Co-Create Change in Research Funding and Performing

Change labs to activate change coalitions in R&I

Responsible research and innovation (RRI) implies that societal actors (researchers, citizens, policymakers, businesses and third-sector organisations) work together during the whole research and innovation process. The aim is to align both the process and its outcomes with the values, needs and expectations of society. The EU-funded Co-Change project will apply an innovative systemic approach to boost the transformative capacity and leadership for RRI. It will centre on the concept of change labs and focus on interactions and dependencies of actors in each research and innovation ecosystem. The goal is to generate transformative capacity for institutional change in terms of practices, procedures, rules and norms at individual, organisational and system levels. The outcomes will be analysed to produce a toolbox for RRI-related institutional changes.

Co-Change strengthens transformative capacity and leadership for RRI through an innovative systemic approach, centred on the concept of change labs, building on years of solid experience. The project activates change coalitions around each lab, paying particular attention to interactions and dependencies of actors in each R&I ecosystem, since research performing (RPOs) and research funding (RFOs) organisations co-evolve in and with the R&I ecosystems they are embedded in. This embeddedness forms the social and institutional context, which either supports or slows down changes in the system. By implementing change labs in their ecosystems, we generate transformative capacity for institutional change in terms of practices, procedures, rules and norms at the individual, organisational and system levels.

Co-Change supports the implementation of institutional changes of R&I actors within and beyond the key areas of RRI. Our consortium members of RPOs and RFOs across Europe act as change agents. We set out to establish change labs as instruments for promoting and sustaining institutional change within our own organisations and reach out to actors in our innovation ecosystems.
As well as co-creating RRI practices in our own organisations, we also do so in organisations that have signalled their interest. Since these include partners from research performing, financing and governance institutions, we can build change coalitions at national and EU scale. The outcomes of all change labs will be analysed to produce a toolbox and field book for RRI related institutional changes which will be broadly disseminated by committed multipliers.
To widen our impact, we publish a call for innovative RRI practices, inviting more European organizations to Co-Change activities. Our project also features a sounding board with experienced RRI project coordinators, helping communicate with other projects in the field, and an advisory board with quadruple helix partners for further reach.

What is in it for the Western Balkans?

One of the partners of the Co-Change project is based in Serbia, at the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Novi Sad. More information about their contribution is available from the project website, e.g. the following information - https://cochangeproject.eu/labs?country=serbia

RRizing lab is mainly focused on institutional implementation of five RRI keys – science education, gender equality, public engagement, ethics and open access. The mentioned keys are to be analyzed, promoted, monitored, and supported at the Faculty of Agriculture (PFNS) of the University of Novi Sad. Examples of good practice in terms of RRI shall be presented further at a University as a whole to serve as a showcase for improvement of these aspects at other faculties as well.

One particularly noteworthy result is the Story map of the University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Agriculture on gender equality, available here: https://zenodo.org/record/6497419#.YqCnX99CRhG

The Co-Change Lab at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, focuses on several RRI keys. It is working on the implementation of gender equality, open access, and science education within the faculty. In this visual material you can see their roadmap towards gender equality at the faculty.