New standard for “Responsibility by design”

How can we ensure that innovations meet societal needs and find a broad consensus within society? Together with European partners and experts, ITAS has developed guidelines for research and business strategies to innovate responsibly.

Menschenmenge überquert eine Straße — Focus on society: The newly developed guidelines help fostering social value when it comes to innovations. (Source: Ryoji Iwata / Unsplash)

Entwurf einer Roadmap als zentrales Element des neuen europäischen Standards — Roadmap template as key element of the new European standard. (Source: CWA 17796:2021)

“By establishing the new standard, we try to help companies in Europe to achieve socially desirable outcomes from their innovation processes,” explains Maria João Maia. The ITAS researcher has collaborated for several years with colleagues from all over Europe on responsible research and innovation (RRI). The work and experience of the PRISMA project now culminated in the new European Standard CWA 17796:2021.

The document has been developed in a workshop with a transdisciplinary group of experts, coming from research, industry, politics, and civil society organizations and under the leadership of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN). It helps all companies and scientific institutions to develop long-term strategies (Roadmaps) to foster social value in their innovation activities. “What we encourage is a ‘responsibility-by-design’ approach that helps to integrate considerations of technical, ethical, social, environmental, and economic aspects of an innovation,” stresses Maria João Maia. (03.12.2021)

Further links and information:

PRISMA project page on the ITAS website
Standard: CWA 17796:2021 - Responsibility-by-design - Guidelines to develop long-term strategies (roadmaps) to innovate responsibly