Project description
Change labs to activate change coalitions in R&I
Responsible research and innovation (RRI) implies that societal actors (researchers, citizens, policymakers, businesses and third-sector organisations) work together during the whole research and innovation process. The aim is to align both the process and its outcomes with the values, needs and expectations of society. The EU-funded Co-Change project will apply an innovative systemic approach to boost the transformative capacity and leadership for RRI. It will centre on the concept of change labs and focus on interactions and dependencies of actors in each research and innovation ecosystem. The goal is to generate transformative capacity for institutional change in terms of practices, procedures, rules and norms at individual, organisational and system levels. The outcomes will be analysed to produce a toolbox for RRI-related institutional changes.
Objective
Co-Change strengthens transformative capacity and leadership for RRI through an innovative systemic approach, centred on the concept of change labs, building on years of solid experience. The project activates change coalitions around each lab, paying particular attention to interactions and dependencies of actors in each R&I ecosystem, since research performing (RPOs) and research funding (RFOs) organisations co-evolve in and with the R&I ecosystems they are embedded in. This embeddedness forms the social and institutional context, which either supports or slows down changes in the system. By implementing change labs in their ecosystems, we generate transformative capacity for institutional change in terms of practices, procedures, rules and norms at the individual, organisational and system levels.
Co-Change supports the implementation of institutional changes of R&I actors within and beyond the key areas of RRI. Our consortium members of RPOs and RFOs across Europe act as change agents. We set out to establish change labs as instruments for promoting and sustaining institutional change within our own organisations and reach out to actors in our innovation ecosystems.
As well as co-creating RRI practices in our own organisations, we also do so in organisations that have signalled their interest. Since these include partners from research performing, financing and governance institutions, we can build change coalitions at national and EU scale. The outcomes of all change labs will be analysed to produce a toolbox and field book for RRI related institutional changes which will be broadly disseminated by committed multipliers.
To widen our impact, we publish a call for innovative RRI practices, inviting more European organizations to Co-Change activities. Our project also features a sounding board with experienced RRI project coordinators, helping communicate with other projects in the field, and an advisory board with quadruple helix partners for further reach.
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
CSA - Coordination and support actionCoordinator
1210 Wien
Austria