"Innovation is one of our most powerful tools for tackling the defining challenges of our time. That is why ethical reflection and entrepreneurial thinking must go hand in hand from the very beginning."  (Nico Brähler, Geschäftsführer von ARRTI)

The KIT Academy for Responsible Research, Teaching, and Innovation (ARRTI) supports researchers, faculty, and students across all disciplines in critically reflecting on their scientific, teaching, and innovative practices. With this online masterclass, we aim to empower aspiring founders to integrate ethical considerations into the innovation and development process from the very beginning, thereby understanding ethics as a catalyst for new product and design ideas. It is designed as a purely online course to give founders the opportunity to further their education on ethical aspects early on in labor- and time-intensive spin-off processes. This ensures that aspects of corporate responsibility, such as environmental sustainability and the social implications of innovations, are addressed right from the start of the research and innovation process. Otherwise, ethical aspects often appear as a checklist at the end of a long development phase—and in the worst case, can lead to the project idea being scrapped or to long delays, for example in the health tech or IT security sectors.

Founders should learn to contextualize their responsibilities within societal frameworks and to exercise them thoughtfully. Particularly in the field of IT development, this competency is increasingly expected—both by companies and by the students themselves.

The masterclass is designed by ARRTI, the KIT Academy for Responsible Research, Teaching, and Innovation, and developed and conducted in cooperation with EnTechnon. Under the motto “Broadening the Space for Design Through Responsible Innovation,” this one-day professional development program aims to equip participants with the skills to broaden their perspectives and actively integrate ethical considerations into the innovation process. Specifically, the program focuses on raising awareness and providing training in:

• Aspects of responsibility in innovation and development
• Engaging with stakeholders: Inclusion and transparency in innovation
• Methods for transdisciplinary research: Effective collaboration across disciplinary boundaries
• Critical reflection as a core competency for interdisciplinary collaborations
• Skills for identifying ethical pitfalls early on
• Framing development and design questions

Your funding enables the conceptualization of the course as well as the recording of the online teaching modules, which will then be available to (future) founders in the coming years. The course is primarily aimed at doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers, but can also be taken by advanced master’s students.