Responsible research and innovation: hopes and fears in the scientific community in Europe

We conducted interviews among some 80 researchers and research executives on their understanding of and their attitudes toward ‘Responsible Research and Innovation’ (RRI). The relevant notion of RRI concerns granting influence on research projects to the general public and stakeholders (‘science with society’), for one, or focusing research on the common good (‘science for society’), for another. We identified a welcoming attitude regarding RRI in the scientific community, but also worries that should be heeded in any effort to implement RRI. Concerns arise with respect to fears of ignorance and bias of societal agents, the loss of the autonomy of science, the neglect of basic research by RRI procedures, the difficulty to anticipate research outcomes and their social impact as well as the additional expenditure required by engaging with societal actors. Such worries provide information about obstacles in the scientific community and thus suggest ways of structuring acceptable RRI schemes.