Experimenting with co-design in STI policy making

Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) has emerged in recentyears, in Europe and across the world, as a model of scientific andtechnological advancement that is the result of the cooperation ofactors that traditionally worked in an autonomous way. Advancedperspectives on RRI suggest how knowledge and solutions shouldbe co-produced by diverse actors working in synergy, includingcivil society and citizens. This article introduces the notion of co-creation as a framework to operationalize RRI. The article discussesinsights coming from ten labs across Europe, where experimentsin co-design processes and tools are designing and testing solu-tions to societal challenges under diverse science, technology andinnovation (STI) policies. Furthermore, it compares empiricalinsights with the debate on experimentation of co-creation practi-ces in STI policy making and on the potentialities and limitationsof design for policy. Moreover, the article discusses the restrictedfocus of RRI, which has primarily concentrated on scientific andtechnological research and science-based innovation, highlightingthe need to include other forms of innovation (like social andhuman centered innovation) and perspectives to sustain the con-crete uptake of RRI in diverse contexts.