Stop re-inventing the wheel: or how ELSA and RRI can align

Figures & data

Table 1. Four features of an ELSA approach (Zwart and Nelis 2009).

Four Features of an ELSA Approach
1. Proximity/participation: embeddedness of ELSA research in scientific programmes
2. Anticipate: early anticipation of issues and those responsible for dealing with these issues
3. Interactivity: encourage stakeholders and the public to assume a more active role in co-designing research agendas
4. Interdisciplinarity: to bridge the boundaries between research communities such as bioethics and STS.

Table 2. Four process dimensions outlined in Stilgoe, Owen, and Macnaghten (2013).

Four Process Dimensions in Stilgoe, Owen, and Macnaghten (2013)
1. Anticipation refers to evaluating and identifying potential societal impacts of scientific and technological research. It anticipates uncertainties and their possible outcomes.
2. Reflexivity focuses on the impacts, purposes, and motivations of this research and innovation (R&I) and postulates how society will be affected by different potential outcomes.
3. Inclusion aims to identify and include stakeholders that may be affected by these possible outcomes. It focuses on including diverse perspectives in an attempt to arrive at amenable solutions for these stakeholders.
4. Responsiveness refers to implementing suitable action based on the findings of the other three processual dimensions.

Table 3. ELSA features and RRI process dimensions.

ELSA Features (Zwart and Nelis 2009)	RRI Process Dimensions (Stilgoe, Owen, and Macnaghten 2013)
Anticipation	Anticipation
Interactivity	Inclusion
Participation	Reflexivity
Interdisciplinarity	Responsiveness

Table 4. ELSA-RRI complementary features.

ELSA-RRI Complementarity
1. Ethics and anticipation: ELSA brings ethics back to the centre again, which could benefit RRI. ELSA benefits from RRI by considering ethical aspects as opportunities for responsible design.
2. Inclusion and interactivity: ELSA research benefits from validated RRI approaches for the inclusion of stakeholders in Quadruple Helix Collaborations and the inclusion of economic actors.
3. Participation and Interdisciplinarity: ELSA benefits from RRI in its governance-focused approach to ELSA aspects, incorporate economic and business disciplines, and to identify opportunities for practical responsible R&I. RRI benefits from ELSA by creating greater interdisciplinarity outside of the humanities (i.e. include life science) and realising its academic ideals of interdisciplinarity in practice.
4. Responsiveness: ELSA benefits from RRI by expanding its scope toward innovation (including the private sector), which would have a much greater societal impact than if it only concentrates on public research alone.
5. Solutionism and Negotiation: ELSA can benefit from the negotiation strategy by being more reflexive and adaptable, while RRI can benefit from a more directed and goal-orientated approach, as found within ELSA’s solutionism.

Table 5. ELSA-RRI features.

ELSA-RRI Alignment Features
1. Ethics and anticipation: Identify and evaluate potential societal impacts and purposes of scientific and technological research, their uncertainties and possible outcomes, and those responsible for dealing with these issues.
2. Inclusion and interactivity: Include diverse perspectives from stakeholders that may be affected by a particular course of actions, and attempt to arrive at amenable solutions for these stakeholders.
3. Participation and Interdisciplinarity: Embed ELSA-RRI researchers in scientific programmes and at early stages of scientific and technological R&I. Ensure participation of natural and social scientists and also industry partners. Bridge the boundaries between different research communities throughout the entire process of scientific and technological R&I.
4. Responsiveness: Implement suitable action, which should entail involvement/liaising with relevant stakeholders (e.g. policymakers, industry, research community, and societal actors).
5. Solutionism and negotiation: Focus on the economic, ethical, legal, and societal impacts of R&I and reflection on how society will be affected by different potential outcomes, through a balance of targeted solutions and open negotiation and compromise.

Zwart, H., and A. Nelis. 2009. “What is ELSA Genomics?” EMBO Reports 10 (6): 540–544. doi:10.1038/embor.2009.115

 PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar

Stilgoe, J., R. Owen, and P. Macnaghten. 2013. “Developing a Framework for Responsible Innovation.” Research Policy 42 (9): 1568–1580. doi:10.1016/j.respol.2013.05.008

 Web of Science ®Google Scholar