18.4 Tooard Responsible Research and Innovation RRII)in Synthetic Biology 389potential of SB, it calls for building a new framework for research – a framework
for RRI.
18.4 Toward Responsible Research and Innovation
(RRI) in Synthetic Biology
Implementing the RRI approach into SB can help to address the societal needs
and challenges of the emerging technology. In the roadmap for SB in the United
Kingdom, continuing RRI has been brought up as one of five core themes to
achieve a successful outcome of SB in the United Kingdom [64].
RRI has been defined by the EC as “the comprehensive approach of proceeding
in research and innovation in ways that allow all stakeholders that are involved in
the processes of research and innovation at an early stage (A) to obtain relevant
knowledge on the consequences of the outcomes of their actions and on the
range of options open to them and (B) to effectively evaluate both outcomes and
options in terms of societal needs and moral values and (C) to use these consid-
erations (under A and B) as functional requirements for design and development
of new research, products and services” [65].
Also the RRI approach should “be established as a collective, inclusive and
system-wide approach.” The RRI is considered as “a key pillar in the strategy of
the European Union (EU) to create sustainable, inclusive growth and prosper-
ity and address the societal challenges of Europe and the world” [65]. Its objec-
tive is to address “the ethical concerns and societal needs in research and
innovation,” which can contribute to anchoring research and innovation (in the
normative dimension), help to deliver the targets set out in Europe 2020 strat-
egy (sub stantive dimension), and help to improve research administration
(instruction dimension). In 2012, the EC issued a call for action plan for soci-
etal challenges. And one of the special challenges they aimed for was the RRI in
SB. It reasoned that although SB held many significant promises for the society,
the public was not yet much aware of this nascent field and the associated
regulatory challenges. Thus, “it is essential to establish open dialogue between
stakeholders, to understand public concerns and ensure collaborative shaping
of the field, aligned with societal needs and expectations” [66]. A dedicated
project on RRI in SB has been funded by FP7 to establish an open dialogue
between stakeholders concerning the potential benefits and risks of SB and to
explore the possibilities for its collaborative shaping on the basis of public
participation [67].
It is believed that RRI should be practiced continuously, which will help to
ensure the awareness of potential issues and keep the regulatory frameworks up
to date with progress in the field. SB is a nascent research field and RRI is a rela-
tively new concept. It will, in no doubt, bring both challenges and opportunities
to build an RRI framework for SB. The RRI concept has been promoted by the
EU via funding schemes to encourage researchers from both natural science and
social science to implement the concept into their research projects.
Here, we will review what implications of RRI will bring into the practice of
SB; explore the idea of RRI from several different angles, including engagement,