Responsible Research and Innovation
Responsible Research and Innovation is an approach to governing research and innovation (R&I) at the European level. RRI is reflected in many policy strategies and programming documents, such as the Horizon 2020 (2014-2020) program.
What is Responsible Research and Innovation?
Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is an approach which implies that all societal actors (researchers, innovators, industry, policymakers, non-governmental organisations, civil society organisations, citizens, etc.) work together during the whole research and innovation (R&I) process in order to better align both the process and its outcomes with the values, needs and expectations of society.
RRI encompasses six fields relating to R&I:
- Ethics
- Gender equality
- Governance
- Open access
- Public engagement
- Science education
Why is Responsible Research and Innovation important?
Policymakers have been adopted the concept of RRI encouraging researchers and innovators to think about the public benefits of science-based and technology-based research.
Researchers have to anticipate and assess the potential consequences and implication regarding their R&I, aligning the scientific and technical development with the values and needs of the European society. Design and implement RRI means:
- Engage societal actors and citizens in research and innovation activities since the beginning.
- Ensure gender equality in the research process and research content.
- Respect fundamental rights and ethical standards.
- Increase access to scientific results (open access).
- Promote formal and informal science education.
RRI at UAB
The UAB is committed with Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) that implies societal actors (researchers, citizens, policy makers, business, third sector organisations, etc.) work together during the whole research and innovation process in order to better align both the process and its outcomes with the values, needs and expectations of society.
In practice, the UAB works on every thematic elements of RRI:
· Open access
· Gender
· Ethics
· Public engagement
· Science education
From 2017 several training sessions addressed to researchers and project managers have been carrying out:
RESPONSIBLE PHD: INTEGRATING RESPONSIBLE RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN PHD RESEARCH
Date: 6 & 8/11/19 from 9.30 to 13.30 h
Venue: Room 5, Doctoral School
Language: Spanish/Catalan. Materials: English
Trainers: Begoña Miñarro and Núria Claver
Adresssed to: PhD students at the beginning of their PhD project.
This seminar will introduce PhD students to different concepts of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) and initiate deliberation on how to make a PhD research project more responsible. Students will read about and discuss several concepts of RRI in groups and then apply them to concrete case examples of R&I processes. Furthermore, participants will introduce their own PhD research projects or first project ideas and identify possibilities to make them more responsible by using various concepts of RRI.
Registrations via Aula Moodle.
RESPONSIBLE RESEARCH AND INNOVATION (RRI) FACILITATORS
Date: 04/06/2019 from 9 to 14 h
Venue: Room 1+2, Doctoral School
Language: Catalan
Trainers: Begoña Miñarro and Núria Claver
Addressed to: technical staff and project managers
This workshop aims to offer tools and train technicians and project managers to promote RRI amongst research groups to improve the impact of their projects. The session will offer a general overview of the RRI concept that will be applied to real scenarios to promote self-reflection.
RRI has been defined in several ways –in fact, the concept is in continuous development- but all definitions agree that RRI is a way to understand research and innovation that implies a collective commitment to develop research and innovation projects in a transparent, thoughtful, inclusive and adaptive way. However, the session will focus on the four thematic pillars stablished by the CE: public engagement, gender, ethics and science education.
This workshop, organised by the OPI (International Projects Office) and the Unit of Strategic Projects is based on some materials of the HEIRRI project, where the UAB participated by testing the training materials. After the pilot, the UAB team has been adapting contents and specific activities according to the audience.
RESPONSIBLE PHD: INTEGRATING RESPONSIBLE RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN PHD RESEARCH
Date: 25 & 26/02/19 from 9:00 to 13:30
Venue: Room 50, Aulari central (Building J)
Language: Spanish/Catalan. Materials: English
Adresssed to: PhD students at the beginning of their PhD project.
This seminar will introduce PhD students to different concepts of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) and initiate deliberation on how to make a PhD research project more responsible. Students will read about and discuss several concepts of RRI in groups and then apply them to concrete case examples of R&I processes. Furthermore, participants will introduce their own PhD research projects or first project ideas and identify possibilities to make them more responsible by using various concepts of RRI.
Registrations via Aula Moodle.
