Paper short abstract:

Through a policy immersion program, participants better understand the complicated sociotechnical factors that make it so difficult to foster innovation that leads to more just and sustainable outcomes. The program also works to overcome those barriers through building capacities and relationships.

Paper long abstract:

In both the USA and Canada, three of the main methods for integrating broader societal responsibility into research systems include: 1) funding criteria (e.g. broader impacts or knowledge mobilization) 2) specific policy initiatives (e.g. ELSI initiatives) and, 3) explicit STS scholarship (e.g. technology assessment). This paper analyses an attempt to intervene, interrogate and coordinate across these three spheres through a policy immersion training program for gradate students in the sciences and engineering. The program, Science Outside the Lab, has been run for a decade in Washington, DC. It is now being expanded to Canada (Ottawa, ON, and Montreal, QC) in 2016. Through an immersive, experienced-based approach, students explore how societal values shape their own research, and how values and research come together to inform decisions in government. Over a period of one to two weeks, students meet and engage with actors who fund, regulate, shape, critique, publicize, and study science and technology. Based on observational and program evaluation data, we show that all actors involved in the program (students, policy professionals, and STS scholars/organizers) come to better understand the complicated sociotechnical factors that make it so difficult to foster innovation that leads to more just and sustainable outcomes. At the same time, the program works to overcome those barriers through building capacities and relationships. The research thus contributes to STS scholarship on responsible innovation and on interventionist research approaches.