This section gives you information on the IRRESISTIBLE activities in your country. 

Since we don't have a partner in an English speaking country, there is no national information on this page. Click on the flags to the right, to acess the national page of IRRESISTIBLE in your country/language, or click on the links below to be redirected to the countries that use the international (English) version of this page:

Finland:

RRI blog of the Finnish IRRESISITBLE team: blog

Israel:

IRRESISTIBLE in Israel: webpage | Facebook

Italy:

IRRESISTIBLE in Italy: webpage | webpage | Facebook

Romania:

IRRESISTIBLE in Romania: webpage | Facebook

If you can't find what you are looking for, please contact: info [at] irresistible-project.eu

The goal of the project IRRESISTIBLE is to design activities that foster the involvement of students and the public in the process of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). 

The consortium aims to raise awareness on RRI by increasing pupils' content knowledge about research. This will be achieved by combining formal (school) and informal (science centre, museum or festival) educational approaches to introduce relevant topics and cutting edge research into the programme. By this methodology pupils will be familiarised with science, thus fostering a discussion on RRI issues.

Welcome to our webpage, enjoy reading about the IRRESISTIBLE project! If you have general questions, please don't hesitate to contact our coordinator Jan Apotheker. If you are now interested which activities are going on in your country, please go to the section local info or read the latest news in our blog.

The IRRESISTIBLE project at a glance

During the first phase of the project (2014-15), various modules will be developed. The modules will include inquiry based (IBSE) elements for students and foster the aspects of responsible research and innovation (RRI) in different ways. The module contains detailed descriptions how to integrate the topic in both, formal and informal science learning settings, material for students and background material for teachers. Mid 2015, the modules listed below will be available in local language, i.e. the country's language where it was developed. In Autumn 2015, the modules will be available in many different languages. All modules will be published on SCIENTIX as soon as they are available and then will be linked here.

• Healthy ageing (Netherlands) 
  In this module, biology, chemistry and physics-teachers will work together with researchers from the Carbohydrate Competence Center to develop teaching material about one of their research projects. The aim is to make clear how scientists and the industry work together in implementing fundamental sciences in everyday food products, that are aimed for a more healthy lifestyle. 
  
  
• Genomics and oceanography (Portugal)
  The extension of the continental shelf in order to extend Portuguese jurisdiction beyond the Azores and be granted the right to exploit natural marine resources up to 350 miles off its coast. If validated, this application will double the sea area under Portuguese jurisdiction, passing the area of national jurisdiction of the current 1.8 million kilometers squares to 3.6 million, an approximate area of the European Union as a whole. The Continental Shelf has great potential on natural resources, namely, on living and non-living resources. However, this opportunity raises important issues.

• Oceanography and climate change (Germany) 
  This module spreads light on modern methods and processes used in the field of oceanographic research. By combining chemical, physical and biological building blocks, the module creates an interdisciplinary view on the topic. The different RRI issues will be discussed on a global as well as on a local scale.

• Climate change (Finland)
  Climate change is likely to have substantial environmental, societal, economic and ethical implications worldwide. Atmospheric sciences strive to understand the phenomena and factors that affect global warming, and discuss issues of active public debate.

• Renewable energy sustainability (Israel) 
  Academically and industrially there is increasing awareness that energy and environment present society with issues that are pressing and need to be approach globally. Many of the global effects are driven by two factors: the continuing increase of population and the increasing demand for energy, both from new developing and from the developed countries. If we now include the various environmental concerns that accompany modern society's functioning, this leads to the drive to achieve new energy-generating and – storage capacity via sustainable and clean technology. At the same time, both these concerns and the increasing energy demand, reemphasize the need to accelerate the adoption of more efficient technologies worldwide. The deliberate focus of research and the products of innovation to achieve a social or environmental benefit is the first aspect suggested by Sutcliffe (2011) of an RRI concerns.
  
  
• Nanomaterials (Romania)
  The Module will target on the topic of nanomaterials that can be used in different areas, starting with the renewable energy sector to museum restoration. By sure, nanomaterial structures are understood in a big game, from a macroscopic piece of material, to major nano-stuctures composed atom by atom and molecule by molecule. In particular, related phenomena & typical material usage - including daily applications - can be easily presented and experimented into Science education. The Module will be enriched with application of nanomaterials in nanobiotechnology, especially used for therapeutic issues, but also to nanosensors dedicated to food processing, food safety or biosecurity.
  
  
• Nanoscience (Turkey)
  The nanoscience module will include the fundamental concepts and big ideas of nanoscale science, recent advances in applications of nanotechnology in health sciences, and its social and ethical aspects from the perspective of responsible research and innovation using the method of inquiry-based science education.
  
  Nanoscience applications (Greece)
  Based on the aspect of “size-dependent properties” in the nanoscale the module of the Crete unit will focus on the development of nanomaterials e.g. for Sensing, Optical, Photovoltaic, Optoelectronics, Electronic, Photo Catalytic and Biomedical applications and their impact on many areas of technological and societal development with respect to responsible research & innovation.
  
  
• Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (Italy) 
  Starting from the applications of nanotechnology the module aims to enhance students’ awareness of the importance of science in everyday life and to promote chemistry and physics knowledge needed to understand uses and implications of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Ethical problems connected to the development of nanotechnology will be part of the module, as well as the historical background of the atomic and molecular theories that enables students to better understand the nanoworld.

• Nanotechnology (catalysis) (Poland)
  This module will focus on scale-dependent properties of nanocrystals and nanoporous materials and their applications in catalytic processes used in environmental protection. Basic concepts of nanoscience, nanotechnology and catalysis will be introduced by means of inquiry based learning activities and exemplified by the current research results and applications. Potential of nanotechnology in answering the societal needs as well as health and environmental risks related to widespread use of nanomaterials will be addressed.

 If you have questions about the modules, please contact the referring partner in the country where it was developed.

Since 2010 the focus of the Science in Society framework of the EU has been the development of a framework for Responsible Research and Innovation. Responsible Research and Innovation asks for a close cooperation between society and research. One of the first requirements for such a framework is the contact between the different stakeholders. In the project IRRESISTIBLE we raise the awareness about the relation between research and society among young people with a special focus on school students and their teachers as intermediates.

Hilary Sutcliffe defines in her report on Responsible Research and Innovation (Sutcliffe, 2011) a number of aspects of RRI:

• Engagement: joint participation of researchers, industry and civil society in the research and innovation process
• Gender equality: unlocking the full potential of society
• Science education: creative education to foster the future needs of society
• Ethics: including societal relevance and acceptability of research and innovation outcomes
• Open access: free, online access to the results of publicly funded research
• Governance: the responsibility of policy makers to develop harmonious models for RRI

These issues will be adressed in all ten teaching modules developed in this project.

_{Sutcliffe, H. (2011). A report on responsible research and innovation. Brussels: Matter.}