European Research Advisory Board. Final Report: Research and Societal Engagement

EURAB has established a Working Group to address the means for engagement and dialogue between societal actors and the research community. With public mistrust in certain research-based institutions on the rise, there is a growing concern to engage more at the societal level. While researchers are beginning to work well in communicating their work to wider publics, and cooperation with business improving, there is still little sustained interaction with non-economic societal actors. There has been significant support from EU programmes such as science weeks and festivals, consensus conferences and other science communication activities. This report will not touch on these activities. Nor will it focus on the importance of close interaction between academic researchers and those economic players who are to transform the research into innovations. Rather this report will focus on recommendations to the community of researchers to engage with other relevant segments of the public in order to take societal questions and concerns more into account. Successful innovation will require not only the cooperation of academia and business, but also a close engagement with societal actors. This will not only shape current innovations, but also help identify future needs.