RESPONSIBLE PHD: INTEGRATING RESPONSIBLE RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN PHD RESEARCH
Date: 12/06/18 + 14/06/18 from 9:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Venue: room 6, Graduate School
Places: 15
Language: Spanish/Catalan. Materials: English
Trainers: Nuria Claver i Begoña Miñarro
Addressed to: PhD students at the beginning of their PhD project.
This seminar will introduce PhD students to different concepts of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) and initiate deliberation on how to make a PhD research project more responsible. Students will read about and discuss several concepts of RRI in groups and then apply them to concrete case examples of R&I processes. Furthermore, participants will introduce their own PhD research projects or first project ideas and identify possibilities to make them more responsible by using various concepts of RRI.
Registrations via Aula Moodle.
FACILITATING REFLECTION ON RESPONSIBLE RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
Data: 13/02/18 + 27/0218 de 15:00 - 19:00
Lloc: room 32, Aulari Central, UAB.
Positions: 15
Language: Castellà/Català. Material: English
Dirigit a: Academic and non-academic HEI staff
In this workshop, participants will envision possible futures connected to R&I developments. They will reflect on strategies and ways how to steer these developments and their possible wider societal and environmental impacts using concepts of RRI. Then, the course will especially focus on how to integrate such reflection on issues of RRI into higher education teaching and training. Together in groups participants will develop different approaches and designs for teaching RRI to various higher education audiences.
Full Programme: “Facilitating reflection on Responsible Research and Innovation”
Registrations: https://eformularis.uab.cat/web/p-sphere/rri
RESPONSIBLE PHD: INTEGRATING RESPONSIBLE RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN PHD RESEARCH
Date: 12/02/18 + 26/0218 from 3 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Venue: room 32, Aulari Central, UAB.
Places: 15
Language: Spanish/Catalan. Materials: English
Addressed to: Participating students need to meet all requirements to enrol in a doctoral or PhD programme. They should be at the beginning of their PhD project, but they should already know their (preliminary) research topics and designs.
This seminar will introduce PhD students to different concepts of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) and initiate deliberation on how to make a PhD research project more responsible. Students will read about and discuss several concepts of RRI in groups and then apply them to concrete case examples of R&I processes. Furthermore, participants will introduce their own PhD research projects or first project ideas and identify possibilities to make them more responsible by using various concepts of RRI.
Full Programme: “Responsible PhD: Integrating Responsible Research and Innovation in PhD Research”
Registrations:https://eformularis.uab.cat/web/p-sphere/rri-phd
RESPONSIBLE RESEARCH AND INNOVATION: HOW TO MAXIMIZE THE LOCAL IMPACT OF MY RESEARCH?
The course provides theoretical and practical training about responsible research, addressing issues of communication, participation, and intervention with young people. Specifically, the aim of the course is to provide researchers with various tools and skills to communicate their research, to critically analysed it, and promote its local impact. The course is part of the European Research Project.
Note that the training is composed by 6 sessions along different weeks. However, students interested only in the practical part can also attend single sessions of their interest, without following the whole training.
Place: UAB/ Sala d'Actes de la Plaça Cívica
Language: English
Dates: 2, 9,15, 23, 30 November / 1st December, 2017
Addressed to: PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers.
Complete Programme: How to Maximise the Local Impact of my Research?
Registrations: https://eformularis.uab.cat/web/p-sphere/perform
RESPONSIBLE RESEARCH AND INNOVATION: HOW TO MAXIMIZE THE LOCAL IMPACT OF MY RESEARCH? (JANUARY 11, 19, 26, 27, 2017)
The course provides theoretical and practical training about responsible research, addressing issues of communication, participation, and intervention with young people. Specifically, the aim of the course is to provide researchers with various tools and skills to communicate their research, to critically analysed it, and promote its local impact. The course is part of the European Research Project PERFORM.
Note that the training is composed by 5 sessions along different weeks. However, students interested only in the practical part can also attend single sessions of their interest, without following the whole training.
Place: Theater Room of the UAB
Language: English
Addressed to: PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers.
Programme
- Key Competencies for Engaging with Society. Wednesday 11th January.
- Philosophy and Ethics for Science. Thursday 19th January.
- Towards Practice. Thursday 26th and Friday 27th January.
Download the course guide here.