Contact: contact@newhorrizon.eu
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 741402. The views expressed on this website are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission.
Music: Artist: Barradeen Title: Summer Coffee License: Creative Commons License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Source: Barradeen – Summer-coffee
The RRI network is a network of national research and innovation funding agencies supported by an NGO for responsibility in science that stimulates the integration of RRI into science, research and innovation. It strives for the wider and sustainable integration of outputs and learnings from the NewHoRRIzon project.
Current members are representatives from:
We are the ambassadors of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). We act as advocates for a responsible approach in science, research and innovation. We galvanize people from various fields and institutions to show that there is a substantial amount of interest for and knowledge in RRI already.
In our NewHoRRIzon MOOC course, you will learn about why it is important to act responsibly in your research and innovation processes and reflect on the different fields of application. You will get introduced to several tools that will help make your own work in research and/or innovation more aware by introducing concepts of RRI and related issues to your work or study settings. In addition, it presents inspiring examples and cases from the NewHoRRIzon RRI pilots, which effectively applied RRI in different sciences. Finally, you will see how you can consider R&I processes from different viewpoints by conducting exercises.
NewHoRRIzon aims to promote RRI in the research and innovation systems on national and international levels by integrating RRI coherently across all stages of research and innovation project development and implementation. To do this, project members designed the Societal Readiness (SR) Thinking Tool, which offers practical guidance on how to mature the societal readiness of research projects. The tool was developed in a three-step procedure (concept, design, validation) involving the consortium and participants in the Social Labs. The tool provides a generic methodology allowing researchers to reflect on the societal impact of their work at critical stages in the project life cycle by asking reflective questions to stimulate thinking about RRI and research practice. You can read the accompanying policy brief here, and use the tool by visiting the website.
Research communication is not limited to disseminating research results. It means engaging with the public in meaningful, mutual exchange.
Communicating research findings to improve judicial systems.
Participants of this pilot action created an RRI-inspired website to communicate their research findings to the interested public and practitioners. Euro-Expert is an ERC project which produced a database on cultural expertise in courtrooms in different languages. The website includes blog posts, podcasts, a course outline, and the open database for a better understanding of the role of cultural expertise in the judicial system.
Shaping a sustainable future with RRI principles.
The Green Village at the University of Delt was a real-life setting for experimentation with RRI as a guiding principle for innovation. The pilot action introduced RRI principles to the Green Village and elaborated project-specific RRI approaches in three selected projects:
You can explore the Green Village and innovations which were also inspired by RRI here and hear from one of the participants here.
As one of the largest non-university research institutions in Austria, the Natural History Museum Vienna aims to become more open and diverse by following an RRI approach in future initiatives. The main aim of this pilot action was to create a social lab within the museum to create new alliances between science and society, intensify communication and awareness raising on topics of science and society, and help “the museum leave its ivory tower”. Ideas developed in workshops included a new communication area within the museum, Deck 50, and NHM Vienna on tour.
Research and innovation cannot be inclusive or sustainable without opportunities for public engagement with citizens, researchers and decision makers of all generations
A game that brings together researchers, citizens, students and administrators to discuss societal impact of research.
Through games we can break out of routines and open up. Games can facilitate difficult conversations. The Quadralogue is a game that brings together researchers, community members, students and administrators to share their perspectives on the impact of research. In this way a diverse group of people which would hardly meet otherwise can learn from one anohter. Here, you can watch experiences with the Quadralogue on Ben Gurion University campus and here you can watch an instructional video on how to use the Quadralogue in your own work.
Creating an effective dialogue system for citizens and researchers.
Are you unsure how to exactly bring ‘public engagement’ into practice? Our Social Lab developed a dialogue system for citizens and researchers. The Knowledge Kiosk will guide you through a series of co-creation workshops that have proven effective for engaging the public. Here, you can access the full guide.
Institutions and individuals need resources, capacities and training to move towards RRI
Investigating non-regulatory ethics and research integrity in Research Management Organizations (RMOs).
