Inclusive Research and Innovation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

Only in exceptional cases, scholars carrying out research and innovation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) systematically consider diversity of human beings. This has severe consequences, such as worse medical treatments or unfit security provisions for women, older citizens, people with minority backgrounds, and others. Scholars carrying out Inclusive Research and Innovation (IRI) in STEM can overcome these challenges. They explore and exploit the potential of diversity in the broad sense, i.e., gender, age, socio-economic background, sexual orientation etc., to drive scientific discovery and innovation. Using this approach, scholars would thoroughly address ethical issues of discrimination and economic issues of welfare losses. To conceptualise IRI in STEM, we combine the concepts of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) and midstream modulation (MM). RRI addresses values and stakeholders' involvement – yet only in very general terms. MM concentrates more concretely on participation of stakeholders. By combining them, we provide a concept integrating diversity and inclusion in research and innovation processes. To carry out IRI, STEM scholars would have to change the way they ask their research questions, address them methodologically as well as report and implement the resulting insights. To include knowledge regarding sex, gender and diversity analysis, STEM scholars would have to collaborate with Social Sciences and Humanities scholars in an interdisciplinary way. To systematically include values from of citizens with diverse backgrounds in research and innovation processes and outcomes, scholars would have to collaborate with relevant stakeholders from outside academia (e.g., firms, special interest and civic society's groups) in a transdisciplinary way.