on the ground in TRANSFORM, both the WP3 leader (and Coordinator) and the WP5 leader have been selected by the DG R&I, Directorate E - Prosperity to bring their experience to the Citizen Engagement for Knowledge Valorisation Community of Practice Core Group, leading the Community toward the design of a Code of Practice.
The Lombardy cluster approach is at the centre of an ongoing exploitation activity, namely a training programme on public deliberation based on the experience in Lombardy for regional R&I policymaking in the Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy).
The Brussels-cluster methodology applied in the Unsold food pilot was found particularly interesting by other regional funding agencies (Brussels Environment and Perspective Brussels), who agreed to use it to set up a new project aimed at creating logistic hubs for local food in the region. Furthermore, the methodology was highlighted on the EC’s Knowledge Valorisation Platform as best practice and will be presented during the "Knowledge Valorisation Week" event.
In Catalonia, a strategy is being developed to replicate the citizen science pilot through the Dilemma R game in other municipalities. Similarly, the Catalan cluster continues to work with the Hospital de San Pau to replicate the methodology used in studying other problems (e.g. assisted reproduction) and with other hospitals in Catalonia.
At the EU level, EU DG R&I - Foresight, which has launched a ‘Foresight on Demand’ project, included TRANSFORM in the list of projects that may involve potentially important foresight elements and requested to cooperate during the year for networking and dissemination. Furthermore, for their experience on the ground in TRANSFORM, both the WP3 leader (and Coordinator) and the WP5 leader have been selected by the DG R&I, Directorate E - Prosperity to bring their experience to the Citizen Engagement for Knowledge Valorisation Community of Practice Core Group, leading the Community toward the design of a Code of Practice.