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Is Irish science responsible? It’s getting there .....
Is Irish science responsible? It’s getting there .....

Is Irish science responsible? It’s getting there .....

‘Responsibility’ is a term we don’t often hear in the context of science. Dr Padraig Murphy, programme chair of Dublin City University’s MSc in science communication, explains why that should change.

If we look back on history, there have been times when science and technology behaved irresponsibly. There was the Manhattan project, leading to the development of nuclear weapons in World War II, the widespread use of DDT pesticide across the US, the social Darwinism experiments that led to eugenic policies etc.

Irish science today is far removed from those horrors. At the moment, there are Science Foundation Ireland research centres throughout the country looking at medtech, materials and business innovations. They are tasked with addressing our energy needs as well as ageing populations.

Individual scientists, from the physical and social science fields, are world-renowned scholars. Centres like Adapt deliver ICT and multimodal media solutions, INFANT is dedicated to cutting-edge perinatal research and Cúram develops implantable medical devices. They each follow strict research integrity guidelines. They do not act irresponsibly.

However, the European Commission, supported by various other national science funders, has begun to introduce a new concept, Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), as a cross-cutting strand across science funding calls.

To read more, visit Silicon Republic.