Risk governance and 'responsible research and innovation' can be mutually supportive

Abstract

Risk governance (RG) is concerned with processes and principles to improve the management of risk. When implemented to deal with risks from new technologies, it must also contribute to enhancing innovation, rather than constraining it, in such a way that innovation itself can also contribute to reducing risks. To increase its relevance to some of the challenges that managers face, RG must constantly adapt to the objectives and priorities of organisations, as well as their supporting values. One of these priorities in Europe and elsewhere is that organisations develop research and innovation in a way that is 'responsible'. Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is thus defined by the European Commission Horizon 2020 programme as ‘an approach that anticipates and assesses potential implications and societal expectations with regard to research and innovation, with the aim to foster the design of inclusive and sustainable research and innovation’. This article addresses the difficulties of implementing RRI principles in the practice and suggests that an analogy can be made between processes in place for RG and processes that could be developed for RRI. It further suggests that RG could be used to support the development of RRI. The practice of RG can offer relevant ways to assess and manage RRI and provide guidance for the development of procedural and normative RRI. Embedding RRI in practice is a challenge that requires considerations at the organisational and individual level. This article concludes by suggesting questions that researchers can consider to ensure that their work is in line with expectations from both effective RG and RRI.