Abstract

Science and innovation are becoming increasingly important in the South-East European countries. Although the topic of responsible research and innovation (RRI) has gained credibility in the world’s scientific thinking and in European Union policy over recent years, RRI is a relatively new concept for the transition economies, including many countries in the South-East Europe area. This chapter is mostly based on the results of the Facilitating Responsible Innovation in South East European Countries (FaRInn) project. Starting from an overview of the geographical context, we summarize the most important achievements of the project, demonstrating the challenges facing countries with changing innovation environments. The description includes the results of surveys carried out on the innovation pipeline and examples of pilot actions undertaken to test RRI models. Based on these results, we formulate a proposal for a process of RRI implementation in this region that takes into consideration its specific socio-economic conditions.