On responsible research and innovation – an old concconcept clad in new clothes

A fast evolution of science and technology often raises controversies. Numerous cases of research results which had been questioned or rejected by public opinion have clearly demonstrated that public concerns can be neither ignored nor reduced to the question of risk. Science no longer enjoys a special status and society is getting more and more concerned about the purposes and motivations of research, and demands to be included in the decision making process on research agenda. The article presents a concept of Responsible Research and Innovation – its roots and potential to address the problem of (a lack of) legitimacy without doing harm to research. The author points also that the concept of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) raises a lot of controversies. It looks like yet another attempt to manage science and to steer it more towards politically defined goals. Although it calls for public opinion to be more involved in setting agenda for research, it does not explain clearly how this involvement should actually be organized to be labelled “responsible”. When analysed in depth, RRI appears to be quite complicated as it defines responsible research and innovation both through their outcomes and through a set of requirements that research and innovation processes should fulfil. Finally, it causes confusion since it gathers too many differing aspects of research and innovation-related activities under the same roof