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BIOTEK2021-Bioteknologi for verdiskaping

Responsibility as an Integral Component of Digital Research Practices in Bio-and Nanotechnology

Alternative title: Responsibility as an Integral Component of Digital Research Practices in Bio-and Nanotechnology

Awarded: NOK 4.9 mill.

ReDig investigates how responsibility is performed within digital research practices. It focuses primarily on developments in the life sciences, and secondarily on nanotechnology. It investigates how the use of digital infrastructures and tools for research comes together with transformations in the scientific culture and research ethics. Main research topics are: modelling and design and open science practices. For instance, classic key scientific issues such as reproducibility are challenged and concerns are transformed as digital infrastructures enable for new forms of knowledge sharing and circulation. Besides, the fact that biological information can easily be shared online has also enabled a move of biotechnology out of the institutions in the form of biohacking and DIYbiology. With digitalization, science-society relations are changing at different levels. ReDig studies the significance of current technoepistemic and ethical transformations for the scientific community, policy-makers and publics. Particularly, it considers how the digitalization of biology may relate and integrate with recent policy demands for Responsible Research and Innovation, particularly in terms of the public good.

ReDig aimed at suggesting improvements for RRI performance within digital research methods. The project aimed at having an impact on two stakeholder communities. First, scientists in nano and biotechnology, and specially communities whose research is increasingly dependent on the use of software based methods and digital infrastructures. We have reached those communities through a number of presentations and individual and group meetings that have enabled room for discussions on how to practice 'good science'. We have also published a paper on a high impact factor journal in the life sciences (PLoS) to reach such communities with informed views on how we think RRI could be better practiced. Second, we have produced a policy report to have an impact on the level of policy making. The report contains recommendations on how to update RRI towards a more suitable version that works in digitalised environments. Finally, the project has very successfully complied with the publication plan.

In research policies, within Norway, Europe and the United States, responsibility is increasingly being requested as an integrated component of research and innovation activities. In the first instance, responsible research and innovation should social ch allenges and needs (von Schomberg, 2011, Owen et al. 2012). This project will produce knowledge on how responsibility should be integrated within digital research practices. An increasing adoption of digital tools and infrastructures for research is occur ring within a number of scientific fields. Combined with classic experimental methods, digital software is increasingly used to model and design scientific objects. Software and digital platforms are used for making and matching data as well as to store a nd share them. What can roughly be characterized as a digitalisation of research, is producing changes to the nature of scientific objects and research practices, it entails important ethical, legal and social aspects. For instance, issues related to the ownership, accountability and transparency of knowledge are being articulated through claims for open science. Although according to a broad view these developments are not specific to the fields of biotechnology and nanotechnology, a closer view into eac h of these fields brings about interesting specificities and overarching commonalities that this project aims at identifying and analysing. The project will focus on digital practices of design, modelling and data sharing as they are performed in specific projects in those research fields. After analysing these practices, it will turn the focus to responsibility in digital research and innovation practices by focusing on three themes: a) Open science; b) Controllability; c) Public good.

Publications from Cristin

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Funding scheme:

BIOTEK2021-Bioteknologi for verdiskaping