A MARIE Local Stakeholders Engagement Event took place in Bucharest-Ilfov region on 24th April 2018 in cooperation with JPI Urban Europe Agora Strategic Dialogue.
The collaboration with the JPI Urban Europe*Agora Strategic Dialogue supported excellent regional, but also international exposure of MARIE project and a way to effectively link RRI to topics of interest for the whole society: urban development and the spill-over effect of large research infrastructures.
The event was hosted at Palatul Universul (Universe Palace) in Bucharest and at ELI-NP Extreme-Light Infrastructure - Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) in Măgurele (Ilfov county).
The event represented a wide umbrella, connecting pieces of the relationship between research and innovation and society, the input for MARIE project resulting, in very practical approach, from:
- Concrete experience of how to develop new innovation strategies and calls taking into consideration and including the responsible research and innovation approach: The MARIE LSG together with the Agora Strategic Dialogue brought together around 100 regional and international stakeholders to contribute in setting up a participatory Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for 2020 and beyond – the ‘SRIA 2.0’, in a process of consultation, allowing the participants space to discuss and reflect on the future strategy. The event reflected on dilemmas and potentials in urban transitions for shaping this next research agenda with and for citizens considering how various challenges are understood by urban communities.
- The site visit to the ELI-NP facilities in Măgurele around the question of how to reduce the distance between this and the society needs: representatives from funding agencies throughout Europe, researchers, SMEs, civil society and cities administration took part in the presentation of the vision Laser Valley – Land of Lights, a place-based innovation ecosystem and smart territorial development in Bucharest-Ilfov region built around ELI-NP. They were part of a guided visit of the biggest research facility in the world in photonuclear physics and its applications. Taking into consideration the scientific activity of ELI-NP, the question of how to reduce the distance between this and the society needs is standing out. Therefore, collaboration with the quadruple helix actors activating in the innovation system is a key factor to successfully develop a stimulating environment enabling the diffusion of ELI’s benefits in society. Therefore, MARIE Stakeholder event was an opportunity to show science and to learn about how to develop an environment enabling the diffusion of ELI’s benefits and their sustainable adoption.
Summarising, the event, allowing new ideas about RRI to come forward in an open exchange of experiences, was an opportunity to advance cooperation with stakeholders involved in previous MARIE project activities. It was a chance to create new partnerships needed to develop a Quadruple Helix community of stakeholders aware and engaged in integrating RRI principles (public engagement, science education, ethics, open access and gender equality) in concrete projects and activities (e.g. developing new innovation strategies) and in exploitng its benefits (bringing science closer to society – ELI-NP case).
*JPI Urban Europe was created in 2010 to address the global urban challenges of today with the ambition to develop a European research and innovation hub on urban matters and create European solutions by means of coordinated research. Currently, JPI Urban Europe has 14 members: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia Sweden and the United Kingdom. Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Turkey are observers, as well as the European Commission. More countries are involved in specific JPI Urban Europe activities.
