Insights from global institutional RRI experiments

In the drive for more sustainable futures, research and innovation actors are increasingly called upon to anticipate and respond to expectations and concerns from citizens and policy, industry and a variety of other stakeholders. The cultivation of such processes and approaches is now firmly part of policy initiatives, such as Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI).

This joint conference by the EU-funded projects “NUCLEUS” and “RRI-Practice” explored the pathways that institutions may follow towards being more socially responsive: What can research-performing organisations learn from the projects’ institutional RRI experiments (‘Practical Pathways’)? And how can research policy incentivise stakeholders to contribute to more responsive science and innovation systems (‘Policy Pathways’)?

On 20thand 21stJune, around 140 researchers, practitioners, policymakers and R&I stakeholders discussed the state-of-the-art and future perspectives for Responsible Research and Innovationin Europe. Lively online discussions, including more than a thousand messages on Twitter, extended the conference far beyond the unique theatre venue in the heart of Brussels.

In addition to the two EU-funded projects hosting the event, NUCLEUS and RRI-Practice, eight other RRI initiatives signed a Joint Declaration, urging the European Commission to to make RRI  a key objective of the upcoming framework programme, Horizon Europe.

Conference Material:


Programme

Pathways to Transformation was a two day conference.
The programme below is kept for archival reasons.

  • Day 1 (20 June) Practical Pathways
  • Day 2 (21 June) Policy Pathways
  • Theatre
Registration
10:00 AM - 11:00 AMRegistration

Sign in to the conference and collect your personal goodie bag.

Space: Mathilde

Introduction
11:00 AM - 11:40 AMIntroduction

The Project Coordinators will give an overview of research results and policy recommendations. They will reflect on the transition process of RRI towards the next Framework Programme, and thus the science and innovation systems in general.

  • Prof. Alexander Gerber, Rhine-Waal University (NUCLEUS)
  • Dr. Ellen-Marie Forsberg, Østfoldforskning (RRI-Practice)

Space: Theatre

Illuminating Pathways to Transformation
11:40 AM - 01:00 PMIlluminating Pathways to Transformation

After the introduction, Pathways to Transformation will start off with two talks, followed by two comments and a panel discussion.

  • Dr. Morten Irgens, Pro-rector for research (Oslo Metropolitan University)
  • Dr. Vinciane Gaillard, Deputy Director for Research and Innovation, European University Association (EUA)
  • Dr. Jan Staman, former Director, Rathenau Institute, and member of the Horizon 2020 expert group on Strategic Foresight for R&I Policy
  • Dr. Paul Manners, Director, National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE)
  • Prof. Alexander Gerber, NUCLEUS project lead (Rhine-Waal University)
  • Dr. Ellen-Marie Forsberg, RRI-Practice project co-lead (Østfoldforskning)

Panel Discussion: Opportunities and Challenges in De Facto Practice

Space: Theatre

Lunch Break
01:00 PM - 02:00 PMLunch Break

Space: Gallery/Foyer

Parallel Sessions
02:00 PM - 03:30 PMParallel Sessions

Each session lasts 25 minutes, with 5-minute breaks to switch in between sessions

NUCLEUS

RRI-Practice

“Obstacles to RRI: Interview Studies and Field Trips”
Minea Gartzlaff (Bielefeld University)
Dr. Anne Dijkstra (University of Twente

“Doing RRI in Multi-Partner Research Projects”
Prof. Phil Macnaghten (Wageningen University)

“Testbeds: Self-assessment, Mentoring, Monitoring”
Dr. Pádraig Murphy (Dublin City University)

“RRI Handbook for Organisations”
Christian Wittrock (Oslo Metropolitan University)

“Beyond the RRI Keys: Context-specific Solutions”
Dr. Kenneth Skeldon (Wellcome Genome Campus)

“The RRI Keys; Good Practice Examples”
Dr. Miltos Ladikas (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, KIT)

Space: Adolphe Max

Space: Versailles

 

Coffee Break
03:30 PM - 04:00 PMCoffee Break

Space: Gallery/Foyer

Global Panel – Institutional Change in Research Organisations Across the World
04:00 PM - 05:30 PMGlobal Panel – Institutional Change in Research Organisations Across the World
  • Dr. Đorđe Baralić, Mathematical Institute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (Serbia)
  • Dr. Sachin Chaturvedi, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (India)
  • Prof. Dr. David Guston, Director of the School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University (USA)
  • Penny Haworth, National Research Foundation – South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (South Africa)
  • Prof. Sérgio Queiroz, The Sao Paolo Research Foundation (Brazil)
  • Dr. John Rumbold, Nottingham Trent University (UK)

Space: Theatre

Closing Session & Apéro
05:30 PM - 06:00 PMClosing Session & Apéro

Space: Theatre & Gallery/Foyer

Social Dinner
07:00 PM - 10:30 PMSocial Dinner

Flying Buffet and drinks at Le Plaza.

Dinner Speech by John Crowley, Chief of Section for Research, Policy, and Foresight (UNESCO)

Space: Charleston

  • Theatre
Registration
08:30 AM - 09:00 AMRegistration

Sign in to the second day of Pathways to Transformation.

Space: Mathilde

Project Recommendations – Presentation and Discussion
09:00 AM - 11:00 AMProject Recommendations – Presentation and Discussion

Recommendations from both projects

  • NUCLEUS: Dr. Paul Manners, Director, National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE)
  • RRI-Practice: Prof. Richard Owen, University of Bristol (UK)

Comments by the European Commission and European Parliament

  • Linden Farrer, Policy Officer, European Commission (DG Research & Innovation, Open Science, Responsible Research and Innovation)
  • Theodoros Karapiperis, Head of Scientific Foresight Unit (STOA) of the European Parliament

Space: Theatre

Coffee Break
11:00 AM - 11:30 AMCoffee Break

Space: Gallery/Foyer

Declaration & Petition on RRI
11:30 AM - 01:00 PMDeclaration & Petition on RRI

We will present and discuss a joint declaration on “Pathways towards RRI in Horizon Europe”, developed together with other international projects and initiatives, including invited comments by:

  • Presentation of the declaration
    Dr. Stephanie Daimer    , Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI)
  • “The relevance of the Declaration on RRI”
    Dr. René von Schomberg    , European Commission
  • “5 years of responsible innovation; Reflections of a UK funder (EPSRC)”
    Nick Cook    , Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, EPSRC (Senior Portfolio Manager)

Space: Theatre

Lunch Break
01:00 PM - 02:00 PMLunch Break

Space: Gallery/Foyer

Closing Session
02:00 PM - 02:45 PMClosing Session

NUCLEUS project lead Prof. Alexander Gerber and RRI-Practice project lead Dr. Ellen-Marie Forsberg round off Pathways to Transformation 2019 and summarise key points of the last two days.

Space: Theatre