Structural Transformation to Attain Responsible BIOSciences (STARBIOS2): Protocol for a Horizon 2020 Funded European Multicenter Project to Promote Responsible Research and Innovation

Abstract

BackgroundPromoting Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is a major strategy of the “Science with and for Society” work program of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. RRI aims to achieve a better alignment of research and innovation with the values, needs, and expectations of society. The RRI strategy includes the “keys” of public engagement, open access, gender, ethics, and science education. The Structural Transformation to Attain Responsible BIOSciences (STARBIOS2) project promotes RRI in 6 European research institutions and universities from Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Poland, and the United Kingdom, in partnership with a further 6 institutions from Brazil, Denmark, Italy, South Africa, Sweden, and the United States.ObjectiveThe project aims to attain RRI structural change in 6 European institutions by implementing action plans (APs) and developing APs for 3 non-European institutions active in the field of biosciences; use the implementation of APs as a learning process with a view to developing a set of guidelines on the implementation of RRI; and develop a sustainable model for RRI in biosciences.MethodsThe project comprises interrelated research and implementation designed to achieve the aforementioned specific objectives. The project is organized into 6 core work packages and 5 supporting work packages. The core work packages deal with the implementation of institutional APs in 6 European institutions based on the structural change activation model. The supporting work packages include technical assistance, learning process on RRI-oriented structural change, monitoring and assessment, communication and dissemination, and project management.ResultsThe project is funded by Horizon 2020 and will run for 4 years (May 2016-April 2020). As of June 2018, the initial phase has been completed. The participating institutions have developed and approved APs and commenced their implementation. An observation tool has been launched by the Technical Assistance Team to collect information from the implementation of APs; the Evaluation & Assessment team has started monitoring the advancement of the project. As part of the communication and dissemination strategy, a project website, a Facebook page, and a Twitter account have been launched and are updated periodically. The International Scientific Advisory Committee has been formed to advise on the reporting and dissemination of the project’s results.ConclusionsIn the short term, we anticipate that the project will have a considerable impact on the organizational processes and structures, improving the RRI uptake in the participating institutions. In the medium term, we expect to make RRI-oriented organizational change scalable across Europe by developing guidelines on RRI implementation and an RRI model in biosciences. In the long term, we expect that the project would help increase the ability of research institutions to make discoveries and innovations in better alignment with societal needs and values.Internat...

Understanding the Athena SWAN award scheme for gender equality as a complex social intervention in a complex system: analysis of Silver award action plans in a comparative European perspective

“…The development and implementation of gender equality action plans is a key instrument for promoting structural and cultural change in the European Research Area. Although the European Commission (EC) adopted the structural change approach as late as 2011 [30], efforts have significantly intensified in recent years, particularly following the introduction of the Responsible Research and Innovation approach [31]. 2 A number of multinational European projects focus on the implementation of gender equality action plans tailored to research institutions in a number of European countries producing a substantial knowledge base and establishing a set of best practices.…”

A retrospective analysis of gender parity in scientific authorship in a biomedical research centre

“…Promoting Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is a major strategy of the “Science with and for Society” work programme of the European Union’s (EU) Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation[1]. RRI aims to build capacity and develop innovative ways to connect science to society[2].…”

“…RRI aims to build capacity and develop innovative ways to connect science to society[2]. The RRI approach enables all societal members (such as researchers, citizens, policymakers, businesses and third sector organisations) to work together during the research and innovation process in order to better align research and innovation with the values, needs and expectations of the society[1,2]. The RRI strategy includes the “keys” of public engagement, open access, gender, ethics and science education, and two further “keys”: sustainability and social justice, which have been added recently [3].…”

“…We have focussed on the ‘gender’ element of the RRI because it is imperative to advance gender equality within research institutions, as well as within the design and content of research and innovation[1]. The issue of enhancing female participation in economic decision-making has become prominent in the national, European and international spheres, with a particular focus on the economic dimension of gender diversity[4].…”

Understanding the Athena SWAN award scheme for gender equality as a complex social intervention in a complex system: analysis of Silver award action plans in a comparative European perspective

“…The development and implementation of gender equality action plans is a key instrument for promoting structural and cultural change in the European Research Area. Although the European Commission (EC) adopted the structural change approach as late as in 2011 [21], efforts have significantly intensified in recent years, particularly, following the introduction of the Responsible Research and Innovation approach [22]. 1 A number of multi-national European projects focus on the implementation of gender equality action plans tailored to research institutions in a number of European countries producing a substantial knowledge base and establishing a set of best practices.…”