Governance & Policy
Responsible Innovation
Definition
Responsible (research and) innovation is an approach to governing science and technology that builds societal considerations into the innovation process itself, structured around four dimensions: anticipation of impacts and risks, reflexivity about assumptions and purposes, inclusion of diverse stakeholders and publics, and responsiveness to new knowledge and perspectives. Developed in European research policy (notably by René von Schomberg and adopted by the European Commission's Horizon programmes).
References
Supports definition and framing.
Supports definition and framing.
Overview
How it is used
The framework structures EU research funding requirements, technology assessment, ethics-by-design methodologies and corporate innovation governance.
Why it matters
Sustainability transitions run on innovation; responsible innovation is the main framework for ensuring that the technologies of the transition do not create the next generation of problems.