The RRI Ethics Review is a survey designed by a group of researchers working in Research Management Organizations with specific questions on the importance of non-regulatory/ conventional ethics and research integrity issues in research organizations. The survey is easily replicable in any research organization in order to get an overview on how the researchers/ research organizations view ethical issues. Read more about their experience here.
A training to help research funders implement RRI in their work.
This training can be used within Research Funding Organizations (RFOs) to help funders apply RRI in their funding advice, proposal writing and project implementation. It can also be used in other settings in need of RRI guidance and includes a webinar and slides specific to proposal writing and project funding.
A research and innovation system is needed that incentivices RRI activities
A comic illustrates RRI’s message to early career researchers.
This comic developed in our Social Lab tells the story of how RRI can motivate early career researchers and helps to raise awareness about the different motivations for doing research.
An evaluation framework for junior researchers that acknowledges the benefits of RRI to research careers.
The RRI Career Matrix policy brief challenges decision makers to rethink institutional assessment and reward structures to include elements like responsible research, teaching and community engagement as equally legitimate and rewarding causes for researchers.
Research and innovation policies need an update to address RRI
Updating the EU’s Charta for Access to Research Infrastructure.
In this pilot action, Social Lab participants reviewed the EU Charter for Access to Research Infrastructures to create a unified policy that better fits the current research landscape and fully represents RRI principles. Here, you can read more about their analysis and recommendations.
Public engagement approaches for expanding institutional reach.
Promoting RRI from kindergarten to university
Use cases where RRI has been applied
Knowledge that supports RRI policies
Science education activities to engage the public and attract more people to technical research fields.
Social Lab participants came up with a workshop within the Electrical Engineering Faculty of TUCN where students were trained in the design, optimization and testing of electrical machines. In another workshop, young students came in to discuss the importance of socio-ethical impacts in the future of research in Electrical Engineering.
Events to foster Public Engagement, Open Science and Ethics in scientific research.
The pilot action, developed at the Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics (IPPG) in Bulgaria, disseminated the RRI paradigm and the concept of Openess in several special events at the institute. The goal was to facilitate Public Engagement through means such as a Facebook group and seminars organized around the topics of Open Science and Ethics.
Promoting interdisciplinary exchange and transdisciplinary research in the context of nuclear research
Social Lab participants brought together students and early career researchers from nuclear research and social sciences in a speed dating format to overcome “silo thinking” of disciplines and to make participants aware of the possibility of inter- and transdisciplinary cooperation. This pilot action promotes several RRI keys, in particular Science Education and Research Ethics. You can read a newletter about the event here.
Introducing RRI at an university
In our pilot action we started to introduce the concept of RRI at the University of Novi Sad. At the beginning of the project there was little knowledge at the university about the concept of RRI. We set up a universiy-wide "RRI-team" which assessed the status of the keys and started to develop activities. So far we carried out a RRI diagnosis, created a dedicated webpage, a leaflet and a brochure and organized a workshop. Other units of our university observe these activities and will integrate the lessons learned in their context.
Raising curiosity for science in kids and teens.
This pilot action demonstrates how science education can be introduced to younger children of kindergarten and primary school age as well as to teenagers. Three project teams designed and implemented their individual approaches on how science education can introduce the concept of responsibility or aspects of RRI. Here, you can watch a video on science education in kindergarten.
Supporting teachers in science education with innovative teaching methods.
Our Social Lab participants developed a RRI inspired workshop format that encourages teachers to use innovative teaching methods to raise students' interest in physics and to include ethical and societal aspects of nuclear physics in teaching. The workshop emphasises hands on tools and encourages students, in a problem based learning approach, to define their own research ideas. Click here to read first hand about the experiences from one of the teachers.
Critical reflection on expert practices and narratives in scientific and policy settings.
This use case shows how RRI can be implemented to foster critical reflection on expert narratives and practices in scientific and policy settings. Taking the topic of automated vehicles, RRI assisted researchers at the JRC in addressing citizens needs through focus groups, interviews, and a Eurobarometer survey. The Pilot Action was linked to an ongoing Joint Research Council (JRC) project on the same topic called “Future Journeys”. The goal was to produce specific guidelines for RRI in the JRC, a major EU research institution.
Learning from practice: RRI success stories.
