a practical guide for stakeholder a practical guide for stakeholder engagement in future and...

A PRACTICAL GUIDE

FOR STAKEHOLDER

ENGAGEMENT

in Future and Emerging

Technologies

“The involvement of specialists listening to, developing their

understanding of, and interacting with, non-specialists”

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LEGAL NOTICE

The present publication is made by the EFFECT project, with the contribution of Alessia Rotolo and Marta

Calderaro.

EFFECT project, Grant Agreement n. 737301, has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020

Future and Emerging Technologies programme.

Neither the EFFECT project nor any person acting on its behalf is responsible for the use which might be

made of the information contained in the present publication. The EFFECT project is not responsible for the

external web sites referred to in the present publication.

The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official

European Commission’s view on the subject.

© EFFECT project, 2018

Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.

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Summary

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................... 4

1. Engagement in Future and Emerging Technologies ................................................................................. 5

1.1 EFFECT project and its support ................................................................................................................ 9

1.2 The European Researchers’ Night .......................................................................................................... 10

1.3 A FET success story in public engagement: LiNaBioFluid project ....................................................... 11

2. Introduction to Public Engagement .......................................................................................................... 12

2.1 Public Participation in Scientific Research ............................................................................................ 16

3. Methodologies ............................................................................................................................................ 17

SCIENCE CAFÉ ................................................................................................................................................ 19

PARTICIPATORY WORKSHOP ...................................................................................................................... 21

STORY TELLING ............................................................................................................................................. 24

APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY ............................................................................................................................... 26

FISH BOWL ..................................................................................................................................................... 28

SOLUTION FOCUS .......................................................................................................................................... 30

DYNAMIC FACILITATION .............................................................................................................................. 32

FIVE-TO-FOLD ................................................................................................................................................ 33

OPEN SPACE TECHNOLOGY .......................................................................................................................... 35

CIRCLE PROCESS ............................................................................................................................................ 37

3.1 Specific activities for youngers ............................................................................................................... 39

SCIENCE THEATRE ........................................................................................................................................ 40

SCIENCE EXPLORERS WORKSHOP ............................................................................................................... 41

WORD TREE ................................................................................................................................................... 43

JARS OF IMPORTANCE .................................................................................................................................. 44

3.2 Activity Evaluation Form ........................................................................................................................ 46

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Introduction

The Guide, edited in May 2017 and updated one year later, provides a brief overview of methodologies to

be used for engaging society in research and innovation and detailed factsheets on the collected methods,

providing information such as objectives, background, different level of research and innovation activity,

and examples of use. It is addressed to coordinators and researchers involved in FET funded projects.

It has been structured into 3 different chapters:

1. The first section is dedicated to the Horizon 2020 Future and Emerging Technologies programme (FET)

and the communication of FET funded projects. The relevance of projects visibility and major tools for an

online engagement campaign are explained in order to foster the community-building and public

awareness around the FET funded projects. A brief description about the European Researchers’ Night, as a

successful example of an initiative aimed to the outreach and engagement of the general public, is also

explained as an easy to access opportunity for FET funded projects communication activities;

2. the introduction to public engagement gives a general perspective of the method, describing its main

characteristics and purposes as well as rational aspects of the techniques;

3. the chapter on “Methodologies” provides an overview of the proposed strategy and a useful “toolkit” of

engagement activities, having as principal aim the spread of results and the involvement of different

stakeholders, in order to stimulate debate and allow the right communication of their projects.

By providing a useful set of communication and engagement tools for researchers, the Guide fosters

awareness and engagement around FET projects. This is a way to reduce the gap between citizens,

stakeholders and researchers and to generate an opportunity for partnership.

This Guide, developed by the EFFECT project, takes into account the impact of the European Researchers’

Night event and the effects on the European landscape, giving evidence of what research can do for the

benefit of society. Researchers are invited to use “alternative” and unconventional ways to promote their

results, trying to disseminate them to a wide range of public, involving in particular young people.

A series of methodologies provide a set of knowledge sharing techniques with clear information on:

objectives, description, means and materials to communicate their results.

The aim of this Guide is to involve as many stakeholders as possible, in the best efficient way, to share knowledge and engage with them; getting more people involved in decisions gives society a

better sense of how “things work”.

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1. Engagement in Future and

Emerging Technologies

“FET actions are expected to initiate radically new lines of technology through unexplored collaborations

between advanced multidisciplinary science and cutting-edge engineering, trying to reinforce

competitiveness and growth, making a difference for society in the decades to come”.

The Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) programme, as part of Horizon 2020 – the European

Framework Programme for research and innovation from 2014 through 2020, supports the creative and

visionary thinking around radically new technologies by fostering interdisciplinary collaborations between

Europe’s best research teams. The explored scientific ideas bring Europe to new research and technological

frontiers by opening promising futures for the Researcher, the Entrepreneur and the Citizen of Tomorrow.

FET Horizon 2020 funding scheme aims to support the very first phase of development of radically new

technologies and ideas. FET projects specific objective is consequently the promotion of new technologies

based on new and high-risk ideas, researches and studies, on scientific bases. A key aspect concerning FET

is the interdisciplinary collaboration between different aspects and roles: science with researchers, industry

with SMEs, professionals and investors, society with citizens and policy makers.

The creation of a fertile ground for responsible and dynamic collaboration on future and emerging

technologies is one of the major goals of the FET programme. FET aims at enhancing scientific

collaboration and fostering knowledge transfer, dialogue and engagement about new and future scientific

a