Videosessions

Promising practices in South East Europe

The SEE RRI Tools Hub brings together stakeholders from five Southeast European countries: Albania, Bosna & Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia. The stakeholders identified a number of cases of promising practices in the region and selected the most prominent ones: BioSense CENTER, fostering ICT solutions in Agriculture, ecology, environmental protection and forestry through the interaction with end users in developing ICT applications and innovative agriculture solutions.SOCIOTAL, FP7 EU funded project for creating the socially aware and citizen-centric Internet of Things.EuroBioAct Project, aiming at developing bioethical standards in direct interaction with research community, local government, CSOs and general public. Center For The Promotion Of Science, an organization that brings science closer to the public, fostering science promotion initiatives and spreading scientific culture to the whole society.

Aleksandra Drecun

Aleksandra Drecun is the Director of the Center for the Promotion of Science, Serbian national public body. She is also the member of the EC DG Research and Development Horizon 2020 Program Committee "Strategic Configuration", member of the EC DG Research and Development Horizon 2020 Program Committee for Societal Challenge 6 - "Europe in a changing world - Inclusive Innovative and Reflective Societies, member of the EC COST GenderSTE Management Committee and member of the managing boards, and regional and country leader of several EC FP7 and other international projects in the field of science promotion, STEM education and responsible research and innovation. Presently, she is also the regional SEE hub coordinator for the EC flagship project "Responsible Research and Innovation Toolkit - RRI Tools" and the President of the Program Committee of the South Eastern European Science Promotion Conference (SCIPROM). Previously, Aleksandra was the member of the Science in Society Program Committee, FP7 Capacities Program at the DG Research & Innovation (2010-2013). From 2004 till 2006 Drecun was the Secretary General to the President of Serbia, the Special Advisor at the Government of Serbia for the National Investment Plan (2007/2008), the Secretary General of the Ministry for Finance and Economy and the Government of Serbia Anti-corruption Coordinator (2001-2004). Aleksandra served as the President of the Board of the Belgrade Philharmonic (2007-2010). She is the Co-Chair of the Woman’s Government of Serbia, an NGO that promotes women expert potential. Drecun graduated at Belgrade University Law School and got her master degree (MPA) at Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Divna Vuckovic

Divna Vuckovic, Assistant Director for Program Activities, Center for the Promotion of Science Divna Vuckovic received BSc and MSc degree in Electrical Engineering in Belgrade. She holding various management positions in ICT sector for more than 30 years – before joining Center for the Promotion of Science she was holding various management positions with Ericsson, Mihajlo Pupin Research Institute in Belgrade, Slovenian ISKRA Telecommunications and Post&Telecom national provider. Vuckovic currently works as the Assistant director for program activities with a special focus on RRI and gender issues in research and popularization of science and technology careers for girls. She is also responsible for the overall coordination of EU funded projects in the Center and the local coordinator of the FP7 RRI Tools project. Vuckovic was working on several research EU funded FP7 Project related to Smart City services based on Internet of Things technologies that have a goal to create more efficient and sustainable living environment. Her special interest is in exploring the usage of latest mobile and social networking technologies for empowering women and improving and enriching their lives, businesses and social skills. She is a member of the EC COST GenderSTE Management Committee. Vuckovic is co-founder of the NGO Equal Opportunities and member of the Women’s Government. Vuckovic is the author of a number of books and papers in national and international journals and conferences and and different contributions in the area of impact of the use of ICT on improving gender balance and women’s quality of life.

A tool for scientific citizenship:
PORDATA, the Database of Contemporary Portugal

Improving the assessment and use of statistical information about society is essential to building up an informed opinion and real scientific citizenship. That is the promise of the instrument we will present here. PORDATA is a portal with free tools for visualisation and consultation of Portuguese and European statistical data. It collects, organizes and presents data in clear and accessible ways, adding contextual information – "metadata" – to enable its adequate interpretation. Enhancing statistics communication, simplifying the complexity of information, improving the critical understanding of statistics, and debunking common myths sustained by numbers are some of the aims of PORDATA, now also developed in other ways, including statistical training modules for kids and an exhibition about the role of statistics in the modern world now opening in Pavilion of Knowledge.

Carlos Catalao Alves

Carlos Catalão, European coordinator of the RRI Tools Hubs, holds a Phd in Science Education, University of Cambridge. He was part of the founding team of Ciência Viva, the Portuguese National Agency for Scientific and Technological Culture, in 1996, and is currently member of its Board of Directors. He teaches Science Communication and Education, in MPhil programmes at Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and he is a research associate at the CIES, Centro de Investigação e Estudos de Sociologia, UL. His research is focused on the social mission of universities and scientific institutions, particularly in terms of its contribution to science education, as well as to public participation and engagement with science.

