VA starts new EU collaboration to promote responsible research and innovation

Press release 5 January 2014

Vetenskap & Allmänhet, VA, (Public & Science) is the Swedish partner in a new European project involving 30 countries. The aim is to improve the research and innovation process in Europe. The work will be carried out in direct consultation with a range of civil society stakeholders.

Responsible research and innovation is a key concept in Horizon2020, the European Commission’s new Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.  The RRI Tools project started in January 2014 and will develop practical tools and methods aimed at raising awareness, training, disseminating and implementing RRI. The tools will be designed in consultation with many stakeholders, including researchers, civil society, educational institutions and industry.  There will be special focus on policymakers in order to influence future research policy.

“Research must be done for the community and together with society. Responsible research and innovation is essential for the creation of a European knowledge society. For this reason, we aim to develop creative and powerful tools to support this process through this flagship project,” said Ignasi López Verdeguer, coordinator of the EU project, who works at La Caixa Foundation in Spain.

The project will be carried out by 26 stakeholder organisations with a range of expertise and will lead to the creation of 19 RRI hubs around Europe. VA is responsible for the Swedish hub. In each of the national hubs, societal actors from a range of sectors will work together during the research and innovation process in order to align its outcomes to the values, needs and expectations of society. The role of the national hubs will be to use and promote the tools more widely in Europe.

“Bridging the gap between science and society is a challenge. The public needs to be more involved in decisions about the form and direction of research and innovation. This way we can achieve smart, inclusive and sustainable growth,” said Cissi Askwall, Secretary General of VA (Public & Science).

RRI Tools is a three-year project funded by the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme and has a budget of 7 million Euros. RRI encompasses public engagement, formal and informal education to science, gender equality, ethics, the open access to scientific results and R&I governance itself.

For more information and press images, please visit www.va.se or contact:
Cissi Askwall , Secretary General at VA (Public & Science) 0046(0)70 626 44 74, cissi ( @ ) va.se
Karin Larsdotter, Director of Research at VA (Public & Science), 0046(0)70 255 38 91, karin ( @ ) va.se

VA (Public and Science) promotes dialogue and openness between researchers and the public – especially young people.  The organisation works to create new forms of dialogue about research. VA is also developing new knowledge on the relationship between research and society through surveys and studies. Its members consist of over 80 organisations, authorities, companies and associations. In addition, it has a number of individual members. For more information visit www.v-a.se/in-english/