Comparing Cultures of Responsible Innovation across Bioengineering Communities

这项行动为培养道德STEM文化的跨部门计划提供了三年的标准赠款。 围绕基因工程、生物技术和合成生物学的问题是有争议的，特别是当应用于食品、环境和工业应用时，人类的直接同意和医疗利益并不存在。研究人员，开发人员和政策制定者如何沟通和反思他们的工作对生物工程领域至关重要。 这项研究填补了一个重要的空白，鼓励那些参与生物技术创新系统的人反思其工作的道德层面以及负责任地创新意味着什么。同时，本研究也为跨四类机构的负责任创新概念的比较研究提供了重要的参考。增加对参与者内部和跨各种专业背景的设想和框架的道德层面的工作可以帮助未来的跨部门对话，并可能冲突resolution.The研究采用了一种新的方法，比较分析的意义，负责任的创新和道德在生物工程，同时培养社会责任的文化的研发研究生，教师和外部从业人员在基因工程和合成生物学（生物工程）。它在四个关键方面进行了创新：1）它专注于生物工程，特别是在工程伦理课程尚未常规应用的领域，遗传工程和合成生物学; 2）它评估了参与奖学金的示例教学法，学生促进焦点小组，学习和培养伦理文化; 3）它使用负责任的创新和欣赏性探究的框架作为生物工程伦理文化对话的关键部分;和4）它比较了生物工程四个部门的负责任创新的含义：政府、企业、工业和非营利组织。正在利用12个重点小组（每个部门3个）、调查前和调查后以及价值绘图工具来收集数据。测试的示例假设包括：1）组织社区内的参与者以类似的方式将生物工程的负责任创新概念化，共享几个次要价值观以及核心价值观（紧密联盟）; 2）不同类型组织的参与者在负责任创新的概念上有所不同，但共享一些政策核心和次要价值观（松散的联盟）;和3）在负责任的创新和道德的兴趣，平均而言，增加后的焦点小组（与前焦点小组）的外部参与者和内部促进者。该项目承诺为科学和技术研究、科学和技术政策以及道德教育的理论和方法做出贡献，并作为“参与式奖学金”实践的一个例子，通过这种方式，科学和技术研究所的活动满足了外部社区的需求，反之亦然。

This action funds a three year standard grant in the cross-directorate program of Cultivating Cultures for Ethical STEM. Issues surrounding genetic engineering, biotechnology, and synthetic biology are contentious, especially when applied to food, the environment, and industrial applications for which direct human consent and medical benefits are not present. How researchers, developers, and policy-makers communicate about and reflect upon their work is of utmost importance to the fields of bioengineering. This research fills an important niche by encouraging those involved in biotechnology innovation systems to reflect on the ethical dimensions of their work and what it means to innovate responsibly. At the same time, this research contributes to important comparative research on conceptions of responsible innovation across four types of institutions. Increased understanding about how participants within and across various professional contexts conceive of and frame the ethical dimensions of their work can assist with future cross-sector dialogue, and potentially conflict resolution.The research employs a novel approach for comparative analyses of meanings of responsible innovation and ethics in bioengineering, while cultivating socially-responsible cultures of R&D among graduate students, faculty, and outside practitioners in genetic engineering and synthetic biology (bioengineering). It innovates in four key respects: 1) it focuses on bioengineering, specifically in areas in which engineering ethics programs have not routinely been applied, genetic engineering and synthetic biology; 2) it evaluates an example pedagogy of engaged scholarship, student facilitation of focus groups, for learning and cultivating ethical cultures; 3) it uses framings of responsible innovation and appreciative inquiry as key parts of the dialogue about ethical cultures in bioengineering; and 4) it compares meanings of responsible innovation across four sectors of bioengineering: government, academe, industry, and non-profit organizations. Twelve focus groups (three from each sector), pre- and post-surveys, and a values-mapping tool are being used for data collection. Example hypotheses tested include: 1) that participants within types of organizational communities conceptualize responsible innovation for bioengineering in similar ways sharing several secondary values as well as core values (tight coalitions); 2) participants across types of organizations differ in conceptions of responsible innovation, but share some policy core and secondary values (loose coalitions); and 3) interest in responsible innovation and ethics, on average, increase in both external-participants and internal-facilitators after the focus groups (versus pre-focus groups). The project promises to contribute to theory and methodology in Science and Technology Studies, science and technology policy, and ethics education, as well as serve as an example of the practice of "engaged scholarship," by which the activities of academe meet the needs of external communities and vice versa.