Responsible Research and Innovation: A Key to More Inclusive and Impactful Science

At the heart of the RISE project is a belief in the power of collaboration to create more socially impactful research. One key concept that aligns strongly with this vision is Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). While the European Commission formally enshrined Responsible Research and Innovation as a cross-cutting issue in Horizon 2020 (2014–2020), its relevance goes far beyond policy. It offers practical guidance for how to engage more meaningfully with society throughout the research and innovation (R&I) process.

RRI acknowledges a key tension. While research and innovation have undeniably brought about major improvements in human wellbeing, they have also produced risks, controversies, and ethical dilemmas. Decisions in science and technology are rarely neutral. That is why RRI calls for greater transparency, anticipation of consequences, and the involvement of all societal actors from the earliest stages of research.

In the context of engaged research, which is an inclusive approach that prioritises collaboration between researchers and communities, RRI can be a guiding principle. It pushes us to ask: Whose voices are being heard? Whose knowledge counts? What values guide the research questions we ask and the solutions we pursue? 

Social Economy Organisations (SEOs) are particularly well-placed to play a key role in implementing RRI. As community-rooted organisations, they bring grounded knowledge, lived experience, and unique ethical perspectives. Integrating RRI into their practices, and ensuring academic partners do the same, can help moving from extractive research models to ones based on co-creation, mutual learning, and long-term collaboration. 

In practice, RRI rests on six interconnected pillars: 

1. Public Engagement: Inviting citizens and relevant stakeholders into genuine dialogue, so that research questions and priorities reflect societal concerns. 

   
   

2. Open Access: Ensuring that publications, data, and tools arising from publicly funded research are freely available online, breaking down paywalls and widening the reach of scientific knowledge. 

   
   

3. Gender Equality: Integrating gender analysis into research design and teams, so that both women’s and men’s perspectives inform methods, interpretations, and applications of science. 

   
   

4. Ethics: Embedding ethical reflections at every stage of the research process through measures like ethics training, conflict-of-interest declarations, and ethical review boards. 

   
   

5. Science Education: Strengthening formal and informal learning—via school curricula, public events, or online platforms—to build scientific literacy, foster critical thinking, and inspire future generations.  

   
   

6. Governance: Developing transparent and accountable decision-making structures – such as advisory boards and participatory governance models – that allow societal actors to co-steer research agendas. 

   
   

As we look ahead, RISE aims to integrate the principles of RRI more deeply into its training and capacity-building activities. Doing so means equipping SEOs not just with technical skills, but with the ability to navigate ethical challenges, advocate for their communities, and become active agents in shaping the research agenda. 

Looking ahead, embedding RRI into engaged research is more than a regulatory checkbox— it is an opportunity to build a more democratic, inclusive, and socially impactful research ecosystem. When SEOs and academic partners commit to responsible innovation principles, we close the gap between science and society, charting a path toward truly people-centred discovery. And in that shared journey, we all become architects of a future where science serves the values, needs, and aspirations of every community. 

Agostina Blanchi & Mireia Ros - Science For Change