GENERAL ARTICLES

Different contexts, different approaches to RRI. In this blog post, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) node in Cape Town describes their STARBIOS2 RRI approach. Find our more about the ICGEB approach in their chapter of the STARBIOS2 guideline. Main challenges In the busy and multi-dimensional schedule of a scientific institute, finding time to engage with the public is a challenge. Restructuring roles within the institute to have a dedicated person at the ICGEB Cape Town component, responsible for our communication and public engagement activities has resulted in increased public engagement. Focus on Public Engagement Contributing to a vibrant scientific community and disseminating knowledge and enthusiasm for science to the public are concepts integral to the ICGEB mission. Action plans in action ICGEB is actively engaged in disseminating science to the public. Our scientists, staff and students volunteer to participate in science fairs and events and to support local, national and international outreach activities, thereby enriching our work, deepening our contribution to the wider society, and aligning our mission to our environment. ICGEB also promotes public engagement and communicates science through the ‘Science & the City’ series. Lessons, meetings, courses and seminars organised by ICGEB are distributed freely through podcasts and on iTunes U, Apple’s digital platform. Collections cover topics from cancer research to stem cells, from basic molecular biology to cardiovascular diseases. Each month, over 11,000 users preview and download ICGEB’s scientific Films in over 80 countries worldwide. The ICGEB Cape Town Component will be launching Science …

What does RRI look like at the youngest public university in Slovenia? And more specifically, in biodiversity? Find out below, where the STARBIOS2 team at University of Primorska share their experiences. Read more about it in our guideline. Main challenges The University of Primorska (UP) is the youngest public university in Slovenia. Therefore, at the beginning of the STARBIOS2 project, the connection between the university, the researchers and the local community was weak. Moreover, the concept of responsible science was not yet fully established in everyday research and academic work. There were several challenges to overcome, for example, there was no formal RRI training included in BSc and MSc programmes. There was also a lack of understanding of open access among scientists, and we did not have any official document, such as a code of conduct, covering ethically sensitive work in conservation biology. Engagement and open access We have focused our activities on public engagement. Through the action plan, the STARBIOS2 team was able to increase awareness of biological scientific research in the local area by organising various events. We also worked to increase the participation of different stakeholders in the activities of the faculty. The aim of our activities was to increase acceptance and make different applications of life science research more understandable for end-users and the general public. In particular, the organisation of events on the “Growing UP in the Universe” helped to strengthen the link with local actors. Indirect activities, such as meetings with stakeholders from industry, …

RRI implementation needs different approaches in different contexts. The STARBIOS2 guidelines offer many examples of this. Based in Sofia, Bulgaria, and with expertice in plant science, this is an overview of Agrobioinstitute’s experiences implementing RRI. Main challenges The main challenge was related to the fact that we promoted structural change by developing a new structure: The Plant biotechnology Information Center (PBIC). In this new structure, the STARBIIOS2 project’s core team took on a double role, making science and promoting RRI in science at the same time! Focus on Full RRI package The PBIC was established as a focal point and to serve as the engine for all RRI activities of the Agrobioinstitute, both internal activities and our outreach. We decided to develop activities to cover all RRI keys: Public engagement, gender, open access, science education, and ethics. Overcoming obstacles There was a lack or limited experience in RRI activities, both within the ABI team and in the Bulgarian scientific society as a whole. We also needed to deal with a deep societal distrust to modern plant biotechnology approaches. Furthermore, both young people, and a predominant part of the educational system, seem to lack interest in plant science, which hampered active networking with schools and universities. In addition, we had difficulties convincing scientists to communicate with the public, and the response from public institutions and administration was slow, and sometimes a bit “clumsy”. Another major obstacle that plant bioscientists need to navigate is related to public distrust, and prejudice about GMOs …

We regret to announce that the STARBIOS2 Cape Town workshop scheduled for 16-17 March 2020 has been cancelled due to the corona virus outbreak. More information will follow. Should you have any questions, please contact Mariet Wium (), or Claudia Russo () at ICGEB Cape Town.

Two large organisations unite to achieve structural change towards responsible bioscience. This is the story of how University of Oxford and NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre implemented RRI, with a special focus on gender equity, in bioscience research institutions that already subscribed to the RRI concept. Main challenges Achieving structural change in a very large organization with comparatively small resources relative to the size of the organization. Aligning our activities under the RRI banner with many other similar activities driven by different actors under different banners. Address all five RRI keys simultaneously with limited resources and time. Focus on Gender We focused on gender because it was tied into the objectives of our organisation under the remit of our funder – the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR). The drive to develop and implement Athena SWAN gender equality action plans in our organisation provided an opportunity to make a valuable contribution to the ongoing activities. The project catalysed change by aligning its objectives with the objectives of Athena SWAN. The most significant example of structural change has been benchmarking gender as part of the organisational performance metrics. Overcoming obstacles Given that activities pertaining to all five RRI keys were already well established in our organization before the project, we did not have to convince internal stakeholders of their value. Our main obstacle was to develop enough capacity to catalyse change because the work packages were ambitious and lacked sufficient resources to achieve change at scale. We overcame this obstacle by …

