Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - PROSO (Promoting societal engagement under the terms of RRI)

Teaser

PROSO is a 26-months European Commission-funded project under Horizon 2020 that aimed at fostering societal engagement in the research and innovation (R&I) systems of the European Union (EU). In the policy context of the EU, Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) calls for...

Summary

PROSO is a 26-months European Commission-funded project under Horizon 2020 that aimed at fostering societal engagement in the research and innovation (R&I) systems of the European Union (EU). In the policy context of the EU, Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) calls for the engagement of societal actors in R&I.

Work performed

The MAIN OUTCOME of PROSO research is a “Support Tool for promoting engagement of citizens and third sector actors in research and in research and innovation policy”. PROSO identified citizens and third sector actors as two different target groups of RRI’s vision of societal engagement in R&I. The document offers information and inspiration to develop policies and practices that encourage the engagement of these target groups in publicly-funded research and in research and innovation policy in the EU. In that sense it is a support tool for putting RRI into practice. The policies and practices set out in the Support Tool are options to address six central barriers to the engagement of citizens and third sector actors that PROSO research identified.
The Engagement Support Tool and its selection of barriers and policy and practice options build on the results of: a comprehensive literature review; research into the views of third sector actors and other relevant actors (nine case studies in three R&I domains, 60 interviews) and the views of citizens (national citizen panels in five European countries, 90 citizens) on engagement with research-related activities; the feedback and input of representatives of PROSO’s main target groups and researchers in the research areas of RRI and societal engagement on draft policy and practice options (one feedback conference, three expert workshops, around 70 stakeholders).

CONCLUSION OF THE PROJECT
Lack of relevance, lack of impact, lack of trust and critical views of others, lack of knowledge and skills, lack of time and finances, and lack of legitimacy are key barriers to the engagement of citizens and third sector actors in publicly-funded research and in research and innovation policy. Giving more weight to citizens and third sector actors in research-related activities requires that different types of actors (further) develop policies and practices to create supportive conditions for engagement; the policies also make changes happen in wider structures, e.g. in the ways the scientific community organizes and perceives itself; all actors understand that engaging society for RRI is not a short-term initiative but a long-term project that requires short-term, as well as medium- and long-term actions.

PROSO outcomes were DISSEMINATED through:
Targeted mailing of digital and printed copies of the Engagement Support Tool
Two European multi-actor conferences: “Engaging Society for Responsible Research and Innovation: New Options to Move Forward” (feedback conference, 19.06.2017, Brussels, Belgium) and “Empowering Societal Actors Through RRI” (final dissemination conference, 19.02.2018, Brussels, Belgium)
Three expert workshops: “Contemporary Experiences with Societal Engagement under RRI” (11.05.2016, Vienna, Austria), “Policy and Practice Options for Fostering Citizen Engagement in Research and Innovation – Moving towards Responsible Research and Innovation” (1.-2.12.2016, Sofia, Bulgaria); “Policies for Reducing Barriers to Societal Engagement in Research and Innovation” (16.11.2017, Frankfurt am Main, Germany)
Scientific presentations: PROSO was promoted at about 20 scientific conferences which included intensive exchanges with (completed and ongoing) partner projects on RRI and societal engagement, many of those concerned with PROSO’s three example R&I domains. Examples of conferences at which PROSO results were presented are: CommBizz Bioeconomy Impact – The Journey to Innovation, UK; European Public Health Conference, Sweden; BSA Food Studies Conference, UK; ECSITE Annual Conference, Portugal; 3rd European Technology Assessment Conference, Ireland; 4S Annual Meeting of the Society of Social Studies of Science, US; 4S/EASST Conference, Spain; 8th Annual S.Net Meeting, Norway
Further presentations: e.g., at the European Researchers’ Night in Ruse, Bulgaria, the annual exchange of experiences on Horizon 2020 organized by the EU-office of the German Fed

Final results

PROSO key results (the Support Tool) have been co-produced and comprehensively shared with those actors that can contribute to lowering barriers to the engagement of societal actors in R&I. The Support Tool has generated a pathway to impact in terms of facilitating engagement of third sector actors and citizens in research-related activities. It can support, elaborate and expand pioneering societal engagement activities in the fields of nanotechnology, synthetic biology, and food and health (the example R&I domains of PROSO’s empirical research), and further R&I domains. This will contribute to ensuring that R&I and their outcomes are better targeted at societal needs, enriched by social knowledge, and less contested in society, and that citizens and third sector actors can be empowered by access to knowledge and co-creation of knowledge.

Website & more info

More info: http://www.proso-project.eu.