Public Engagement Proposal for Developing Ethical Governance for Science: The Ethna Experience

ABSTRACT The concept of Public Engagement (PE) is related to progress toward responsible and open science. This article aims to analyse how to define and integrate PE into the development of ethical governance systems for research and innovation. Multistakeholder consultation on the governance of Responsible Research and Innovation was carried out internationally within the framework of the European ETHNA project, with interviews, workshops and a survey answered by 889 experts. The results include the detection of the main drivers and barriers to the implementation of PE on the design and application of an ethical system of governance. The study concludes that PE is a fundamental criterion for the design and implementation of an ethical system for the governance of science, for normative reasons and due to implementation practices. The main driving forces depend on its inclusion in the governance of institutions (culture, management support, training, incentives and resources) and its application through ethical management tools (ethical codes, committees and ethics lines).