The Approach of the Business Sector to Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI)

Abstract

This paper focuses on attitudes towards responsible research and innovation (RRI) and the approaches of business organizations, in that this emerging concept anticipates and assesses the various effects of research and innovation practice. The importance of this issue is highlighted by recent scandals in the automotive industry (and elsewhere). Much of our attention is devoted to corporate responsibility in the fields of research and innovation — an important value that goes beyond research. Our investigation was based on 27 case studies relating to companies from 14 European countries. The selection criteria went beyond those used most frequently in RRI studies, covering fields wider than emerging techno-sciences.

This explorative research makes it easier to comprehend the feasibility and importance of empirical research. This feasibility study is a first step in obtaining relevant knowledge about the progress of European companies moving towards responsible research and innovation. The cases investigated show the existing dimensions and mechanisms of RRI in creating and identifying the barriers hindering RRI. The analysis has shown that RRI is little known as a comprehensive concept in companies, but many address RRI topics under other concepts such as CSR or sustainability. Altogether, several features of RRI are well covered by large European companies, and differences in business RRI activities and their scope may be explained by variations in the character of the entities concerned (size, owner-ship, industry). The novelty of this paper lies in its investigation into the business practices of RRI, not only as a whole, but by opening up ‘the black box’ to see which elements are more mature and which need further improvement. It also uniquely illustrates how different business characteristics influence the treatment of various RRI dimensions.