There is continuous progress in systems medicine, multi-scale modelling and patient-specific modelling aspects. But these opportunities have been inconstantly explored for the entire chain of health and disease. Thus, there are very few in well-being, prevention or rehabilitation while these areas are crucial for reducing healthcare needs, building sustainable healthcare and for assuring a healthy and motivated workforce.
Economic damage costs from extreme hydro-meteorological events (such as floods, droughts, storm surges, landslides) are increasing throughout Europe. Further investment in traditional, engineering solutions for risk prevention is no longer possible in several cases, due to the very high costs, and to the limited flexibility offered by such solutions to cope with extreme events for which changes in frequency, intensity and distribution may be expected due to climate change.
Key institutions like universities and funding agencies are changing, in general and occasionally with respect to RRI issues. In calls for ‘civic universities’ or 'citizen companies' one can see RRI issues at play, without necessarily having them labelled as such.
Gender equality strategy in research and innovation policy is given a growing attention at the level research performing organizations, including universities and funding organisations, in particular through institutional change and with the objectives of:
Due to economic problems and social change many historic assets have been facing functional redundancy. These assets are mostly churches no longer used for worship, industrial buildings no longer used for manufacturing, farm buildings no longer used for agriculture, cultural landscapes which are degrading etc. In most instances, the costs for the adaptive re-use of these assets cannot be supported by the public sector or by traditional private sector models relying on return on investment.
Much analysis has been carried out on the importance of science education both in schools and in higher education. However, science education outside the classroom, which refers to informal science education, and the science education effects of non-educational activities, are not well explored in their nature and effects. Acquiring knowledge, and in particular, evaluating knowledge, often with the help of the Internet, is what is frequently happening in reality, and should be recognised for what it contributes in terms of more sophisticated consumers and scientific citizenship.
The concept of 'borders' has changed in recent times. The purpose and function of borders have been, and remain, to delineate and demarcate one sovereignty from another. However, borders must also allow for the smooth movement of people and goods.
At the moment, 'a linked-up global world of RRI', is a future, and speculative, perspective. But the world is definitely linked-up, and there is recurrent mention of, and occasional work on, RRI-type issues all over the world. In the field of nanotechnology, for some time (since the early 2000s) there were platforms and spaces for dialogue. What is the role of regulation and of civil society in a linked-up global society? What is the role of industry, with the dynamics of firms wanting to appear as 'good firms' rather than the contrary?