Responsible innovation, transitions, and biodiversity

Overall, the “Responsible Innovation, Transitions, and Biodiversity” focus area addresses the training needs of research team members, students, and stakeholders involved in responsible innovation by assessing impacts and benefits/risks. It also facilitates the transition from research to market-ready projects by integrating responsible innovation tools and methods into these processes.

By questioning and supporting the evolution of research approaches, evaluation criteria, and tools to guide research towards sustainability, this focus area aims to promote mechanisms that enable the evaluation of the effectiveness of responsible innovation approaches.

The four themes of this focus area address responsible research and innovation as well as biodiversity issues in order to respond to the challenges of ecological transition.

1. The first theme examines the frameworks, theoretical, conceptual, and methodological approaches used to conceptualize responsible innovation. It explores the foundations of RRI by integrating the concepts of regulation, benefits, risks, and governance. It examines ethics, impact issues, and ecological transition, with an emphasis on biodiversity protection.
2. The second theme analyzes the role of data and digital technologies in promoting sustainable development. It addresses topics such as technological sobriety, digital frugality, sovereignty, and the impact of data life cycles and environmental observation on a global scale.
3. The third theme aims to examine socio-economic models in relation to science and industry that seek to promote responsible research. This area addresses eco-design, research evaluation (including aspects such as TRL, SRL, and degrowth), and the relationships between researchers and engineers, integrating the principles of circular economy and responsible design from the outset.
4. The fourth theme emphasizes open and participatory approaches, involving methodologies that promote dialogue between disciplines, territories, and their stakeholders. It incorporates participatory governance tools, narratives for a sustainable future (design fiction), art-science-society relationships, as well as educational and training issues, while promoting local and indigenous perspectives.