Though, a loose connection between research and society may have a wide range of consequences:

• From being socially isolated and not properly addressing societal challenges
• To being ethically contested
• Not supported by citizens
• Public authorities or economic players

Responsible Research and Innovation, RRI, is an overarching policy strategy which aims to increase the intensity and the quality of the interactions between scientific research and society, so that research and innovation meet the values, needs and expectations of society in the best way possible. It is worth stressing that the so-called 5 RRI keys (Public Engagement, Gender, Ethics, Education, Open Access) help to focus on these issues (see the STARBIOS2 Guidelines).

Research is responsible, many institutions have already set rules regarding gender, ethics or open access to scientific results. The European Commission has made RRI one of the underlying cross-cutting issues of its Horizon 2020 programme in order to enhance this trend and strengthen the societal impact of research.

Therefore, Responsible Research and Innovation is a new approach to reinforcing openness in science to create better acceptance of research and innovation, better respond to societal needs, to attract future scientists.

For more information and resources related to RRI