Sparks – Rethinking innovation together is a European project aiming to promote and develop science engagement and education among European citizens, as part of the wider concept of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). RRI defines a transparent and interactive process in which the research community along with industries, citizens and politicians become mutually responsible for scientific and technological advances, taking into consideration their ethical acceptability, sustainability and social desirability, in order to properly better embed them in the society.
RRI initiatives seek to bring issues related to research and innovation into the public space, in order to decrease the distance between science and society and to actively involve citizens in discussions and debates on how science and technology can help create a more peaceful, fair and inclusive world.
Sparks is a project to familiarise and engage European citizens with the concept and practice of RRI through the topic of technology shifts in health and medicine. More concretely, Sparks aims to:
- Communicate the benefits and challenges of using emerging technologies in healthcare and medicine via a touring exhibition that was presented in 28 EU countries and showed 7 individual stories of citizen scientists, creative and disruptive visions of artists on the topic and local case studies
- Actively involve EU citizens, scientists and innovators in discussions around health and well-being through specially designed activities and workshops (reverse science cafés, science espressos, pop-up science shops, incubation and scenario workshops and hackathons)