RRI Show is a collection of eight RRI stories: examples of projects across EIT Food, Climate KIC, and EIT RawMaterials, that have somehow included one or more aspects of RRI. They demonstrate that RRI is not only possible but indeed beneficial within the set-up of the KICs, e.g. presenting the added value of public engagement when developing new products or services. If the reader is inspired to work with RRI aspects in their own projects, they can either reach out to the contact person of each story to learn more and get advice just as some of the stories link to additional information and resources they can use. The stories are presented in a short and accessible format and will be published online.
An innovative wastebin that tells us how to sort our waste.
The innovative BINTELLIGENT wastebin helps promote public engagement and reflection on the topic of waste management. It tells us how we sort our waste in order to learn what is considered a clean material that is suitable for recycling and making new raw materials. So far, the BINTELLIGENT bin has been used and tested in several festival settings, where the team responsible also carried out surveys and asked guests about their thoughts on the product and also waste management more broadly.
As one of the Social Lab participants expressed it “Living Labs are already doing RRI - though not all Living Labs are calling it RRI”. The aim of the RRI Lab was thus to create a physical space for awareness-raising, knowledge-sharing, networking, and public engagement activities around RRI where all interested parties could discuss Living Labs, co-creation, and how RRI can potentially inspire and enrich it. This developed into the interactive conference booth format: RRI Lab.
The 24 card game will inspire and challenge their users to reflect on what it means to practice Responsible Research & Innovation: from the theories that underpin it to the way you carry it out in your work. The cards can be used without paying attention to the background colours and groupings of the cards, or they can be played with these groupings in mind. The cards in the deck introduce the 'Tips & Tricks', provide methodologies to follow, and link to an online padlet board facilitating virtual collaboration of the same. You can watch a video from one of the creators here.
Develop RRI indicators by stakeholder collaboration and cross-project learning
The pilot actions promotes the connection and exchange between ongoing SwafS projects and existing RRI knowledge hubs, such as SuperMORRI, RRI Tools, NewHoRRIzon, etc. Based on the indicator work by MORRI and SUPERMORRI, the pilot champions multipliers of these efforts by jointly developing an easy-to-use template of the benefits of RRI. By taking the results and products of an earlier RRI project as a basis, the pilot contributes to the development/emergence of good practice examples of recycled and adopted RRI work and results. The pilot also aims to communicate the benefits of RRI to academic and non-academic audiences – beyond sectoral and disciplinary borders. You can read more about this pilot action here.
A training module for National Contact Points (NCPs) that fosters participation in research and innovation
WIDENING countries are states with participation in EU Framework Programmes below average. This training module familiarizes for National Contact Points (NCPs) of the WIDENING Europe programme with RRI to enable them to raise awareness for these issues in WIDENING countries. The module is available in Czech, Spanish, Armenian, and Lithuanian.
The Pathways declaration tried to mobilize for RRI and a dedicated Sience and Society Programme
The future of actions that have been funded in Horizon2020 under the umbrella of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) and the Science with and for Society (SwafS) programme is uncerttain. The Pathways declaration should promote debate and influence the discourse on RRI and also address all stakeholders and institutions dealing with RRI in their work.
In a workshop, we created four potential and plausible scenarios about the realtionship of science and society in 2038 in different hypothetical political landscapes called; "Kingdom of RRI", "Fortress Europe", "Failed Democracy", "Benevolent Green Eurocrats". The scenarios offer novel insights into the nature and repercussions of possible policy problems. They include issues related to efficacy; efficiency; legitimacy of research and innovation activities, societal involvement; equity; and freedom of research in each scenario. Participants of the workshop have since published a paper on these scenarios which can be read open access here.
RRI can help our industries develop products and innovation to maximize societal benefit and minimize harm
Addressing the barrier between civil society organizations and research and innovation and the question "Why is it so difficult to involve civil society organizations in R&I projects”?
Committing to research integrity in industry
A pilot action that shows RRI being applied in industry context.
Institutional change towards RRI in a funding organization.
