Jan Peter Balkenende, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, challenged 45 students during the kick-off meeting of the joint minor 'Responsible Innovation'. He gave examples and experiences drawn from past and current practices. One example of responsible innovation Balkenende gave is the WAKAWAKA flashlight, a solar powered device that gives light. The WAKAWAKA flashlight is being used in developing countries by people who do not have access to electricity and are now using kerosene which is unhealthy and dangerous.
Expertise and traditions of three universities
On September 1 the kick-off meeting of the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus minor (2nd year) on ‘Responsible Innovation’ took place. The students were welcomed and introduced to the minor by Jeroen van den Hoven, professor of Ethics and Technology at Delft University of Technology: “This minor is unique because it combines the expertise and traditions of three universities with different backgrounds. Therefore students will get a 360 degree perspective on responsible innovation.”
It’s all about values
Responsible Innovation has become central to European Union policy for science, technology and innovation and is necessary to solve today’s and future grand challenges like climate change and quality of life in a changing world where we need to deal with issues like the ‘sharing economy’ and the ‘internet of things’.
'It's all about values'. Interview met coördinator Phil Robichaud
That will make us think!
Amalia Kallergi is a research fellow at the Centre for the Arts in Society at Leiden University and teaches Ethics, culture and biotechnology, one of the minor’s six thematic modules. “In this course we teach the students to realize the cultural and artistic consequences of biotechnology. We emphasize the artistic and cultural perspectives. Some concepts are hard to define: what is nature?, what is health? We need to understand these concepts from different perspectives and not only that of the scientist or the entrepreneurs.“
The students were excited about learning from different disciplines. “We will learn to look beyond our own expertise. We will experience that our blind spots will be noticed. That will make us think! “
MOOC
The Leiden-Delft-Erasmus minor ‘Responsible Innovation’ was launched in 2014-2015. This is the second year the minor is running and 45 students from different disciplines subscribed to the minor. Also a seven week Leiden-Delft-Eramsus MOOC on responsible innovation has started.