Contextualizing Security Innovation: Responsible Research and Innovation at the Smart Border?

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Innovation Studies
• Security Studies

Background:

• European policies increasingly focus on societal challenges through innovation and security.
• Digitized EU border management is a key area where these policies are applied.
• Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is a framework used to guide technology development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the application and challenges of the RRI framework in the context of EU border security innovation.
• To examine how RRI is represented by stakeholders in border security projects.
• To identify the limitations of RRI when applied to security technologies.

Main Methods:

• Case study of the BODEGA project, the first EU-funded research initiative applying RRI to border security.
• Analysis of stakeholder perspectives on RRI implementation, benefits, and challenges.
• Critical examination of RRI's principles (openness, transparency, inclusivity) in the security context.

Main Results:

• RRI creates a space for dialogue but exposes difficulties in governing security innovation responsibly.
• Stakeholders in the BODEGA project reported both benefits and challenges in applying RRI.
• The study found RRI can embody a political agenda, obscure lived experiences, and struggle with practical implementation due to confidentiality.

Conclusions:

• Applying RRI to border security reveals inherent limitations and challenges.
• The framework's principles of openness and transparency are difficult to uphold in practice within security innovation.
• There is a critical need to contextualize RRI for the security field, considering its ethical dimensions and impact on individuals.