A Reflexive Approach to the Deployment of New Research Patterns and their Governance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52712/issn.1850-0013-972Keywords:
research policies, responsibility, science-society, governance of knowledgeAbstract
The paradigm of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is a cross-cutting theme within the Horizon 2020 Program, promoted by the European Commission, which proposes opening up to public scrutiny the visions, demands, and knowledge that contribute to shaping socio-technical futures. However, a comparative analysis of the performance of the various actors involved in R&D&I systems, as well as of European regions and different institutional levels, shows that its implementation has been uneven and irregular. This article reports on participatory workshops with actors from the Basque research and innovation system with the aim of elucidating their attitudes, knowledge, and motivations towards initiatives that promote greater permeability of scientific and technological activity to economic, social, and ethical demands. The results confirm the existence of barriers that hinder the effective implementation of the RRI approach (cognitive barriers, lack of awareness, scarcity of resources, cultural inscriptions) and allow us to identify a series of measures that can contribute to overcoming them (regulatory frameworks, training programs, incentive systems, professional services). The main conclusion is that an inclusive and deliberative transformation of research and innovation patterns not only depends on concrete measures but also requires improving the reflective capacity of the innovation system through mechanisms that enable effective collaboration between R&D&I system stakeholders at all stages of the research process.
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