Robert Braun of the IHS research group TSST was an invited panelist at the European Research and Innovation Days in Brussels, the official launch of the next framework programme for European research funding, Horizon Europe.
In the panel he mentioned that “the European Commission talks a lot about public engagement, but its practice falls short. Concrete mechanisms are missing and existing expertise – from Science for and with Society (SwafS), Citizen Science or Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) – is being forgotten.” Braun also emphasised that “we need more social laboratories to bring together citizens, governments, and stakeholders from business, academia and elsewhere.” On SSH and STEM integration he emphasised that “by better understanding societal needs, SSH research and citizen involvement can lower the risk of obsolescence and help to save jobs, even create new ones."