Introduction

To strengthen CaSE’s extensive public opinion research and support work towards creating a society-centred vision for R&D, CaSE commissioned a deeper exploration of the public’s views through a public dialogue focused on society’s stake in R&D. This was delivered by National Centre for Social Research’s Centre for Deliberation and the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement.

Following input from five workshops with R&D stakeholders across the UK and an Expert Group convened for this project, CaSE identified the following four research questions:

• Understand people’s emotional connection to R&D.
• Identify principles for involvement in R&D.
• Understand the motivators and barriers to getting involved in R&D.
• Understand what the public value about involvement in R&D.

The dialogue brought together a diverse group of 33 people from across the UK to explore their emotional connection to, and public involvement in, R&D, to work towards a society-centred vision for involvement in R&D. Participants took part in ten hours of dialogue across four online sessions. Participants heard information from CaSE and other R&D specialists across the first two sessions before developing a set of People’s Principles for Involvement in R&D in the second two sessions. All workshops were facilitated by NatCen and NCCPE.

Key findings

During the dialogue, participants moved from feeling largely ambivalent towards R&D and the public’s involvement in it, with some expressing excitement and others some fear or distrust, to largely positive about it, with almost no ambivalence and a reduction in fear or distrust. This evolution appears to have resulted from two things: learning more about the range of ways the public are involved in R&D already and the positive experience of involvement in this dialogue process.

Consequently, the People’s Principles developed by participants highlight the importance of increasing awareness of involvement in R&D through communicating the benefits for participants, researchers, and wider society. Underpinning all these benefits was the idea that public involvement should use the public’s expertise to add value for society. The People’s Principles (which can be found in full on this page) show what would increase connection with, and trust in, R&D, as well as reduce participants’ concerns that involvement could be tokenistic.