The next generation of scientists will bring valuable skills in sustainable innovation to their future work, thanks to a partnership between the University of Tasmania and Australia's national science agency, CSIRO .
Drawing from five years of research in CSIRO's Responsible Innovation Future Science Platform , the two organisations have co-developed a first-of-its-kind unit for undergraduate students: Responsible and Sustainable Innovation .
Dr Justine Lacey, Acting Deputy Director at CSIRO and a leading authority in responsible innovation, said the unit equipped students to think critically through the social, ethical and legal consequences of emerging science and technology.
"By gathering these skills, students will be empowered to help address some of society's biggest sustainability challenges," Dr Lacey said.
"Future science and technology hold incredible potential to transform society; however, we must deliberately consider how they can best contribute to a just, fair and more sustainable world, and avoid unintended negative consequences wherever possible."
With real-world case studies from food and agriculture to health and biosecurity, the unit supports industry needs by developing work-ready graduates who understand innovation's broader consequences.
Dr. Kamal Singh, Lecturer in Sustainability from the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture at the University of Tasmania, said students covered topics including the ethics of using animal studies to develop vaccines, the risk and benefits of technologies that speed up natural cycles to remove carbon dioxide, and social acceptance of alternative proteins, like insects, and plant and lab-based protein options.
"This isn't a subject just for science students; it's for anyone interested in the social, political and ethical dimensions of future-shaping, disruptive technologies," Dr Singh said.
"We want to build the capacity of students across different disciplines to embody a sense of responsibility in the innovation and associated research processes they may one day be involved in and that will shape our collective future."
Insights from CSIRO-based industry professionals form a key part of the unit, as they share their own experiences with students, including exploring the kinds of challenges they experience in their scientific work, and what 'responsibility' means in their research.
CSIRO behavioural scientist and unit contributor, Dr Sinead Golley, said that, in her experience, novel technologies around alternative proteins are not just a technical challenge but also one of social acceptance.
"Even if people recognise the ethical and environmental justification for alternative proteins, they may question their impacts, benefits and risks; building trust then becomes an important part of the process of innovation," Dr Golley said.
Responsible and Sustainable Innovation is a compulsory first-year unit under the Science and Industry Complementary Major within the Bachelor of Science (P3O) . The Science and Industry Complementary Major was designed in response to industry needs for work-ready graduates across diverse sectors.
This unit will be offered again in Semester 2, 2025 and presents an exciting elective subject option for a broad range of University of Tasmania students.
