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Welcome to the website of the Observatory for Responsible Innovation (“Observatoire pour l’innovation responsable” in French), a 10-years think tank project created in 2011 at Mines ParisTech with the purpose of debating responsibility in innovation. We are part of the Interdisciplinary Institute on Innovation (i3), a social sciences CNRS unit established jointly at Mines ParisTech, Télécom Paris and the École Polytechnique, in Paris, France, and part of the PSL Université and Institut Polytechnique de Paris communities. We’re headquartered at the Centre de Sociologie de l’Innovation, a research center at Mines ParisTech.

Our view, in a nutshell: innovation develops today at a way too rapid pace and generates unforeseen, sometimes deeply problematic consequences that need to be taken into account democratically. The value of innovation is a complex, controversial and collective issue. It demands that we remain attentive to externalities, anticipations, compromises, controversies and responsibilities. Read here our very own answer to the question “What is Responsible Innovation?”.

We strive to accompany a move towards a culture of responsibility in innovation, focusing on specific issues for which the challenges of responsible innovation are pressing: e.g. financial innovation (2011-2012), renewable energy (2012-2013), information technologies (2013-2014), ocean engineering (2015-2017), and digital identity (2019-2021).

We steer debate and inform policy through the development of issue-centered working groups, the organization of special events, and the dissemination of specific publications. Our blog offers snippets on our activities. Have a look at our tweets and our video channel too.

Funding: the Observatory for Responsible Innovation relies almost exclusively on human and financial resources provided by its host institutions (the Interdisciplinary Institute on Innovation (i3), Mines ParisTech, Télécom Paris and the École Polytechnique). More about us here.

2011-2021! After 10 years of contributions to the responsible innovation debate, the activities of the Observatory for Responsible Innovation have been discontinued. We warmly thank all the colleagues, contributors and friends that made this possible!


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