GROUNDING RRI PRACTICES
IN RESEARCH PERFORMING ORGANISATIONS
(GRRIP) PROJECT

We have worked on creating a sustainable, growing and proactive marine and maritime RRI community. The purpose of the GRRIP project was to deliver a practical RRI framework for implementing institutional and cultural change in marine and maritime research organisations.

EUROPEAN COMMISSION HORIZON 2020 COORDINATION AND SUPPORT ACTION (2018-2022)

Why GRRIP?

The marine and maritime (M&M) sector has a high priority for the EU. However, this research sector is one of the most exposed to a risk of the loose connection between scientific research, societal actors and the environment, affecting its performance and competitiveness. Growth in Europe’s maritime economy (often referred to as the Blue Economy), has the potential to meet pressing needs for energy, food and economic growth.

Much work has been done on the concept RRI by EU projects in the 2000’s. However, the bulk of the projects relating to institutional change for RPO&RFOs have focused on one of the five keys individually. Relatively few have focused on the current Topic’s aim of Grounding RRI practices in the RPO&RFOs themselves as part of an integrated approach.

Five Research Organisations:

Achieving institutional and cultural change

GRRIP worked on embedding sustainable Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI practices) in 4 research performing organizations (RPO) and 1 dual-function RPO and research funding organization (RPO/RFO) in the marine and maritime sectors to achieve institutional and cultural change. The project aimed to bring institutional and cultural change within these 5 RPO&RFO entities through the implementation of RRI practices.

THE 5 RPO & RFO INVOLVED IN GRRIP

GRRIP OBJECTIVES

Co-develop, implement and evaluate self-tailored RRI Action Plans (AP) to enable institutional and cultural change processes for the 5 Marine and Maritime (M&M) research performing organisations and research funding organisations (RPO&RFO) to embed RRI in their governance frameworks, structures and cultures.

Establish structures to facilitate, promote and maximise real sustainable engagement with, and input from, the Quadruple Helix (QH) (industry, societal actors, policy and other RPO&RFOs)GRRIP will pay particular attention to societal actors (often referred to as citizens, public, society, civil society organisations).

Establish indicators and methodology for impartial Monitoring, Reflection and Evaluation cycles. Objective 3 will provide formative and summative Evaluation producing Cross-Fertilisation and Trans-disciplinary foresight. Objective 3 will ensure provision of evidence of societal, democratic, economic and scientific impacts of institutional changes.

Develop a Mutual Learning process across the M&M RPO&RFOs both during the institutional and cultural change project and the ongoing evaluation feedback loop cycles, using participatory methods.

Legacy: To enable more M&M RPO&RFOs to ground RRI practices through institutional and cultural changes by a) creating a practical user-friendly RRI AP framework template and guidelines, and b) launching an M&M RRI community.

Examine how an RFO can positively influence and encourage an RPO towards RRI via its funding policy and interaction. This will be explored via a case study.

Why institutional and cultural change?

During the 2000s, much work has been done on the concept of responsible research and innovation supported by EU projects. However, most of the projects related to institutional change of research organizations (RPOs) and research funding organizations (RFOs) focused on one of the five keys individually. Relatively few of them focused on establishing responsible research and innovation practices in these organisations, as part of an integrated approach.

WHAT IS RESPONSIBLE RESEARCH & INNOVATION?

THE 6 KEY DIMENSIONS

ETHICS

Ethics is an integral part of research from the beginning to the end. It is only by getting the ethics right that research excellence can be achieved.

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

Activities that strengthen the collaboration with societal actors during the research process to align science to society’s values, needs and expectations.

SCIENCE EDUCATION

Efforts that are being made to educate citizens and equip them with scientific knowledge so that they can participate in the debate on research and innovation.

GENDER EQUALITY

Endeavours on working against the underrepresentation of women in science and gender inequalities within organisations and in performing research.

OPEN ACCESS & DATA

Research results and data shall be available for free to the public and other researchers so that they can be re-used, reviewed and replicated.

GOVERNANCE

Governance affects all other key dimensions of RRI and is concerned about how knowledge is created and disseminated.

PROJECT PARTNERS

This project has received funding from the European Union’s European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement 820283.
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.