Science Parks as Seedbeds of Responsible Research and Innovation

Science parks are commercially run innovation areas that promote university-industry collaboration, often with a supporting role for government. For long, they have been considered as important economic development initiatives that play a major role in technology transfer activities and in new venture formation. They collect a region's main research and innovation results and gather players performing innovative activities. Through the collection of key innovative players and the facilitation of innovation processes, science parks can clearly play a crucial role in the formation of attitudes towards innovation. As innovation leaders, science parks have a special role in giving shape to Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). RRI is an emerging notion that emphasizes the importance of including societal desirability, ethical acceptability and environmental sustainability in innovation processes. This paper examines how the concept of RRI in general can be applied in science parks. It presents the organization and aims of science parks and then considers their potential to have a leading role in adopting RRI.