Gonçalo Praça

Gonçalo Praça is a project assistant in Ciência Viva, working on several science in society and RRI projects. He has a BSc in Social and Cultural Antropology (FCSH – Universidade Nova de Lisboa), a MSc in Social Anthropology (ISCTE). He has developed ethnographic work on social studies of science and technology, namely on controversies between citizens, experts and policy-makers. He is also a technical translator and copy editor.

New approaches to RRI in Denmark

Two quite different cases from two Danish institutions demonstrate emerging RRI approaches in Denmark. PULSE is an exhibition promoting a healthy life style at the Danish Science Centre Experimentarium. PULSE aims to transform the everyday health practice of the visitors. Consequently designers and concept developers from Experimentarium have engaged with researchers in co-designing with families from different socioeconomic settings. Blueprint for Change is a communication program developed by the medical company Novo Nordisk to communicate their sustainability strategy to stakeholders. Through stakeholder inclusion it creates reflection, openness and transparency about the processes of working towards sustainable solutions and shared value creation. This helps the company optimize its value creation and inspire others. Both cases demonstrate how different motivations, narratives and degree of institutional change can affect the mind-set of RRI in institutions in Denmark.

Sheena Laursen

Sheena Laursen is head of learning and international projects at Experimentarium. She holds a teacher’s degree and a Masters degree in ICT and education. Sheena has lead several national and European projects focusing on promoting and teaching science. Her specific interest is in bringing people together within the fields of science communication and learning. She has developed science learning materials for schools, communication programs and numerous science activities combining science and society. Sheena was the coordinator of the European project TWIST – Towards Women In Science And Technology – focusing on challenging and changing gender stereotypes of women and men in science.

Mai Murmann

Mai Murmann is part of the Experimentarium RRI-Tools project team. She works as a project manager and exhibition developer. Mai has a background as a science journalist and as a researcher in narrative museum education and co-design. Her main interest lies in involvement through aesthetics, social interaction and hands-on science communication.

Caroline Thon

Caroline Thon is part of the Experimentarium RRI-Tools project team. She works mainly with the communication of the project in regards to the graphic communication and with developing events. Caroline is currently finishing her MSc in Biology with a Minor in History and Art. Her main interests lies within alternative communication of science and the cross fields where science and art meet.

RRI in Spain, already a reality?

Results of the workshops with national stakeholders show that the culture of RRI is already present in different contexts in Spain although not under this terminology. As a result of the current economic situation and the increasing social tendency towards collaboration, stakeholders are looking for new ways of improving R&I. According to this preliminary analysis, the RRI in Spain seems to be basically promoted by Industry and the Scientific Community. For example, Spain is the country with more Living Labs registered in the European Network of Living Labs (ENOLL). 
Some other national practices aligned with the new RRI paradigm have been also identified, including for example, projects to co-develop research, participatory governance initiatives, technology assessment projects, tools for education, etc. However, there is still a long way to run to widely implement RRI in Spain and RRI Tools provides a great opportunity to promote it among all social actors.

Rosina Malagrida

Rosina Malagrida has a degree in chemistry from the University of Barcelona, Spain, and a master’s in science communication from Imperial College London, UK. She is specialised in public engagement and non-formal education activities, mainly on health research. Currently, she is the head of Public Engagement on Health Research at IrsiCaixa in Barcelona, where she is head of communication, co-ordinates the European educational portal Xplore Health and fosters participatory governance through its Community Advisory Board. She is also the deputy coordinator of the EC project RRI Tools, to promote Responsible Research and Innovation in Europe. Rosina previously worked at the Barcelona Science Park, where she was communication director and at the science museums of London and Barcelona, developing exhibitions, experimental workshops, fairs and debates to decrease the gap between research and society. She has participated in more than 20 European and national projects and is a member of the Observatory of Bioethics and Law and of the Catalan Council of Science Communication.

A social innovation factory

The KBF organised three RRI-consultation workshops in Belgium and Luxemburg. These countries have their own specificities: they are both multi-lingual, resulting in Belgium in relatively separate communities. There are some RRI pioneers, especially in co-creation, participation and transition, but the concept still has to be mainstreamed. The workshops raised valuable practices that were not connected to RRI before. It demonstrated a clear need for good practices, guidance and tools for RRI. The inspiring practice we present you today is the Social Innovation Factory: a social innovation accelerator driven by CSO’s and industry. This broad network promotes and coaches social entrepreneurship that formulates innovative solutions to societal challenges. SIF supports engineers that design sustainable procedures to sublimate waist into value, smart networks that elevate people from loneliness or help people to get their question asked and heard in our information dense society.

Bénédicte Gombault

Bénédicte Gombault studied law and European law; she is a senior project manager at the King Baudouin Foundation and coordinates various projects in health. She has a special interest in Responsible Research and Innovation and has been working with different stakeholders (patients, carers, pharmaceutical industry, civil society and researchers).

