Exploring the Business Case for Responsible Research and Innovation

TThe Cambridge Analytica episode shows the responsibility challenges posed by data analytics and smart information systems, and the potential impact of their misuse including misappropriation of personal data, loss of trust in institutions, and reputational and financial damage to businesses.

At the same time, smart information systems offer new opportunities for firms to develop competitive advantage through new capabilities. Emerging technologies such as Hirevue indicate the potential new technologies offer, their implications in terms of personal data processing and operational and strategic human resource management (for example, the competencies required to operate new systems within the framework of employment law), and the extent to which previously-unknown technologies rapidly move into mainstream use with unpredictable consequences.

Responsible Research and Innovation offers a new way to consider issues of responsibility in relation to the management of information systems. The question of whether organisations that innovate responsibly will experience improved results is uncertain, and mirrors long-standing debates in areas such as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and diversity management as to whether there is a business, as well as moral and legal case for responsibility, and if so, the conditions in which benefits can be achieved.

Research in this area has the potential to impact beyond the academic sphere - evidence of business benefits of responsible technology management is of interest both to companies, HR and information systems professionals, and to non-governmental organisations seeking to promote responsible use of technology and personal data.

The research question I will tackle, working in close collaboration with the Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility at De Montfort University is the following:

Which benefits are responsible innovation-related practices associated with for organisations implementing algorithmic technologies?
I will focus on Human Resource Management information systems, and use of personal (for example employee) data.

We will collaborate with over 40 partners drawn from across FMCG and Food; Creative Industries; Health and Wellbeing; Smart Mobility; Finance; Enabling technologies; and Policy, Law and Society. These will benefit from engagement with our CDT through the following established mechanisms:

- Training multi-disciplinary leaders. Our partners will benefit from being able to recruit highly skilled individuals who are able to work across technologies, methods and sectors and in multi-disciplinary teams. We will deliver at least 65 skilled PhD graduates into the Digital Economy.

- Internships. Each Horizon student undertakes at least one industry internship or exchange at an external partner. These internships have a benefit to the student in developing their appreciation of the relevance of their PhD to the external societal and industrial context, and have a benefit to the external partner through engagement with our students and their multidisciplinary skill sets combined with an ability to help innovate new ideas and approaches with minimal long-term risk. Internships are a compulsory part of our programme, taking place in the summer of the first year. We will deliver at least 65 internships with partners.

- Industry-led challenge projects. Each student participates in an industry-led group project in their second year. Our partners benefit from being able to commission focused research projects to help them answer a challenge that they could not normally fund from their core resources. We will deliver at least 15 such projects (3 a year) throughout the lifetime of the CDT.

- Industry-relevant PhD projects. Each student delivers a PhD thesis project in collaboration with at least one external partner who benefits from being able to engage in longer-term and deeper research that they would not normally be able to undertake, especially for those who do not have their own dedicated R&D labs. We will deliver at least 65 such PhDs over the lifetime of this CDT renewal.

- Public engagement. All students receive training in public engagement and learn to communicate their findings through press releases, media coverage.

This proposal introduces two new impact channels in order to further the impact of our students' work and help widen our network of partners.

- The Horizon Impact Fund. Final year students can apply for support to undertake short impact projects. This benefits industry partners, public and third sector partners, academic partners and the wider public benefit from targeted activities that deepen the impact of individual students' PhD work. This will support activities such as developing plans for spin-outs and commercialization; establishing an IP position; preparing and documenting open-source software or datasets; and developing tourable public experiences.

- ORBIT as an impact partner for RRI. Students will embed findings and methods for Responsible Research Innovation into the national training programme that is delivered by ORBIT, the Observatory for Responsible Research and Innovation in ICT (www.orbit-rri.org). Through our direct partnership with ORBIT all Horizon CDT students will be encouraged to write up their experience of RRI as contributions to ORBIT so as to ensure that their PhD research will not only gain visibility but also inform future RRI training and education. PhD projects that are predominantly in the area of RRI are expected to contribute to new training modules, online tools or other ORBIT services.