What are the interests to which science must respond? What role does society play in scientific and technological development? Who decides what and how to investigate? These are some of the issues to which responsible research and innovation (RRI) seeks to respond. Driven by the European Union, RRI claims that the scientific community and society work together to ensure that the processes and results of science respond to the expectations and values of society. In order to advance the development of RRI, a team of researchers from the Universitat Jaume I (UJI) has developed a model of ethical communication of science that claims the importance of communication and dialogue to achieve a responsible science.
The study “La comunicación de la investigación e innovación responsables en las unidades de cultura científica y de la innovación: una propuesta de modelo” (“Communication of responsible research and innovation in the scientific culture and innovation units: a model proposal”) has been supported by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) with the collaboration of the network of scientific culture and innovation units from Spanish universities and research centres. Through this project, the team led by the professor of Ethics Domingo García Marzá and the director of the Communication and Publications Service at the UJI, Francisco Fernández Beltrán, and made up by Rosana Sanahuja, Susana Barberá and Alicia Andrés, has developed a model that shows that proactive information, listening to social demands, dialogue and accountability are fundamental aspects for moving towards a more participatory science aligned with the interests of society.
“Communication is the bridge that links science and ethics,” states García Marzá, explaining that from an ethical perspective “responsible science is able to get the agreement of all stakeholders involved and affected by its activity. It is an abstract definition but, through our studies, it can become an operational definition that can be managed from universities and research centres, with the aim of responding to society when it asks us what are we doing in the field of research and innovation and why are we doing it.”
The model developed has been contrasted with professionals from the scientific culture and innovation units belonging to the FECYT UCC+i Network and representatives of different scientific interest groups, including companies, administrations, the scientific community, communication professionals and civil society, as well as with several experts in the fields of ethics, communication, research and RRI itself. “Surveys, discussion groups and panels with these actors have confirmed the key role of communication for responsible research and innovation,” explains Fernández Beltrán.
The role of scientific culture and innovation units
The questionnaire carried out among the 70 Spanish scientific culture and innovation units reveals their interest in playing an active role in the progress towards responsible research and innovation. Although the current communication of science is mostly based on a traditional model of information on research results, the surveys reflect an increase in bi-directional actions that seek to establish a greater dialogue and interaction between science and society.
The study has also featured discussion groups and a panel of experts highlighting the importance of accessible, open and transparent communication of science, as well as the need to move towards a greater participation of society in research and innovation. However, the actions carried out have also revealed the existence of possible reluctances to give more prominence to the public in the field of science, as well as the difficulty of moving towards a model that represents an important break with the current models of research communication and management.
As a final step, on 30 November 2016 was held the session "Emerging aspects of university social responsibility: responsible research and innovation” in the congress “New perspectives in the management of social responsibility in universities”, within the framework of the project developed by researchers from the GERSE Group of Ethics and Social Responsibility and the UCC+i at the UJI Communication and Publications Service. The project will be closed in January with the publication of two online and open publications: an academic publication that will collect the entire study and an informative book on responsible research and innovation and the role of communication for its development.
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