The Centre for Social Innovation – the Austrian "Hub"coordinator for the RRI tools project – invited 15 guests to a full day workshop on Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) in November 2014. The group of representatives of five different stakeholder groups (industry, science, education, policy maker and civil society) discussed the proposed definition of RRI and its main dimensions and process requirements. The group collected promising RRI practices and extracted strong and weak points of the discussed examples to be added to the RRI concept. Besides well known factors such as sustainability and different forms of public engagement and participation, the aspect of empowerment was highlighted, especially for intermediaries like teachers. Discussed was also the reach and accessibility of activities.

The stakeholder consultation on RRI organised by ZSI in Vienna

The group suggested a common "code of conduct" on RRI as guiding principle. Awareness raising within all participating groups including researchers is required. Workshop participants also suggested extending the RRI concept into RSI, meaning science in general (including teaching), not only research. Also one should not forget the relevance of social innovations.

The group expressed the need for an Austrian platform on RRI, for exchange and information, but also for sharing resources on RRI: materials and tools and "recommendations for actions" that could support RRI processes and contribute to the establishment of "intra- and inter-institutional institutionalization" of the concept. 

If you would like to get involved in the RRI Tools activities in Austria, please contact Ilse Marschalek at ZSI. If you are interested in participating in the RRI Tools activities in another European country, please get closer to your RRI Tools National Hub, there are nineteen of them accross Europe.

Another easy way to join the RRI Tools community is to register here, it only takes one minute!

Ilse Marschalek

Ilse Marschalek work on RRI Tools at the Center for Social Innovation (ZSI), the RRI Tools Hub coordinator for Austria and Slovenia.

This article was initially published on the ZSI blog. ZSI kindly authorised us to reuse its content here.