Responsible Innovation and Public Engagement in Science
Summary
Responsible innovation and public engagement in science seek to align research trajectories with societal values, needs and concerns by embedding ethical reflection, stakeholder participation and adaptive governance throughout the innovation process. This approach rests on anticipating potential impacts of emerging technologies, reflecting on underlying purposes and assumptions, involving diverse publics and responding to emerging societal feedback. By foregrounding inclusivity and transparency, it aims to build trust, enhance legitimacy and ensure that science and technology contribute to equitable and sustainable outcomes at local, national and global scales. Practical applications range from community-led deliberations on gene-editing initiatives to collaborative horizon-scanning exercises for climate interventions, illustrating how anticipatory practices and two-way communication can shape research agendas and policy frameworks.
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Responsible Innovation and Public Engagement in Science publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in responsible innovation and public engagement in science across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Anticipatory Ethics for Emerging Technologies (ATE): A structured approach to foresee and evaluate ethical, legal and social impacts of new technologies before they become entrenched in society.
Reflexivity: Ongoing critical examination of the assumptions, values and potential consequences that underlie research practices and innovation trajectories.
Stakeholder Engagement: Inclusive processes that bring together diverse actors—such as policymakers, industry, civil society and lay publics—to deliberate on research goals, risks and societal priorities.
Socio-technical System: An integrated ensemble of social, organisational and technical elements whose interactions shape technology adoption and societal outcomes.
References
- From speculation to reality: Enhancing anticipatory ethics for emerging technologies (ATE) in practice. Technology in Society (2023).
- Implementing responsible research and innovation and sustainability assessment in research projects: A framework and application. Research Policy (2025).
- Justifying AI regulation: Examining multi-stakeholder responses to the AI Act. Telematics and Informatics (2025).
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