Issue 11 | December 2024
Welcome to the latest from our Responsible Innovation Future Science Platform (RI FSP).
We are entering the final six months of our FSP journey, as we prepare to wrap up in June 2025. Now more than ever, we're focused on delivering impactful science and reflecting on the key breakthroughs that have defined our research. One key factor has proven to be the cornerstone of impactful and sustainable innovation: and that is trust. Public trust in science is a critical driver of social benefit.
But it's complex. We're not just asking whether people trust science. We're digging deeper to understand what actually builds that trust. Our researchers have been uncovering the factors that underpin trust in emerging science and technology, enabling us to design innovations that are safe, sustainable, and equitable.
This serves to align leading-edge research with societal expectations, while avoiding unintended consequences. Among the scientific breakthroughs I am incredibly proud of is the first statistical model linking responsible innovation, trust and societal expectations.
Recently, we have also seen that trust in action. At CSIRO's biennial agrifood innovation event, AgCatalyst, we presented our interactive 'Trust Flower' activation and discussed how responsible innovation is shaping the future of Australia's emerging white flesh fish industry. As the flower bloomed through the course of the day, with each petal representing a mini-survey response, we saw the vast majority of participants recording high trust in science.
Earlier in the year, in collaboration with the University of Tasmania, we launched our new undergraduate course on responsible and sustainable innovation. In it, students tackled real-world challenges through exciting case studies of future science. Following its success, we're thrilled to be offering it again in 2025.
Trust has also been an important part of our national and international conversations. Professor Alondra Nelson's recent visit to Australia gave our leaders and researchers the chance to learn from her international expertise on advancing trust, fairness, and prosperity for citizens and communities.
At the OECD in Paris, we joined global conversations on leveraging innovations for societal good. And at SxSW, in partnership with our Advanced Engineering Biology FSP, we shared our passion for responsible science on stage - featuring dinosaurs and kombucha!
As always, thank you for your continued support as we advance responsible innovation at CSIRO.
Dr Justine Lacey