This report proposes a shared international definition of societal impact in research and innovation. It unpacks the choices behind each term (what is included, what is not, and why) and addresses the ambiguities that often weaken impact discussions in institutional settings.

It is a reference document developed within the High Level Forum (an international network of innovation ecosystems bringing together research institutions, industry leaders, and public decision-makers) through the Societal Impact Working Group led by SoScience.

It is particularly useful for structuring conversations in research organizations, aligning stakeholders, or challenging narrow interpretations of impact limited to economic or technological outputs.

Based on field interviews conducted with deeptech startups and innovation support actors, the report explores several structural issues that frequently emerge during early-stage Deep Tech development: impact projection versus measurement, rebound effects, multisector technological applications, and the difficulty of integrating environmental considerations into strategic R&D choices.

The report (in French) was produced by SoScience with Bpifrance.

Beyond impact assessment itself, it highlights a broader ecosystem challenge: many support structures surrounding Deep Tech entrepreneurship remain insufficiently equipped to help startups operationalize environmental impact considerations during early technological development.

You can find a discussion on the report's result in this recording of the roundtable organized during BIG 2024 by Bpifrance (in French).

Public-Planet Partnerships (PPP) is a framework developed jointly by SoScience and 3BL Associates to explore a simple but largely overlooked question: what would change if ecosystems, species, and natural processes were considered legitimate stakeholders in innovation and development?

Positioned at the intersection of responsible innovation, systems thinking, and regenerative design, PPP proposes practical tools and case studies to help organizations build mutually beneficial collaborations between human systems and the living world. Rather than treating nature only as a constraint, a resource, or an inspiration, the framework explores how it can become an actual partner in problem-solving and governance processes.

You can access to the original Stanford Social Innovation Review article that introduce the PPP concept, browse the Public Planet Partnership website to find examples of interspecies collaborations and open tools or watch the video below. It may be particularly useful for innovators and organizations working on sustainability, governance, or the future of innovation systems.

The Rome Declaration is a foundational European policy document that helped formalise the principles of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) across EU research and innovation systems.

The declaration played a key role in shaping the RRI framework later embedded in Horizon 2020 and subsequent European research programmes. It emphasises that research and innovation are deeply embedded in social contexts, requiring anticipatory governance, reflexivity, and inclusive participation.

This resource provides direct access to the original declaration so that practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and citizens can easily consult the source text rather than relying on secondary interpretations. It is intended as a reference point for anyone working on responsible innovation, science-society relations, or the governance of emerging technologies.