Sara Heesterbeek

Sara Heesterbeek is project officer Responsible Research and Innovation at the King Baudouin Foundation. Before she worked at the Rathenau Institute on health related deliberative and participative projects and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences on the dissemination of a Code of Conduct for Biosecurity.

Access to Science for Everyone 
- Equal opportunities and easier access to science and technology

In the flash-talk of Mobilis Science Center of Hungary, Gyor we wish to talk about our own holistic approach to science communication with special focus to equal opportunity access to science. We believe that this complex, multi-dimension science communication that targets very diverse age, gender and ability/disability groups in a long-run can help building up a healthier thinking society. Coordinated, but specialized and targeted actions for girls, seniors, groups of disabled people, or talented individuals as well as families experiencing the joy of science together help us to promote RRI aspects to a very wide audience, while at the same time raising awareness and social acceptance to science and technology related careers gives us the hope to feed our region of influence with sufficient amount of professionals with a right mindset.

Péter Tamás Szilasi

Péter Tamás Szilasi graduated as an economist (Msc) in 1994 in Pécs, Hungary and obtained a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) at Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA in 1995. After his studies he returned to Hungary, where started working in the area of logistics and quality assurance as a leader at a multinational automotive company, then acted as a cluster manager of Pannon Automotive Cluster, the first cluster initiative of Hungary. Afterwards he established a joint-venture engineering company in Hungary with a US partner. Than he joined Széchenyi István University (Győr). First acted as managing director of a newly established automotive research center of the University, than he became the strategic director of the University. In the meantime he also became the director of Mobilis Science Center of Gyor, Hungary. Currently he only holds the later position.

A glance at the French ingredients for the RRI Alchemy

Many initiatives in France can be related to the RRI concept. Some are new, while some have been implemented over the last decade. Most of them are not identified, even by those involved, as RRI practices. As a result, identification of actors among themselves is lacking, transfer of competence is scarce or localized in specific socio-professional ecosystems. But all the ingredients for the RRI alchemy to bear are in place. As example of the diversity of initiative in France, three of them will be described: the PICRI regional program which is funding research projects carried by the association of scientists and civil society organizations, the SoScience! PME wich triggers partnerships with laboratories, engineering schools, social entrepreneurs and major companies in order to launch responsible research projects and the Experimenta project, a LivingLab festival launched by a Science Center which invites heterogeneous participants (students, citizens, experts, policymakers etc.) to try out and evaluate about fifteen art-science prototypes.

Malvina Artheau

Malvina Artheau, doctorate in aquatic biology from the University Paul Sabatier Toulouse III, is now head of the digital and innovation team at Science Animation Midi-Pyrénées. As such she is coordinating a team of three to develop new science communication tools from innovative exhibitions to serious digital games and is the French hub coordinator for the RRI tools project. She has expertise in designing creativity and public engagement workshops. She has also organized brainstorming and team work sessions during scientific seminars as well as PhD student training courses. She has been supervising the work of a trainee on the definition of the Living Lab approach for science centers.

Responsible Research and Innovation - an opportunity for business

Responsible research and innovation means doing science and innovation with society and for society. In this presentation we will consider what this means for business – whether it is necessarily a burden or whether doing things differently might offer opportunities too. We will present a case study of Hao2, which is a UK company that develops and sells online conferencing systems. The systems, which use avatars to allow people to interact in a virtual environment, have been developed by people with autism for people with autism but are now being used much more widely. Hao2 Director Nikki Herbertson will (by video) explain how involving customers and diverse publics early in business and innovation development has led to a socially-revolutionary product and business that brings social goods as well as a profit.

Melanie Smallman

Melanie Smallman is a researcher in Science and Technology Studies at UCL and is Deputy Director of the UCL Hub for Responsible Research and Innovation, part of the RRI Toolkit project. Her background is in science communication and public engagement, having worked for eight years as a science communication and public dialogue adviser within the UK government. She also runs the successful science communication consultancy Think-Lab.

RRI in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, many flourishing RRI initiatives can be found, especially in the areas of health/ wellbeing and agriculture/ environment. For example, the Lung Foundation : a patient organization that after years of experimentation has implemented patient participation throughout their organization. Or: the Knowledge for Climate program in which multiple stakeholders collaborated on the development of successful and feasible climate adaptation strategies. A third example is the playful reflection toolbox that uses creative methods to facilitate reflective deliberation and learning in R&I contexts. We see ample room for improvement, since the lessons learned from these examples could have more impact if research and innovation systems would become more open, diverse and adaptive. Therefore, the issue is not to find RRI showcases, but to mainstream RRI in the routines of research and innovation systems.

