Since the turn of the century, engagement of citizens and societal actors in science and technology has been an issue of rapidly increasing academic and societal importance. Citizen and societal actors engagement comes in many shapes and responds to different objectives, ranging from consultative exercises involving users in local technology development to cross-European or even global deliberative exercises. In addition to institutionalized and invited forms of consultation, participation and engagement of the public in decision making about emerging technologies and their applications, citizens have in the recent past also become part of the innovation and increasingly the research effort itself. Movements such as do-it-yourself science or concepts such as open innovation or community based-innovation are part of a emerging trend in research and innovation. Engagement of citizens and societal actors can be considered as a means for aligning research and innovation activities with societal needs and demands, and for ensuring an open, reflective, and accessible discussion about desirable futures and how research and innovation contributes to them. Public engagement activities inspire models of how the scientific community can best contribute to productive exchanges with society.

MARTINHO GUIMARAES PIRES PEREIRA Angela;  GHEZZI Alessia;  VESNIC ALUJEVIC Lucia; 

2016-01-11

Publications Office of the European Union

JRC96604

978-92-79-52761-6,   

1831-9424,   

EUR 27532,    OP LB-NA-27532-EN-N,   

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC96604,   

10.2788/330693,