When should societal engagement take place?
Societal engagement is profitable at any stages in a research and innovation process:
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If done early in the process, when potential applications and users are less evident, engaging citizens can inspire innovation by discussing societal needs, brainstorming on technology’s potential, considering ethical implications and anticipating negative impacts.
- If done at a more advanced stage, closer to commercialisation, engaging citizens can bring forward a more concrete discussion on ethical and societal implications of the product once it will be on the market. The risk is, however, that such discussions focus too much on the user and the product’s functionality, rather than working on a pre-emptive stage.
We recommend, therefore, to bring in societal engagement as early as possible in the innovation process, when the larger perspective can be discussed and subsequently the appropriate decisions and measures can be taken.
Planning the event
Societal engagement requires a generous amount of time to plan and to organise. In particular, the recruitment process can be challenging and time intensive. Participatory processes demand a high degree of anticipation and flexibility to react to unexpected issues that can occur at any time. We therefore recommend starting several months in advance and making sure to take time for all the steps outlined in this guide. Understanding the rationale and setting clear goals will prove beneficial to a successful outcome from the event itself. It is furthermore crucial to put time aside after the event, to analyse the outcome(s) and implement them within the innovation plan.
The event day and time should consider your target audience’s availability. If you are inviting citizens, it is best to organise the event in the after-hours or the weekend. If you are targeting societal actors who are actively engaged in an organisation, the event could fall within their standard meeting time, if agreed with the representatives.
Steps before, during and after the event
Preparation before the event:
- Define a clear goal and outcome for your event.
- Decide on your target group, and size, that you need to achieve this goal.
- Do the outreach and recruitment to invite people.
- Decide on the location and book it, prepare the space and arrange catering.
- Based on the goal and (number of) participants, choose the most relevant method.
- Decide on the number of facilitators, depending on the number of participants. It is good to have one facilitator per group of 7 participants.
- Consider having a note-taker and a photographer present at the workshop.
- Prepare a clear introduction for the workshop including personal introduction(s), larger mission, goal of workshop.
- Make the programme for the event, both a detailed one for the organisers and a short one for the participants.
- Always bring the following materials with you: a notepad, paper, pens and markers (enough for all participants), post-its.
Important steps during the event:
- Start every workshop with an icebreaker for the participants to feel at ease.
- Invite discussions through stimulating questions, rather than by educating or informing people.
- Do things actively rather than taking a philosophical approach.
- Clarify how the insights will lead to tangible outcomes.
- At the end of the workshop, summarise or conclude the meeting and tell the participants what the next steps will be.
To do after the event:
- Follow up with the participants with a ‘thank you’ and further information, and ask for feedback.
- Evaluate the event and analyse the feedback in order to improve future events.
- Analyse the outcomes and decide how to use the outcomes further.
The Guide towards Responsible Tech Innovation using Societal Engagement has been created as part of the EU funded SocKETs project, which aims to align innovative technologies with citizens’ needs and values through societal engagement.
This 3-year project has been managed by 10 partners from 8 European countries.
This guide and its contents reflect only their authors' view. The Research Executive Agency and the European Commission are not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained herein.
The SocKETs project (Societal Engagement with Key Enabling Technologies) has received funding from the European Union´s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation under grant agreement no.958277.
The Tech Industry’s Guide has been created as part of the EU-funded SocKETs project, which aims to align innovative technologies with citizens’ needs and values through societal engagement.
This 3-year project has been managed by 10 partners from 8 European countries.
This guide and its contents reflect only their authors' view. The Research Executive Agency and the European Commission are not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained herein.
The SocKETs project (Societal Engagement with Key Enabling Technologies) has received funding from the European Union´s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation under grant agreement no.958277.