Responsible research and innovation and social licence to operate: aligning concepts for advancing marine innovation and development governance

Considering social expectations is important when adopting new technologies, however, they do not necessarily align. Identifying societal values, and the ways that social actors, are involved in science and innovation processes are critical. Two concepts are gaining attention around the social context of technology – Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) and Social Licence to Operate (SLO). Both have different histories, but grapple with the interface of society and technology, especially implementation and sustainability of innovation. We review recent RRI and SLO literature, focusing on the marine sector, highlighting similarities across these rarely combined concepts. We suggest that SLO and RRI share much commonality, and there is considerable potential for different fields of scholarship to learn from each other. The themes that emerge through our analysis indicate ways in which SLO and RRI could be considered, linked, and aligned. These include careful consideration and involvement of the social context in governance; stakeholders and relationships; social values and attitudes; and legitimacy, credibility and trust.