On 19 April 2023 in occasion of the ISW General Assembly, the Life Sciences and Society Lab (KU Leuven) and the Virtual Physiological Human Institute (VPHi) organized a workshop on Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI)
One of the many goals of the ISW project is to monitor the perception of computer modeling and simulation among the in silico trials community and to promote citizen trust in in silico technologies, by developing a responsible in silico medicine research and innovation strategy.
The aim of this workshop was to discuss the possible ethical, legal, and societal barriers throughout the innovation process.
The workshop was held in Bologna (Italy) and brought together 40 experts from the different ISW work packages and competence fields. It was a significant step in the developed RRI approach within the project.
After a brief introduction to the concept of Responsible Research and Innovation, KU Leuven and VPHi colleagues gave a presentation on the findings of the three conducted ISW focus groups in Leuven, Bologna, and Budapest between June 2022 and January 2023 – where public, patients, medical doctors, legal, social and policy experts, industry representatives were invited to sit around a table with in silico researchers to discuss the ethical, legal, social, and technical implications of in silico medicine.
Participants then engaged in group conversations to discuss potential governance solutions for in silico medicine and were invited to reflect on what role they can play to overcome some of the identified barriers.
The discussions were lively and constructive, with participants sharing their experiences and insights on the opportunities and challenges of in silico medicine. Overall, the workshop provided an excellent platform to engage in a meaningful dialogue on the ethical, legal, and societal dimensions of in silico medicine.
