What is Responsible Cancer Research? (2016)
The concept of ELSA - Ethical, Legal and Societal Aspects of Science and Technology - which has been central to the profile of CCBIO since its inception, is gradually becoming supplemented and replaced in Europe by the concept Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI).
Main content
Originally a聽European Commission invention, RRI聽was introduced as a so-called crosscutting聽principle of Horizon 2020, EU鈥檚聽largest funding program for research聽and innovation. The Research Council聽of Norway is currently developing its聽own RRI framework and implementing聽it in their biotech, nanotech and聽ICT research programs. RRI is similar聽to ELSA but places more emphasis on聽public engagement with science and the聽ambition to align research agendas with聽citizens鈥� needs and concerns.
Recently, Strand and Akslen co-authored聽a 鈥減erspectives鈥� piece for the Journal of聽the Norwegian Medical Association聽in which they presented key ethical聽and social dilemmas on the interface聽between cancer research and policy.聽In this piece, they introduced the theory聽on socio-technical imaginaries and聽discussed how it may be implemented聽in RRI frameworks. The piece presents聽and exemplifies the ELSA/RRI profile of聽CCBIO for a Norwegian medical audience.
The publication process became interesting聽in itself as the journal argued that we聽as authors should 鈥渢ake a stance鈥� in the聽sense of either fully embracing or fully聽rejecting technology optimism on behalf聽of cancer research. The search for a聽balanced position - an optimistic but聽critical and reflexive point of view -聽appeared to be challenging. A very short聽abstract follows below.
New opportunities in cancer treatment聽provide health benefits but also risks聽of higher costs and more prioritization聽dilemmas. Critical discussion of how聽cancer research imagines the future can聽contribute to more responsible research聽and health policies. Frameworks for聽responsible research and innovation聽provide useful concepts for such a聽discussion.