This pilot action supports TA CR, a key Czech research funding organisation, to strengthen RRI in its activities as a key nationwide supporter of R&D. In the context of the pilot action, Social Lab participants addressed RRI elements in funding programmes, in particular open access, public consultation and ethics. Moreover, the social lab participants were able to support internal development of the organisation by strengthening communication about RRI within the funding body. This pilot action affected mainly the processes and evaluation standards in the funding agency itself. It will have much broader impact in the long run. Later, it could also serve as an example of best-practice for other Czech funding agencies and influence this institutional field.
A training focused on the challenges and opportunities of Open Science.
Responsibility in research and innovation (R&I) is an essential requirement driving the European R&I agenda since 2010. However, the involvement of diverse groups in R&I and their particular interests incorporates substantial challenges. The aim of this pilot action was to investigate, facilitate, and enhance effective transdisciplinary discussions of diverse stakeholder groups. These include BSc, MSc, PhD students, academic and non-academic researchers, innovators, and businesses (SME/MNE). You can learn more about the development of the pilot action here and in this publication.
Multiple European and other countries are exploring the possibility of checking the age and identity of online users, approving or blocking access to websites. Often, online tools such as digital identity verification applications function as tools for mass surveillance. They soak up personal data and often use it purely for economic gain, for example by selling it to the highest bidder. YOTI is a company that tries to focus on ethical and responsible innovations. Influenced by the Social Lab they developed an age and identity verification platform that can be used online while preserving the users' privacy. From YOTI, we learned that responsible business practices can also create a viable business case and new and innovative products considering both the economic aspect as well as staff, consumer and environmental interests.
Surveying differences in the expectations of research integrity.
The participants of this pilot action sought to understand differences in European integrity requirements by conducting online surveys with questionnaires among researchers at the beginning of their career.
The results from these surveys and the outcomes of the pilot action have contributed to the publication of a book chapter that can be found here.
A proposal writing process that involves civil society organizations.
The research conducted during the NewHoRRIzon diagnosis revealed the particular need for the involvement of NGOs/CSOs into research and innovation project proposals, as these groups are the ones mostly missing. The pilot actions try to address this need by developing and test-driving such a collaboration. NGO and CSO representatives were invited to a workshop where they discussed how to overcome hurdles and catalyze collaborations. One outcome was an example of a proposal writing process that achieves the goal of meaningful involvement. Find the conclusions here.
Institutions and individuals need resources, capacities and training to move towards RRI
Building stronger networks of researchers, citizens, and institutions for addressing societal challenges
Increased exchange between research and society is necessary for the development of inclusive, democratic and open R&I structures, processes and institutions.
Designing an inclusive and sustainable research and innovation process through transparency and cooperation with affected stakeholders.
Making better policies to support increased exchange between science and society.
Bridging the gap between science, research and innovation communities, and the public helps creates actionable solutions to societal challenges.
Introducing RRI to the world of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and aspiring entrepreneurs.
Leveraging the concept of RRI to better prepare for digitalization and the emergence of disruptive technologies.
Policy recommendations for increased exchange between society and research.
The innovation process for mobility and transport should have identified desirable societal values at its core. Therefore, this pilot action addressed the application of RRI approaches for transport and mobility research and specifically targeted the Czech Republic by developing and providing policy recommendations for increased exchanges between society and research.
A brochure of high-impact Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) projects and their implications for jobs and growth.
The pilot action presents some examples of high-impact Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) projects that have successfully involved societal actors in creating multiple social, economic and ecological benefits. The outcomes of this pilot action are presented in the brochure “Responsible Research and Innonvation for Jobs & Growth” and can be read here.
A focused on workshop that explores the connections between solidarity and RRI.
Solidarity for Europe is an exploration and cross-fertilization of the topics of solidarity and RRI, in the context of societal challenges. Our participants discussed this topic in a workshop series called ‘EuroSolidarity’ which included perspectives from political philosophy to political science to researchers dealing with bioethics. Attendees explored the connections between RRI and solidarity in different domains (e.g. bioethics). The long-term aim of the workshops was to reach policy-makers who often refer to principles such as RRI and solidarity without having adequate resources to help realize them.
Combining the concepts of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and RRI through shared indicators for social impact.
