Doing right or doing good: lessons learned from retrospective and prospective RRI practices

ETHNA System Project – Deliverable D2.4: Scientific article on the implementation of RRI

The ETHNA project aims to develop a governance structure (ETHNA, 2021) that can contribute to ensuring that research and innovation processes are responsible, in the sense of being ethically acceptable and socially desirable. In this article, we analyze the implementation of responsible research and innovation (RRI) in research and innovation (R&I) in Higher Education, Funding and Research Centres (HEFRCs). We discuss the pros and cons of retrospective and prospective approaches to RRI, considering good examples of both kinds of RRI practices in HEFRCs in Europe. The analysis is based on findings from a review of the RRI literature, with a particular focus on the governance of research and innovation processes, and interviews with 22 European-based experts on R&I governance in the area of RRI, or RRI-related topics. The article is based on the ETHNA report on state of the art and best practices (Moan et al. 2021) and is suitable as a book chapter in anthologies on ethics governance systems for RRI in Higher Education, Funding and Research Centres.