Synopsis
This presentation foregrounds the Social Lab methodology as a participatory, bottom-up approach for integrating environmental and climate ethics into research integrity. Using the RE4GREEN project as a case study, it shows how Social Labs enabled cross-sectoral stakeholder engagement to identify ethical challenges, governance gaps, and responsibilities in research and innovation. It demonstrates how insights generated through Social Labs informed guidelines, training, and policy recommendations aimed at systemic change in research culture.
Abstract
Research and Innovation (R&I) activities have significant environmental impacts (Potjomkina 2026). While the 2017 revision of the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity acknowledged this by extending the notion of respect to include ecosystems, cultural heritage, and the environment, the concrete implications for academic integrity and research practice still need to be developed (ALLEA 2017). Addressing this gap is one of the central aims of the Horizon Europe–funded project Research Ethics and Integrity for the GREEN Transition (RE4GREEN).
RE4GREEN builds on a scoping review of the academic literature the of environmental ethics, environmental justice, climate ethics, climate justice, and research ethics and integrity (Bourban et al. 2026). This review provides a solid conceptual basis for identifying cross-cutting ethical challenges and for informing the development of practical guidelines and training materials. However, integrating environmental and climate ethics into academic practice requires a substantial shift in how research ethics and integrity are currently understood within the European research community (Samuel/Richie 2023). Such a transformation cannot be achieved without broad, bottom-up engagement of relevant stakeholders.
To this end, RE4GREEN conducted eight Social Labs (Marschalek et al. 2022) over a period of one and a half years (starting in April 2024), bringing together participants from across sectors and R&I domains across the European Research Area, as well as from South Africa and Japan. These Social Labs created participatory spaces to explore and address environmental ethical challenges in R&I, particularly in the context of the Green Transition.
In an initial phase, the Social Lab leaders familiarized themselves with Horizon Europe’s funding architecture, aligning their thematic areas with its six clusters, five missions, and selected partnerships. Drawing on more than 120 interviews and two rounds of participatory workshops, participants identified cross-cutting concerns including resource use and intensity, the environmental impacts of R&I practices, techno-economic challenges, and issues of justice and equity. Reflective exercises enabled participants to critically assess how their own R&I activities both support and undermine the Green Transition and to identify possible avenues for change.
A central insight from this phase was the need for cross-sectoral collaboration, inclusive governance structures, and clearly defined responsibilities at all levels—from individual researchers and institutions to funding bodies and international policy frameworks. Participants emphasized that meaningful progress requires systemic reforms in governance, funding mechanisms, and institutional priorities, as well as stronger commitments to epistemic justice and inclusive participation.
Subsequent Social Labs focused on refining RE4GREEN’s policy recommendations, competency framework, and training approach. Discussions highlighted that environmental and climate ethics in R&I cannot be addressed at the project level alone. Participants stressed the importance of stronger institutional responsibility, better alignment with existing governance and funding processes, and clearer guidance on the practical application of the Do No Significant Harm (DNSH) principle.
Across all Social Labs, participants pointed to fragmented policy landscapes, weak enforcement mechanisms, and a persistent gap between formal responsibility and practical action. Insights from the Social Labs conducted in Japan and South Africa further underscored how local contexts, governance structures, and historically entrenched power relations shape both experiences of environmental harm and capacities for ethical responsibility and change.
Within RE4GREEN, insights from the Social Labs informed all major project activities, starting with the identification and prioritizing of cross-cutting issues between RE&I and environmental ethics to providing practical feedback to the developed guidelines and training materials.
This presentation has two main aims. First, it introduces the Social Lab methodology as implemented in RE4GREEN, using the project as an illustrative case to demonstrate the value of bottom-up approaches for fostering change in research culture. Key methodological lessons and challenges will be discussed. Second, it presents substantive findings from the Social Labs, focusing on their implications for guideline development, training design, and institutional responsibility in R&I.
The presentation begins with an overview of the scope and objectives of RE4GREEN, followed by an explanation of the methodological role and function of Social Labs within the project. RE4GREEN’s work on DNSH, guidelines, and training materials is then introduced, alongside insights from their discussion and refinement within the Social Labs. Practical experiences from the Bonn Social Lab are shared as a concrete example. The presentation concludes by highlighting key findings from the two Social Lab Implementation Reports and reflecting on their broader relevance for advancing environmental and climate ethics in research and innovation.
Key words
Research ethics, research integrity, Green Transition, environmental ethics, Social Labs, bottom-up engagement, training development, research governance
References
All European Academies (ALLEA). (2023). The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity – Revised Edition 2023. Berlin, Germany: All European Academies. https://doi.org/10.26356/ECOC
Bourban, M., Lenzi, D., Sørensen, M., et al. (2026). Convergences and gaps between environmental ethics, climate ethics, and research ethics: A scoping review. Science and Engineering Ethics, 32, 11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-025-00575-8
Marschalek, I., Blok, V., Bernstein, M., Braun, R., Cohen, J., Hofer, M., et al. (2022). The social lab as a method for experimental engagement in participatory research. Journal of Responsible Innovation, 9(3), 419–442. https://doi.org/10.1080/23299460.2022.2119003
Potjomkina, D. (2026). Briefing paper: The environmental impact of science: Why we need more sustainable research. Science Europe. Retrieved February 9, 2026, from https://www.scienceeurope.org/media/qdxjlhlk/202601-science-europe-briefing-environmental-impact-science.pdf
Samuel, G., Richie, C. (2022). Reimagining research ethics to include environmental sustainability: A principled approach, including a case study of data-driven health research. Journal of Medical Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1136/jme-2022-108489