In collaboration with the Finnish Business Society (FIBS), this pilot action created indicators with RRI elements for companies looking for well-defined approaches and tools to understand and measure social impact. The mission was to create and integrate different corporate social responsibility indicators by combining the two concepts of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and RRI.
An RRI application tool for monitoring project performance with customized RRI-aligned indicators.
This project, conducted by YAGHMA, created a RRI toolkit for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) working in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). The tool enables SMEs to measure and monitor their project performance over time using customized and RRI-aligned key performance indicators (KPIs). The RRI application tool also facilitates the adoption of RRI approaches in SMEs by enabling the creation of a measurement tool for corporate reporting.
This workshop discussed how data science and Artificial Intelligence (AI) pose challenges to the nature of work.
The pilot project dealt with the challenges posed by the introduction of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how these technologies will influence and change work and its processes. The aim was to address these issues with a special focus on RRI approaches in the geographical region of Limburg in the Netherlands. Different stakeholders from the province of Limburg were brought together to start new cooperations. This initiative was then the starting point for a collaboration between the police and the BISS Institute in Heerlen on the ethical rules of AI.
These workshops discussed deliberative democracy as a means of making better policies.
These workshop series addressed the role of deliberative democracy in the adoption of digital governance models. “During the workshops, the best options for establishing an ethical and democratically grounded approach to public policy in the age of digitalization were discussed together with the Joint Research Centre community of policy makers. Some of the materials produced by JRC and used in the discussion can be found .
Updating criteria for AI-related funding.
This pilot action has introduced a new type of funding criteria into AI-related R&D funding in Finland and in Europe. During the pilot action, a set of questions on responsibility aspects of AI project proposals was developed and added to the official project proposal template. Evaluation criteria and a framework for AI projects were then elaborated. You can find information about the funding criteria for the implementation of responsibility for an artificial intelligence project here.
A partnership between two healthcare institutions sharing experiences on co-creation in clinical services.
Clinical services in hospitals have traditionally been designed with too little focus on the needs of patients and their families. The main outcome of this pilot action is the links forged between Karolinska and a department of Athens Children’s Hospital in Greece for mutual learning about co-creation in clinical services and involvement of patients and relatives in all phases of service design.
A workshop to foster engagement and governance in Public Innovation Labs.
Public sector innovation labs have become increasingly important for addressing complex societal and environmental challenges. This pilot action hosted a workshop for a consultation and co-design process with selected Public Innovation Labs to bring together researchers and practitioners from such Labs, as well as other relevant stakeholders. The aim was to stimulate reflection on practices related to RRI dimensions and values in public innovation processes, identify potential key benefits and barriers to RRI implementation, and identify ways to overcome them. You can hear from one of the participants in the video here.
A Guide to Good Practices of Co-Creation that will guide those interested in co-creating feasible and effective health care processes.
Co-creation in healthcare is an effective way to deliver value to patients in a people-centric way. The pilot action Good Practices of Co-Creation aims to use selected cases of co-creation to illustrate its benefits in the health sector and to promote acceptance. The results of this pilot action are presented in a book chapter and will help those interested in co-creating feasible, acceptable and effective healthcare processes.
Helping cities and their inhabitants plan for and manage the impact of urbanization through coalitions and community.
The pilot action engaged urban gardeners and activists to discuss views and practices of urban gardening and its social and climatic benefits for the transition to resilient and growing cities.
An online platform for critical exchange about practices, ideas, and opportunities for change within transportation research.
This pilot action has made the transport sector the subject of its analysis, in order to discuss and offer research-based alternatives to future automobility by applying RRI principles such as stakeholder-inclusivity and transdisciplinarity. Through an online platform this pilot action provides a space for critical exchange on practices, imaginations and options for change within transportation research, as well as blog entries, links to resources and upcoming events.
The idea behind STEP-Up was to support international funders and private funding agencies in stakeholder engagement.
One of the key strategies discussed by our participants in this pilot action was to create a common ground for stakeholder engagement in an international network of funders. STEP-Up intended to create a shared body of knowledge that supports funders and researchers in their efforts to engage stakeholders in the research and innovation process.
A consensus conference where a range of stakeholders discussed a mobility budget for transportation transformation.
