Innovative SMEs and research institutions from 8 European countries participated in testing a method that was created in the USA but adapted to the special innovation characteristics of the Danube region. STIR method is a method that helps Research and Innovation actors to take steps towards responsible research and innovation (RRI) implementation.

There  are  several  methods  with  which  the  academic  researchers  try  to  increase  the  consciousness  of  the  scientist  during  their  research  activities  (real  time  management,  living  labs,  forums,  etc.). STIR is for sure one of them as social and technical integration during Research, Development and Innovation activities need more attention.  As such, future results of D-STIR project (Danube Framework for Responsible Research and Innovation using Socio-Technical Integrating) will present valuable information for Danube region and Europe as a whole.

It is widely acknowledged that responsible management of the innovation supply and demand chain requires interregional input. For this purpose, D-STIR project is geographically spread and includes 8 countries from Danube region that represent the varied levels of development and innovation maturity. It also represents a variety of innovation players. This is one of the main project’s added values to Danube region.

Consortium of partners of D-STIR project gathered for 6th transnational project event and study visit held during 19th-20th of June, in Stuttgart, Germany. Meeting was organised by German partner Baden-Württemberg: Connected e.V. - a network of excellent research institutions and powerful industrial. The intense and hard working days were of high importance as we presented first results of D-STIR application. Application of STIR method was conducted during Pilot Actions in academic and business environments in Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Partners at the conference on engineering technology and innovation in Stuttgart (ICE/IEEE).

Partners’ meeting coincided with international conference on engineering technology and innovation in Stuttgart (ICE/IEEE). Topics related with innovation covered among others Living-Labs & Open-Innovation, Technology & Trend Foresight Management, Design-enabled Innovation in Cities, Digital Simulation of Business Models and Responsible Research and Innovation. Beata Udvari and Nikoletta Nadas, representatives of the project’s partner First Hungarian Responsible Innovation Association (Hungary) presented the topics of RRI and the socio-technical research integration in conjunction with industry 4.0, digitalization, robotics, self-driving cars.

Partners’ consortium is also anticipating 7th transnational project event and study visit in Prague, Czech Republic – organized by Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences.