Transdisciplinarity, RRI and radical innovation
Ph.D. -course
- ECTS credits
- 5
- Teaching semesters Spring
- Course code
- ARINA900
- Number of semesters
- 1
- Teaching language
- English
- Resources
- Schedule
Course description
Objectives and Content
This 5 ECTS PhD course provides an introduction to transdisciplinarity, Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) and the concept of radical innovation in the context of technology convergence projects. Starting from participants’ own research projects, the course discusses the governance of technoscience, tensions between responsibility and innovation, and the practical challenges of collaboration between academia, industry, government and civil society.
Read more about theresearch project and a bit more about the course here .
Learning Outcomes
Upon completing this course, the candidate should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:
Knowledge
- Explain core concepts of RRI, transdisciplinarity and innovation theory, and understand how they relate to each other
- Identify ethical, social and epistemic tensions that arise in convergence-oriented research and innovation projects
- Understand how care and alternative framings of innovation can inform responsible research and innovation practices
Skills
- Analyse one’s own research project using concepts from RRI, transdisciplinarity and innovation theory
- Map relevant actors, knowledges and institutions in a project, and identify where tensions, collaborations, uncertainties and value conflicts are located
General competence
- Reflect critically one’s own role and responsibilities in complex transdisciplinary innovation settings
ECTS Credits
Level of Study
Semester of Instruction
Place of Instruction
Required Previous Knowledge
Recommended Previous Knowledge
Ph.D. fellows working on radical innovation (in particular in projects funded under the TEKNOKONVERGENS portfolio of the Research Council of Norway) will be prioritised. Other PhD fellows working on radical innovation or Responsible Research and Innovation, are also welcome.
Experience with radical innovation, RRI and/or transdisciplinarity is valuable, but not mandatory.
Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap
Access to the Course
Enrolled in a PhD programme.
You need to register here: Registration to the ARINA PhD course on transdisciplinarity, RRI and radical innovation
Teaching and learning methods
Compulsory Assignments and Attendance
- Mandatory preparation work (reading, short text on own project)
- Attendance and active participation in digital pre-meeting and PhD course
Forms of Assessment
(1) An actors’ network project map (visual map + text explaining it; based on the assignment of the KULT8880 course)
- A visualisation of actors, knowledges, institutions, tensions, collaborations, etc. The map should show:
- Where is innovation: outcomes, promises, risks, who benefits / who is disadvantaged…
- Where is transdisciplinarity (if at all present?): collaborations, different knowledges, actors, values, agendas…
- Where is RRI:anticipation, reflexivity, engagement, responsiveness, preparedness
(2) An essay based on the map (ca. 3000 words), where the participant discusses
- 2-3 key tensions related to RRI in their project
- Where these tensions are situated (definitions, temporalities, evaluation, institutions, etc.);
- How transdisciplinarity might reframe or help navigate these tensions (what collaborations might be needed)
Both examination components must be passed in order for the course to be passed.
Grading Scale
Assessment Semester
Reading List
The core preparatory readings encompass articles and reports in the fields of RRI, transdisciplinarity, innovation policies and care and technology. Examples of such readings are:
RRI
- Macnaghten, P., Owen, R., Stilgoe, J., Wynne, B., Azevedo, A., de Campos, A., ... & Velho, L. (2014). Responsible innovation across borders: tensions, paradoxes and possibilities. Journal of Responsible Innovation, 1(2), 191-199.
- Stilgoe, J., Owen, R., & Macnaghten, P. (2020). Developing a framework for responsible innovation. In The ethics of nanotechnology, geoengineering, and clean energy (pp. 347-359). Routledge.
- Owen, R., Von Schomberg, R., & Macnaghten, P. (2021). An unfinished journey? Reflections on a decade of responsible research and innovation. Journal of Responsible Innovation, 8(2), 217-233.
- Völker, T., Slaattelid, R., & Strand, R. (2024). The problem of responsibility in the governance of technoscience (Chapter 1) In Translations of Responsibility: Innovation Governance in Three European Regions. Taylor & Francis.
- Strand, R. (2019) Three policy narratives for RRI (Link: https://super-morri.eu/3-policy-narratives-for-rri/)
Transdisciplinarity
- Wickson, F., Carew, A. L., & Russell, A. W. (2006). Transdisciplinary research: characteristics, quandaries and quality. Futures, 38(9), 1046-1059.
Innovation policies
- OECD (2025). OECD Science, Technology and Innovation Outlook 2025: Driving Change in a Shifting Landscape, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/5fe57b90-en. (Part 1: Mobilising science, technology and innovation policies for transformative change; pp.14-52)
Care and technology
- Groves, C. (2015). Logic of choice or logic of care? Uncertainty, technological mediation and responsible innovation. NanoEthics, 9(3), 321-333.