Conclusion

Over more than 50 years, approaches to taking ethical and societal issues into account in R&D and innovation have evolved considerably, depending on the stakeholders they are intended to serve, their ability to influence S&T practices and innovation trajectories, and the effects they aim to achieve.

All these methods have significant limitations. None is a "one best way". The actors and stakeholders involved must therefore also discuss and negotiate the choice of approaches. They need to take account of their limitations, particularly those arising from information asymmetries and power relations between players. SHS research in particular, and collective experimentation with new methods, still have a long way to go to equip our societies - especially S&T players, with researchers and engineers at the forefront - to develop technologies that contribute...