Walter Boon

Wouter Boon is assistant professor in Innovation and life sciences. His research in the field of innovation studies focuses on the dynamics and governance of emerging technologies in science-based sectors, such as life sciences and healthcare. He teaches, amongst others, courses about management of life sciences innovations and sustainable drug development.

Jacqueline Broerse

Prof.dr. Jacqueline Broerse is professor of ‘innovation and communication in the health and life sciences’, in particular addressing issues of diversity and social inclusion at the Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam. Her research is focused on methodology development for realizing a science-society dialogue in new and emerging (system) innovations in the health and life sciences. She has developed methodologies to facilitate patient participation in health research and care, and to realize multi-stakeholder participation in national health policy.

Laurens Hessels

At the Rathenau Instituut (Den Haag), Laurens Hessels works on various projects dealing with European research policies, academic careers, innovation and public-private partnerships. Laurens got his PhD degree at Utrecht University for his thesis 'Science and the Struggle for Relevance' (2010). He has published widely about coordination in science, research collaborations, broader impacts of science, and the apparent shift towards 'Mode 2 knowledge production'. In 2014 Laurens has gained experience as a policy maker by his contribution to the preparation of the 'Wetenschapsvisie 2025' at the Ministry of Science and Education.

Frank Kupper

Frank Kupper is assistant professor ‘Biology and Society’ at the Athena Institute. He worked on an advisory project about animal biotechnology and the value of animals, which was later to become the subject of his PhD thesis. His research focusses on reflexivity and learning in the science and society dialogue. He is project leader and senior researcher on various research projects, including SYN-ENERGENE, RRI Tools and Neurosciences in Dialogue.

Michelle Rijnen

After a bachelor in biomedical sciences, Michelle Rijnen received her master of science in health and life sciences policy. She started working at the Athena Institute in 2013 on the project RRI Tools as a PhD researcher.

Sara Vermeulen

Sara Vermeulen holds a master of arts in political and social philosophy. She started working at the Athena Institute in 2013 on the project RRI Tools as a PhD researcher. Before she taught philosophy of science and ethics for biologists at the University of Amsterdam and bio-ethics at Leiden University. Furthermore, she has experience as a consultant at the Technopolis Group, a consultancy focused on evaluation of science, technology and innovation.

The Austrian and Slovenian RRI-Tools Hub

On November 3rd we conducted a stakeholder consultation workshop in Vienna and in Ljubljana on November 14, 2014. These three examples were documented in Austria: Sparkling science is an example of public engagement and citizen science, bringing researchers and young school students together in collaborative research projects. Fteval is an Austrian wide evaluation platform to encourage evaluations for an optimal strategic planning of RTD-policy in Austria. NanOpinion is a recently terminated FP 7 project on public engagement on nanotechnologies, which implemented innovative outreach and engagement practices especially for difficult to reach audiences. In Slovenia two examples of promising practices were documented in detail: Communicating Science in the Research Institutions (www.arrs.si); and House of Experiments: Non-formal promotion of science and education (www.he.si).

Katharina Handler

Katharina HANDLER is working as researcher and project manager at ZSI. She is involved in research and co-ordination projects, mainly covering participation, social inclusion and science communication. She is experienced in working with qualitative, quantitative and participatory methods.

Ilse Marschalek

Ilse MARSCHALEK is a sociologist with several years of experience in international studies in FP 5th, 6th and 7th of the EC. At ZSI she is project coordinator at the technology and knowledge department, carrying out a range of projects, in the fields of technology and society, transdisciplinarity and science communication.

Gorazd Weiss

Mr. Gorazd WEISS is researcher and senior project manager at Centre for Social Innovation in Austria. His key competences include research on R&D and innovation policies, forward looking activities, social innovation, RRI and coordination of international S&T co-operation projects.

RRI experiences in Germany

The European hubs and their members are one of the pillars of RRI Tools project. This presentation offers information about the German Hub and its activities, starting with background data on research and innovation in Germany, followed by some key statements from stakeholder consultations. The presentation will introduce the exciting projects and practices Platform Forschungswende, LENA (Guideline for Sustainable Management) and Science Shops, which were explored when exchanging with stakeholders. The presentation will end with an outlook to upcoming RRI related events in Germany.

Norbert Steinhaus

Norbert Steinhaus holds a masters degree in Agriculture. He joined the Bonn Science Shop in 1988, and became a Science Shop board member in 1990. For more than 15 years he has co-operated in international projects on training and mentoring Science Shops (TRAMS), citizen participation in science and technology (CIPAST) or Public Engagement in Research and Researchers Engaging with Society (PERARES) and coordinated an educational European project for primary schools and kindergartens, and projects for the transfer of innovation in training staff of SMEs. Since the end of 2007 he is the coordinator and international contact point of LIVING KNOWLEDGE, the international Science Shop network.