Responsible Research and Innovation in Construction

The issue of ethics and responsibility is gaining attention among the creators of scientific policy, funding agencies and society at large. Responsible research is defined as research that aligns both the process and the outcomes with the values, needs and expectations of society. In an EU funded project “Responsible Research and Innovation in Information and Communication Technology (ICT)” a four dimensional framework for defining and monitoring responsibility in that kind of research projects has been defined. The four dimensions are (1) actors who are responsible or to whom research is responsible, (2) kinds of responsibility - in what way are they responsible, (3) how much they are responsible and (4) in what area of ICT responsible research and innovation can take place. After presenting the framework we apply the concept of responsibility to research in the field of architecture, engineering and construction (AEC). We are finding that the particular feature that sets responsibility in construction apart from other research topics is the impact it has on life and safety of large number of people and on the critical infrastructures. While responsibility is important we conclude with a warning that the first responsibility of research is scientific quality and that other responsibilities cannot be a substitute for that.