Responsible innovation: "Listen carefully to what users want"

Wouter Boon, professor of Innovation and Transition Studies will deliver his inaugural lecture entitled 'Responsible scaling of innovations for societal challenges' on 2 June 2025. Complex societal issues such as sustainability and health require innovative solutions, but how can these be made available in a responsible way? We interviewed him about his research and the importance of studying innovation and transitions.

Why is responsible scaling of innovation especially important right now?

"Innovation is more than just making an invention. Through experiments or prototypes, you can bring something to market, but making a new product or service widely available can have negative consequences. You may run into societal problems, for instance, if your innovation is polluting. When thinking early in the innovation process about how to bring something to market, it is important to also consider the societal impact of scaling up your innovation. That includes, for example, ethical or legal implications, but also the impact on social relationships and sustainability.

We are currently witnessing a decline in freedom of movement around the world. Trade wars between the US, China and Europe, and actual wars in other regions. This may slow the spread of innovation, with both advantages and disadvantages. In Europe, for example, we may not be able to use the latest forms of AI. But at the same time, this may give us an opportunity to develop our own tools that align more closely with European values like privacy and the prevention of misuse."

Your research focuses specifically on 'responsible scaling of innovations'. What does that mean?

"Innovation only truly has impact when it is actually used. Responsible scaling means involving a broad group of stakeholders from the very beginning of the innovation process. That involves working toward better alignment of regulations, user practices, business models, public values, and societal missions, such as accessibility, efficiency, and ethical considerations.

That can also mean thinking carefully about the speed at which you innovate. Innovation always requires a balance between quick accessibility and quality. During the COVID-19 crisis, we saw that a vaccine could suddenly be brought to market very quickly. Production, clinical trials, data collection, and investments all happened in a different, accelerated way. That proved to be very effective, but at the same time, some people began to question the legitimacy of the vaccines and how they were developed. If only you want, a lot can be done, but it can come at the expense of legitimacy."

Innovate for profit or for society – are these values in conflict?

"That's the big question. Companies are efficient at innovating because they don't want to be overtaken by the competition or become obsolete. Their survival and profits depend on it. Nokia was very successful with the first generation of mobile phones until they were overtaken by Apple and the smartphone. The profit motive sometimes allows companies to innovate more efficiently than governments and consumer organisations.

On the other hand, we cannot just allow companies to innovate without limits, because social values matter too. Silicon Valley was able to innovate without much pushback for years, proudly embracing the motto of 'act first, ask permission later'. A good example of this is Uber, which introduced a new service and only later looked at whether it fitted in with the taxi policies of different countries. Regulations can sometimes get in the way of innovation, but that doesn’t mean that companies always make choices that serve the public good. For instance, there is little investment in innovations for rare diseases, especially in the Global South, because there is a bigger market for more common diseases in the Global North. That is also something I–together with colleagues–do research on: how can hospitals make their own innovative oncology products without the involvement of companies - and is that even desirable?"

What does it look like when stakeholders are involved in the innovation process?

"The key is making sure that user needs are as closely aligned as possible with what the innovators are developing. For example, I am currently working on a project about MRI scanners in hospitals. A new MRI scanner is being developed that can scan much more quickly. At first glance, this seems like a positive change, but it also affects the workflow of radiologists. And patients told us that what mattered most to them was not how long they had to lie in the MRI, but how long they had to wait for their results after the scan. If you can scan more patients per day, that also means a radiologist has more scans to review, which could increase the wait time for results. The different voices and experiences in the innovation process should be seen as equally valuable and considered accordingly.

This example really shows how many different factors can play a role in innovation, and how important it is to include these perspectives early in the process. In the end, that leads to a better solution: one that is more widely supported and more effective overall.”