Ten simple rules on how to develop a stakeholder engagement plan

PLoS Comput Biol. 2022 Oct 13;18(10):e1010520. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010520. eCollection 2022 Oct.

Abstract

To make research responsible and research outcomes meaningful, it is necessary to communicate our research and to involve as many relevant stakeholders as possible, especially in application-oriented-including information and communications technology (ICT)-research. Nowadays, stakeholder engagement is of fundamental importance to project success and achieving the expected impact and is often mandatory in a third-party funding context. Ultimately, research and development can only be successful if people react positively to the results and benefits generated by a project. For the wider acceptance of research outcomes, it is therefore essential that the public is made aware of and has an opportunity to discuss the results of research undertaken through two-way communication (interpersonal communication) with researchers. Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), an approach that anticipates and assesses potential implications and societal expectations regarding research and innovation, aims to foster inclusive and sustainable research and innovation. Research and innovation processes need to become more responsive and adaptive to these grand challenges. This implies, among other things, the introduction of broader foresight and impact assessments for new technologies beyond their anticipated market benefits and risks. Therefore, this article provides a structured workflow that explains "how to develop a stakeholder engagement plan" step by step.

Publication types

  • Editorial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Communication*
  • Humans
  • Research Personnel
  • Stakeholder Participation*

Grants and funding

This publication is based on outputs of the COST Action CHARME supported by COST - European Cooperation in Science and Technology (https://www.cost.eu) funding agreement CA15110, results of the project OXIPRO funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (https://ec.europa.eu) under Grant Agreement No. 101000607 and SB Science Management UG (www.sb-sciencemanagement.com). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.