Teaching Responsible Research and Innovation at University
CosmoCaixa Science Museum, Barcelona, Spain
Friday 18th of March, 2016
The Research and Innovation (R&I) system is under heavy pressure and profound transformation. While society increasingly relies on R&I to address the challenges of our time -such as climate change, global health, sustainable development, scarcity of resources, or privacy and security issues-, the R&I system itself is required to respond to social demands on greater transparency, inclusion regarding gender and minorities, ethics, and broader societal participation. In other words, there is a clear call for more democratic research and innovation to contribute to social progress and wellbeing.
Education plays a critical role in this transformation. Embedding socioeconomic and ethical principles in science education, promoting critical thinking, empowering citizens to make their own decisions on science policy, and training future scientists in sharing responsibility with all actors need to be rooted in the education system to foster and consolidate ongoing changes.
In this scenario emerges the concept of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), which tries to provide a holistic view of how the R&I system should respond and adapt to better align its functioning and outcomes to the needs, values, and expectations of society. HEIRRI (Higher Education Institutions and Responsible Research and Innovation) is a European project, funded under the Horizon 2020 programme, aimed to integrate the concept of RRI in the science and engineering degrees.
1st HEIRRI Conference
The 1st HEIRRI Conference, Teaching Responsible Research and Innovation at University, brought together around 150 professionals from European organisations working in Research and Innovation, including higher education institutions, research centres, institutions of formal and informal learning, public institutions, industry, and civil society organisations. A combination of keynote talks, participatory working sessions, and a poster session allowed participants to share good practices in how higher education institutions can engage the different actors in RRI. Networking was prioritised to allow participants to make connections with professionals from across Europe.
Have a look at the Conference Programme and the Book of Abstracts.