Dear GRRIP odyssey companions, We come to the end of the GRRIP project!
Over the past four years, the GRRIP project has worked on embedding sustainable Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) practices in four research performing organisations (RPOs) and one dual-function RPO and research funding organisation (RFO) (total 5 RPOs&RFO) in the marine and maritime sector to achieve institutional and cultural change. These organisations are:
The Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine research and innovation, Ireland
Swansea University, United Kingdom
Institut Universitaire Mer et Littoral (Sea and Littoral Research Institute), France
The Oceanic Platform for the Canary Islands (PLOCAN), Spain
WavEC Offshore Renewables (WavEC), Portugal
Despite the multitude of challenges which are part of organisational change projects, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, GRRIP has been successful in bringing about evidence-based institutional changes in the RRI areas of gender equality (and broader equality, diversity, and inclusion aspects), public engagement, science education, ethics, and open access. All reports from the project will be available on the GRRIP website soon! We take this opportunity to express our heartfelt thanks to you for joining us in this journey, as advisors and participants!
We’re pleased to present the latest edition of the GRRIP Project Newsletter. The Autumn 2022 edition contains:
Foreword by Professor Malcolm Fisk, Professor of Ageing and Digital Health in the Facultyof Computing, Engineering and Media at De Montfort University (page 1).
Interview with Jeremy Gault, formerly Beaufort Operations Manager and MaREI Thematic Lead for Coastal and Marine Systems (pages 2-5).
Partner Profile: MaREI (page 6).
Article by Eric Jensen, looking at stories of RRI implementation (pages 7-8).
Updates on the latest project related events and collaborations (page 9).
We’re pleased to present the latest edition of the GRRIP Project Newsletter. The Summer 2022 edition contains:
Foreword by Alexander Gerber, Full Professor and Programme Chair of Science Communication at Germany’s international Rhine-Waal University, and Research Director at the extramural Institute for Science and Innovation Communication (page 1).
Interview with Dr. Ruth Callaway, Senior Research Officer, Department of Biosciences at Swansea University (pages 2-4).
Partner Profile: Swansea University (page 5).
Article by Dr. Xiaoyue Tan and Prof. Dr. Hub Zwart entitled ‘GRRIP Project – collective reflection through Mutual Learning: a continuous process’ (pages 6-7).
Updates on the latest project related events and collaborations (pages 8-9).
GRRIP consortium members recently travelled to Lisbon to participate in the project’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) and for Mutual Learning sessions.
The two-day event was the first in-person meeting to take place in the project (after the kick off meeting in January 2019). The event was hosted by WavEC.
The event took place at the Museum of the Orient in Lisbon, Portugal, and was designed to be hybrid so that consortium members and participants unable to attend in person could join online.
The AGM was held on Tuesday, May 24. It featured updates on Responsible Research & Innovation (RRI) implementation pertaining to Work Package 7 from Ana Brito e Melo (WavEC), Ruth Callaway (Swansea University), Franck Schoefs (IUML), Silvia Martin (PLOCAN) and Jeremy Gault (MaREI).
It also included an update on monitoring of activities with regard to RRI implementation in the five M&M organisations from Malcom Fisk of De Montfort University and a presentation on the path forward for Deliverable 7.2 by ICORSA’s Eric Jensen.
The remainder of the AGM covered reflection and evaluation of Quadruple Helix (QH) engagement under Work Package 4 by Alex Gerber and Xiaoyue Tan (Erasmus University Rotterdam) and an update on RRI evaluation under Work Package 8, again by Xiaoyue Tan.
UNESCO’S Juliana Chaves-Chaparro, along with Patrizia Grifoni and Fernando Ferri of the National Research Council (Italy) presented their findings and discussed the model proposed for creating a Sustainable Marine & Maritime Community under Work Package 9.
Project Dissemination & Communications Officer Graham Lynch (University College Cork) presented updates on Work Package 2 progress to date as well as planned upcoming activities, before Project Coordinator Gordon Dalton (PLOCAN) brought proceedings to a close with his summary of Project Coordination, Standardisation and Methodology activities under Work Package 1.
Following the AGM, the group attended the offices of WavEC for a tour of the office, where consortium members met with staff and posed for a group photo.
The following day, Wednesday, May 25, the consortium members again met at the Museum of the Orient for the days scheduled Mutual Learning sessions. The event was also attended by GRRIP members virtually along with representatives from a number of other EU funded RRI focused projects.
Topics covered over the course of the session included “Reflections on QH engagement: a mutual learning dialogue” and “Sharing experiences and lessons learned from project implementation” both of which were facilitated by Erasmus University Rotterdam’s Hub Zwart.
A session entitled “Experiences and learnings of RRI implementation with other EU funded projects” sparked a wide-ranging conversation on the merits of RRI, the biggest obstacles faced and the path forward for successful integration of RRI principles in institutions. The session included contributions from Peter Biegelbauer, Mila Grahovac, Lalic Branislava, Erich Griessler, Alexander Gerber, and Penny Haworth: representatives of RRI focused projects Co-Change, NewHoRRIzon, and NUCLEUS. The session was moderated by Indrani Mahapatra, GRRIP’s Project Manager.
The day concluded with a detailed discussion of the potential creation of a sustainable and proactive Marine & Maritime Responsible Research & Innovation (RRI) community within the MARINA platform.
The GRRIP Project would like to sincerely thank WavEC for hosting the consortium in what turned out to be an extremely well-run event. The GRRIP Project now moves forward into its final stages with a completion date of December 2022.
This GRRIP organised workshop took place on Friday, March 25, 2022 and featured a presentation by Dr. Andrew Adams on the topic of ‘Opening up Research and Innovation’.
The session covered a number of RRI-related themes including:
Open data,
Open access,
Open science,
Open knowledge,
Open innovation.
In this session, Dr. Adams presented the philosophical and practical case for opening up research and innovation. He explains what ‘open’ means with regards to papers, data, science, innovation and knowledge and he outlines why researchers and innovators should care to make their work open.
The GRRIP Project was delighted to have Dr Adams agree to present. Dr Adams is eminently qualified to shed some light and share knowledge on the topic of open research and innovation. He is a multi-disciplinary researcher looking at social, legal, and ethical aspects of computer and communications technologies. His expertise is in Privacy and Data Protection, security, e-learning, copyright and freedom of speech. He has been a prominent open science activist for 20 years.
Swansea University has published its report on its multi-stakeholder workshop ‘The Future of Coastal Communities in Swansea and South Wales’.
The workshop, which was held in September 2021, was supported by the EU Horizon 2020 project ‘Grounding Responsible Research and Innovation Practices’ (GRRIP) and the HEFCW funded RWIF Collaboration Booster program.
Swansea University is one of the five Research Performing Organisations and Research Funding Organisations that is currently participating in the GRRIP Project. This workshop supported Swansea University’s aim to co-create the direction of future research and innovation with marine and maritime communities.
During this workshop participants were invited to identify challenges faced by coastal communities and the marine environment, and to suggest new relevant research activities. Attendees included participants from industry and businesses, academia, civil society, policy makers and public authorities.
The results of this workshop improve SU Biosciences’ understanding of stakeholder views and interests and will contribute to future events and closer connection with communities. Insights will influence the direction of the research agenda.