The University of Gdansk started their STARBIOS2 journey with a set of pilot actions, already planned for bigger things. Deciding to focus on the RRI key of gender, they managed to obtain structural changes on the institution-wide level with united efforts of a complex project team consisting of members of different faculties and units passionate about introducing long-term changes. Main challenges For all key areas of RRI, including gender, the main challenges arose from the fact that STARBIOS2 activities at the University of Gdańsk (UG) were planned as pilot actions for the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdańsk and the Medical University of Gdańsk (IFB). With the aim to test internally, and later on transmit these actions as a trigger for change to other bioscience-related faculties, and even further onto the university wide-level. Focus on Gender Our focus on gender was intersectional as it overlaps with other important roles women and men undertake. We considered gender of the researcher, student, the management level in the institution and role-models.  This meant we investigated the needs for support in career development. We also considered the number of male and female staff at IFB, and the different obstacles to research careers that might result from gender stereotypes. We stressed the fact that teaching curricula should be designed so as to give equal chances for both men and women. This includes developing an understanding of the meaning of tailored training in leadership skills. In addition, we promoted role models of both male …

The STARBIOS2 guidelines on implementing responsible research and innovation have been picked up by RRI Tools and are now included in their toolkit. Follow the link below for practical guidance, inspiring cases and experiences, as well as materials, methods and tools! We are also looking forward to our final event, where we will present the guidelines in detail and discuss with stakeholders. Join us in Brussels 27-28 April! Learn more and register for the STARBIOS2 final event. STARBIOS2 is also organising a workshop in Cape Town, South Africa in March titled “The African and European Experience in Responsible Research and Open Science in Health and Biosciences: Towards a Common Vision?” Get a sneak peek on what we will be talking about in Brussels and Cape Town by downloading our guideline from RRI Tools. The guidelines aim to help readers formalize and trigger structural change aimed at introducing RRI-related practices that are appropriate to their own organisations. The  Guidelines are not a series of prescriptions, but an itinerary of reflection and self-interpretation that is addressed to different actors within the Biosciences. From the RRI Tools summary about the guideline The guidelines aim to help readers formalize and trigger structural change aimed at introducing RRI-related practices that are appropriate to their own organisations. The  Guidelines are not a series of prescriptions, but an itinerary of reflection and self-interpretation that is addressed to different actors within the Biosciences. To support this itinerary of reflection and self-interpretation, the document provides (i) a description of a general RRI Model for research …

The STARBIOS2 project has developed a model for how to promote the practice of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) in bioscience research institutions. We have published a guideline document based on lessons learned. We now offer an introductory training on RRI in the biosciences and how to achieve structural change. We welcome you to two webinars with the practical experience of organisations that have implemented RRI action plans in focus. The guideline document is available for download. For those of you who prefer interaction, we have developed training on our model. We offer two webinars on two separate occasions. Each of the webinars will last about one hour and includes both presentations and time for discussion. In the first webinar, we present the STARBIOS2 project, what we did and why. We offer an outline of the model for RRI action that we developed based on the experiences form STARBIOS2 partners. We also share with you how bioscience research organisations outside Europe are practicing RRI, and how they have used the STARBIOS2 model. In the second webinar, we present the process of structural change towards RRI. Here, you will learn what kinds of RRI action has been carried out by European STARBOIS2 partners. More information and registration What is RRI and the challenges of its practice in the Biosciences Presentations prepared by: Andrea Declich, University of Rome Tor Vergata (Italy) Maria Salvato, University of Maryland (USA) Mariet Wium, ICGEB (South Africa) Doris Elster, Julia Birkholz University of Bremen (Germany) 20 January, …

The STARBIOS2 consortium will present results at a final event organised in collaboration with the European Association of Development Agencies (EURADA), at their offices on 24 Rue Montoyer, Brussels on 27-28 April 2020. The meeting starts after lunch on 27 April, and before lunch on 28 April. What are the conditions for responsible research and innovation (RRI) in different research fields and geographical contexts? Join us in Brussels 27-28 April 2020 to discuss current changes in science as a whole and the social phenomena that challenge science. Science and society relations are changing. At the STARBIOS2 final event in Brussels, we present the main results from STARBIOS2: our model and guideline for implementing RRI in bioscience research organisations. Launching indications for European policies and networking about the governance of science/society relations in different research fields and geographical contexts. Want to join us? Register here!

How does science communicate results to society? What strategies can recover the distance between science and civil society and at the same time guarantee adequate scientific information? Today, Responsible bioscience, a new association born at University of Rome “Tor Vergata” during the STARBIOS2 project, organises a public conference on the topic of disseminating science locally. This text was originally published on the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” website (in Italian). On December 18, university professors and researchers at University of Rome “Tor Vergata” meet with operators of the local social services and public entities, parent-school associations, medical specialists in childhood and adolescence, school teachers, and other stakeholders, to discuss responsible dissemination of science. The conference will raise issues that are in the public debate, like prevention of infectious diseases (including sexually transmitted diseases), vaccines, and various forms of substance dependence. The event is organised by the Laboratory of Ethnographic Practices (LaPe) at the Department of Cultural Heritage and Training History and Society at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” and by the Responsible in Bioscience Association, Department of Biology, at the same university. The initiative is a collaboration with STARBIOS2. The Frascati Scienza, G.eco, Grande come una città, Scienza Insieme, and ScienzaPop associations will also be taking part in the event. They are all committed to creating opportunities for citizens and institutions to meet and discuss topics related to science. And they are active promoters of scientific dissemination, for example through workshops for children and young people. Speakers include, among …