Science with and for Society

The ‘Science with and for Society’ programme will be instrumental in addressing the European societal challenges tackled by Horizon 2020, building capacities and developing innovative ways of connecting science to society. It will make science more attractive (notably to young people), increase society's appetite for innovation, and open up further research and innovation activities.

It allows all societal actors (researchers, citizens, policy makers, business, third sector organisations etc.) to work together during the whole research and innovation process in order to better align both the process and its outcomes with the values, needs and expectations of European society. This approach to research and innovation is called Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI).

Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI)

RRI is an inclusive approach to research and innovation (R&I), to ensure that societal actors work together during the whole research and innovation process. It aims to better align both the process and outcomes of R&I, with the values, needs and expectations of European society.

In general terms, RRI implies anticipating and assessing potential implications and societal expectations with regard to research and innovation. In practice, RRI consists of designing and implementing R&I policy that will:

• engage society more broadly in its research and innovation activities,
• increase access to scientific results,
• ensure gender equality, in both the research process and research content,
• take into account the ethical dimension, and
• promote formal and informal science education.