Impact through Participation
Participation in research fosters social, economic and ecological impact. Real-world labs, ownership, citizen science and the integration of local stakeholders and investors are crucial to this end.
The authors of this brochure take the view that the present ecological challenges call for a new type of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). The necessary transformation of global production and consumption patterns depend on new coalitions between science and society to come up with sustainable social and technological innovations. Research therefore needs to integrate multiple disciplines as well as the experience of partners from business, policy-making and civil society. The authors present some examples of EU-funded and national RRI-projects that have successfully involved societal actors in creating multiple social, economic and ecological benefits. They argue:
“Participation facilitates societal challenges, gives access to data and information gathered on location, and promotes mutual learning with the assimilation of different perspectives, the use of adapted technology and better implementation of innovative options. “
The brochure benefits from the contributions by Prof. Dr. Matthias Bergmann (ISOE), Dr. Daniel Dörler (BOKU), Dr. Armin Haas (IASS), and Prof. Dr. Philipp Schepelmann (Wuppertal Institute). They refer to the following projects as case studies: Innovation City Bottrop, CuveWaters, Roadkill and Green-Win.
The publication has been produced by the Social Lab on “Climate Action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials” hosted by the Federation of German Scientists in the framework of the EU-funded NewHoRRIzon project on “Excellence in Science and Innovation in Europe by promoting the Concept of Responsible Research and Innovation”. It has been published by the Federation of German Scientists.
