Responsible and Inclusive Innovation

Responsible and inclusive approaches to research and innovation are important considerations in order to better orientate knowledge and develop technologies for their contexts of use. Responsible research is a creative and active process that asks important and fundamental questions about the purposes, futures, hopes and ambiguities that health technology innovations can generate. It often involves creating spaces where stakeholders, publics, researchers and funders can collaboratively articulate and account for different visions and responsibilities.  

Inclusivity is about accounting for diverse forms of knowledge and ensuring these are brought into research, innovation and translation. This can mean early upstream engagement of a range of potential users, clients, patients and other actors, where different values and understandings find a place in the development of health interventions and technologies. 

This research theme, drawing in expertise from the humanities and social sciences, helps develop and support the knowledge, skills, strategies and processes in terms of reflecting on health technology development, engaging stakeholders in anticipating implications, and incorporating different values and views in translational activities. 

Responsible and Inclusive Innovation Theme Lead: Dr Robert Meckin

Dr Robert Meckin is a Presidential Fellow in the School of Social Sciences at The University of Manchester. Robert’s research focuses on the social dimensions of knowledge production and responsible innovation, particularly in interdisciplinary spaces of biotechnology, health, and social science.