Celebrating the achievements of the £33M UKRI Trustworthy Autonomous Systems Programme

What is Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI)?

Briefly…

Research is the systematic pursuit of new knowledge; Innovation is the development of new products and services. You can do high quality research in an ivory tower, or on a desert island – as long as someone will publish your papers. And you can innovate by bringing something new to the market and seeing if it sells.
 

Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) invites researchers and innovators to consider the bigger picture, including the long-term impacts of their work and its value to society. Different definitions of RRI emphasise different things, but they all highlight concerns that can be overlooked or undervalued, even by good researchers. For example, Von Schomberg (2013) highlights:

  • ethical acceptability,
  • sustainability and
  • societal desirability.

 

Note that Responsible Research and Innovation overlaps with, but is not the same as:

  • Research Ethics, which is concerned mainly with the safety of research participants and data subjects; and
  • Research Integrity, which is concerned with maintaining standards and best practice in research.

 

NEXT: What is the Value of RRI?

 

In more detail…

Why are you doing your work? Why are you doing it in the way that you are?
 

Reflect on these questions and come up with some answers. Some may be practical, some may be methodological, some you may have control over and some you may not. Some may be down to values, of yourself and others and how your work sits in a wider context. It is this bigger picture that Responsible (Research and) Innovation focuses on and helps you to consider.

 

What does Responsible mean?
 

Responsible (definition):  having an obligation to do something, or having control over or care for someone/something, as part of one’s job or role; being the primary cause of something and so able to be blamed or credited for it.

 

Responsible (synonyms):  In charge of; in control of; accountable for; liable for; answerable.

 

For more information…

Here are some more definitions of Responsible Research and/or Innovation:
 

“Responsible innovation means taking care of the future through collective stewardship of science and innovation in the present.” p1570 – Stilgoe et al (2013) Developing a framework for responsible innovation, Research Policy, Volume 42, Issue 9 Pages 1568-1580, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2013.05.008

 

‘Responsible Research and Innovation is a transparent, interactive process by which societal actors and innovators become mutually responsive to each other with a view on the (ethical) acceptability, sustainability and societal desirability of the innovation process and its marketable products (in order to allow a proper embedding of scientific and technological advances in our society)’ p9 – Von Schomberg, R. (Ed.). (2011). Towards Responsible Research and Innovation in the Information and Communication Technologies and Security Technologies Fields. Luxembourg: Publication Office of the European Union. Retrieved from  https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/60153e8a-0fe9-4911-a7f4-1b530967ef10