Organizational patterns of RRI: how organizational properties relate to RRI implementation

Abstract

In this article, we explore the connectedness of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) profiles and organizational properties of 188 European higher education institutions (HEIs). Empirically we identify three distinct clusters of HEIs in terms of their RRI profile. One cluster is characterized by low RRI uptake, while the other two employ a range of RRI policies and procedures related to gender equality, ethics and public engagement. We find that the RRI active clusters were organizationally very alike, characterized by a rather high degree of research intensity and impact, multi-disciplinary orientation, active participation in Horizon 2020, and by being larger than the RRI passive cluster. We discuss how insights from established theory about change in organizations can be used to explore these similarities and differences.

Building a responsible innovation toolkit as project legacy

“…This covers different levels of action which range from responsibilities of the individual researcher to research projects, institutions, funding structures and broader research and innovation policy contexts. The level of the individual research project is probably the one for which there is the largest amount empirical details and insights concerning the practice and implementation of RRI (Gurzawska et al, 2017 ; Ryan et al, 2021 ). This is likely to be caused by the fact that most RRI funding has been dispersed through research projects, giving RRI practitioners ample opportunity to observe RRI integration and publish about it.…”