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Paper short abstract:

In our paper we argue that the firms’ collaboration (knowledge & technology) network is the main mediator for the implementation of RI activities in the innovation process, and that network as a platform is the quickest way to disseminate the integration of RI activities into the business practices.

Paper long abstract:

Based on the assumption that the integration of Responsible Innovation (RI) activities (anticipation, inclusion, responsiveness, and reflexivity (AIRR)) into the whole innovation process (Stilgoe, Owen, and Macnaghten, 2013) can help companies best to achieve Responsible Innovation, yet in practice companies apply these activities just right before innovation commercialization (cf. Blok, Hoffmans and Wubben, 2015). Therefore, our research question is how to ensure that RI activities (AIRR) would be integrated from the very beginning and throughout the innovation process in R&D and knowledge intensive firms?

To explore this new phenomenon, we conducted 8 case studies within high innovation intensity and ethical sensitivity sector companies (medical engineering and pharmaceuticals). The results were analyzed with qualitative and mixed methods data analysis software Maxqda12, which allowed us to conclude that the implementation of RI in knowledge intensive firms is depended on their overall network, which consists of: 1) external-institutional network (NGOs, stakeholders, ethics committees, etc.), which forces companies to comply with the minimum requirements of the legal environment and societal norms; 2) collaboration network, which is rich in knowledge (i.e. academia, existing and possible consumers, etc.) and provides the technological capabilities (partners, clusters, associations) that are needed by the companies to exploit their innovations. Thus, we argue that the firms' collaboration (knowledge and technology) network is the main force and mediator for the implementation of RI activities in the innovation process, and that network as a platform is the quickest way to disseminate the integration of RI activities into the business practices.