Verso la Responsible Research and Innovation: ripensare l'approccio per la valutazione delle università e degli enti pubblici di ricerca

The paper takes stock of the new paradigm of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) investing the science and society relationships, trying to focus on the implication that might come from its concrete implementation. Using the tools and practices derived from some research projects funded under the EU FP7 SiS action as empirical test, the paper tries to figure out how evaluation can provide evidences useful to the construction of the RRI dimension inside the universities. Achieving results toward RRI is not possible just introducing a standardized set of practices, whose accomplishment blends in the universe of bureaucratic fulfillments. RRI needs a process of reflexivity that universities and public research organizations should adopt as normal component of their research practice, about the ultimate goal of their efforts and the role they have to play in society. Therefore, the internal governance and the decisionmaking inside the research organizations shall evolve toward including the new dimension of responsibility; in this respect, evaluation can have a strong role, supporting the debate, providing evidences about results achieved and open challenges, feeding up learning processes and rethinking about research aims and directions.