PRO-Ethics
Participatory Real Life Experiments in Research and Innovation Funding Organisations on Ethics
Objectives
PRO-Ethics’ overall objective is to create a comprehensive, co-developed, tested and widely consulted Ethics Framework that enables a more effective handling of the ethical dimension of innovation, with a special focus on the engagement of citizens in participative innovation, to the benefit of more relevant, fair and effective innovation activities.
In order to reach this overall objective, PRO-Ethics has the following specific objectives:
- To gather and systematise needs, requirements and values of citizens (including the underlying ethical principles) within participatory processes to improve access and avoid a technological divide
- To create and promote fair and gender sensitive interaction modes taking into account legal frameworks, governance structures and regulations, codes of practice, and tools (including IT Tools)
- To test, pilot and assess novel participation configurations in three fields of action of RFOs‘ ac-tivities: Participation in innovation projects, participation in strategy development and participation in evaluation processes
- To validate findings in interactive learning formats and in dialogue with stakeholders and ethic bodies
- To secure a widespread take-up of the developed framework across the European Union (and beyond) by consulting, sharing, and promoting standards, principles, and guidelines
Outputs
PRO-Ethics aims to create a significant impact on innovation ethics through its processes and products by employing the strategic positions and strengths of the PRO-Ethics project partners. The major expected impact of PRO-Ethics is to enable and facilitate a more effective handling of the ethical dimension of innovation, in particular regarding new modes of interaction and novel participation configurations.
Impact can be traced in the mid-term through the following quantified key-performance indicators (KPIs):
- RFOs from 15 European countries endorse the PRO-Ethics framework at project end
- 1000s of innovation projects and dozens of strategy and programme development processes and evaluations have benefited from applying the PRO-Ethics framework
- 11 pilots in 8 partnering RFOs have worked with hundreds of non-traditional stakeholders.
Key project results/activities for RECs and ethics experts
The PRO-Ethics project produced ethics guidelines and tools tailored for research funding organisations to facilitate the implementation of participatory activities. Acknowledging the societal impact of research and innovation, the framework also equips RECs to navigate ethical challenges through anticipatory and reflective tools. By aligning with trends in RRI and promoting stakeholder engagement, the framework may assist RECs in identifying emerging ethical issues.
The ethics framework also addresses the resource-intensive nature of participatory processes and emphasises the need for accountability, transparency, and ethical expertise. It guides RECs in designing, implementing, and assessing participatory activities, ensuring adherence to ethical standards throughout the research funding process.
Duration
January 2020 - December 2023
Website
Cordis Entry
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