Our social lab participants used the format of consensus conference to develop an open and inclusive decision-making workshop with the goal of defining a mobility budget in a project titled ‘mobalance’. The 'mobalance' consensus conference was set up as a meeting where a range of stakeholders could engage in the topic and had the opportunity to actively learn and express opinions in order to find common ground regarding the issue of defining a mobility budget.
A workshop to train researchers on how to integrate relevant stakeholders into their project.
Our Social Lab participants developed a concept for a pilot training workshop on stakeholder integration. The intended outcome of the workshop was an easy to use leaflet that will provide guidance to support stakeholder integration in research projects in a range of contexts.
Bringing research on the transportation system to the streets.
This pilot action took research efforts on sustainable mobility to the streets and initiated a dialogue on the state of the transport system together with the interested associations and inhabitants of the Vallecas district of Madrid. During a one-day event, a total of around 50 participants visited the Walk Shop including researchers, city technicians, students, mobility consultants and members of various grassroots organisations, citizens and NGOs. This video shows you their experience.
A series of workshops reflecting on everyday transportation practices, desirable futures, and solutions based on young people's visions of better transport.
This pilot action produced workshops to engage young people on the topic of transportation. The workshops took place in the city of Zilina and resulted in goals such as a carless city, more bicycles, finishing a regional highway tunnel to get cars and trucks out of the city, and a greener city overall.
Concrete arguments for why public engagement in research proposals should go from being a "nice to have" to "must have".
By gathering information through surveys in different institutional contexts and using a co-creation approach, this pilot action wrote a line of argumentation to support a policy recommendation for including public involvement as a fundamental component in research proposals (moving from "nice to have" to "must have").
A guide to good practices for responsible funding.
This pilot action specifically addresses how health funding could involve RRI in the evaluation of proposals and in the assessment of ongoing and completed projects. The aim was to produce a user-friendly set of good practices for "responsible" funding, available to all interested parties.
Implicit training to address gender inequality in science.
BIAS^2 is an awareness training to be conducted in research and innovation institutions. It aims to help build capacities for implementing RRI around the topic of gender inequality in science. This training is inspired by studies on implicit bias that have shown how people’s behavior is shaped by repeated exposure to cultural stereotypes.
Surveying the relation between Living Labs and RRI.
This pilot project aimed to evaluate the approaches and concepts of Living Labs (LL) and related activities with regard to RRI issues by using an online survey that can be adapted and used further. The focus is on LL in the context of "Energy in cities".
Updating a securtiy curriculum to include RRI.
Our Social Lab participants updated the Security Curriculum of the Finnish Police University College Security to include the topics of ethics and science education. To do this, they developed an interactive Moodle-learning platform and , drawing upon real-life examples of RRI related topics in security education.
A place to exchange experiences on the challenges and opportunities of multi-actor approaches.
Multi-actor approaches (MAA) are becoming the core of many nationally and internationally funded projects. As this co-construction process involves many actors, the pilot action Confession Time developed an interactive RRI inspired module called Reflection café. The objective was to create an interactive learning forum about experiences from current and future MAAs in different H2020 Projects, specifically in the FOOD area.
Training National Contact Points (NCPs) on RRI.
The role of National Contact Points (NCPs) is important in impacting researchers, businesses, and other organizations and stakeholders. This pilot action produced training materials specifically for persons working in the context of European ENERGY research projects but can be adapted to many other contexts.
Linking and summarizing developments in renewable energy in Central and Eastern Europe.
Renewable Energy Knowhere is a website that links and summarizes information about current developments in the field of renewable energy in Central and Eastern Europe. The website is designed to be an open-access knowledge base with filtering capabilities for anyone to participate and learn more about this decentralized renewable energy network. You can also watch a video from the pilot action host here.
Research communication is not limited to disseminating research results. It means engaging with the public in meaningful, mutual exchange.
Research and innovation cannot be inclusive or sustainable without opportunities for public engagement with citizens, researchers and decision makers of all generations
Institutions and individuals need resources, capacities and training to move towards RRI
Institutions and individuals need resources, capacities and training to move towards RRI