International Handbook on Responsible Innovation

A Global Resource

Edited by René von Schomberg, Directorate General for Research and Innovation, European Commission, Belgium and Guest Professor ,Technical University Darmstadt, Germany and Jonathan Hankins, The Bassetti Foundation, Italy

The Handbook constitutes a global resource for the fast growing interdisciplinary research and policy communities addressing the challenge of driving innovation towards socially desirable outcomes. This book brings together well-known authors from the US, Europe and Asia who develop conceptual and regional perspectives on responsible innovation as well as exploring the prospects for further implementation of responsible innovation in emerging technological practices ranging from agriculture and medicine, to nanotechnology and robotics. The emphasis is on the socio-economic and normative dimensions of innovation including issues of social risk and sustainability.

‘The International Handbook on Responsible Innovation – a Global Resource does what it says on the tin: it is a true reference source that provides both facts about Responsible Innovation (RI) and examples of its implementation in a number of different cultural settings.’
– Steffi Friedrichs, NanoEthics: Studies of New and Emerging Technologies

‘The Handbook covers an impressive range of topics and approaches, and its more theoretical aspects help to situate 'responsibility' as an approach to practical ethics in technological development, without codifying it into a solid object or tick box formula; above all the Handbook demonstrates the complicated, contextual nature of RRI/RI.’
– Stevienna de Saille, Science and Engineering Ethics

“很大,essential, and very highly recommended contribution to college and university library Social/Political Studies collections.’
– Micah Andrew, Midwest Book Review

75年后的空前的commitment to untethered scientific and technological advance by the state and industry alike, humanity stands on the threshold of advances in human germline engineering, geoengineering of the Earth’s climate, quantum computing, and applications of artificial intelligence that will accelerate our technological capabilities well beyond any capacity to steer them toward greater human benefit and away from greater harm. Racing against this momentum, and the trillions of dollars that support it, have been a relatively small international community of visionary scholars and practitioners who cumulatively have developed the principles, concepts, and tools for assuring the wise and socially accountable governance of technology: responsible innovation. These ideas are neither radical nor utopian; indeed, they are practicable and increasingly well-tested. The International Handbook on Responsible Innovation is thus a guidebook for a shift in stance toward collective accountability for the products and consequences of our own ingenuity.’
– Daniel Sarewitz, Arizona State University, US

‘Beyond its breadth and depth, what is most striking about this volume is how well it navigates between the theoretical and practical dimensions of responsible research and innovation (RRI). The volume thus mirrors RRI’s development as simultaneously a subject of ongoing research and a matter of active policymaking, both focused on the governance of science and technology. How should policymakers address the dual demand that the pace of innovation increase to enhance societal benefits while also advancing deliberately to avoid harming society? This volume provides the latest answers from top RRI researchers and policymakers from around the world. Ranging over the history and theory of RRI, addressing ethics and RRI, detailing the economics underlying RRI, outlining current RRI policies, and looking to the future of RRI, this work will become a classic reference point in the field.’
– J. Britt Holbrook, New Jersey Institute of Technology, US

‘Already impressive in terms of its thematic scope, the diversity of approaches and its global aspiration, this landmark volume is, above all, testament to the coming of age of responsible innovation (RI) as a concept of practical relevance. It contains, amongst other things, illuminating discussions of the notion of responsibility, thought-provoking essays on key questions in RI, and insightful analyses of RI practices in a wide variety of contexts. The messages in bottles, released by the likes of Hans Jonas, John Ziman and the pioneers of the RI community, have obviously been found by many, and probably by many more than the pioneers themselves would have expected. Taken together, the contributions to this collection not only provide a perfect overview on the theory and practices of RI; they also show why RI is not a specialist or merely academic topic but relevant to anyone who cares about the future of our global society.’
– Christopher Coenen, Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS), Germany