At the INORMS Conference in Madrid (May 2025), the workshop “FORGING Toolbox for development and early implementation of emerging technologies” invited participants to explore practical methods for embedding responsibility, ethics, and inclusivity in innovation processes.
The FORGING Toolbox maps four phases of the innovation journey – research, development, early implementation, and scaling – offering co-creative tools to anticipate societal impacts, address risks, and support pathways for responsible technology development and adoption. During the session, Jorge Martins and Sofi Kurki from VTT guided participants through the cross analysis of futures workshops and perspective cards as selected examples of methodologies and tools with promising translation potential and high usability across multiple use contexts.
Participants emphasised the value of these tools for research governance, strategic development, teaching, and policy design. Insights highlighted their potential application in supporting responsible AI in environmental sciences, integrating ethics into engineering curricula, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, and enabling creative team building. Groups also reflected on equity, diversity, and inclusion concerns, noting the importance of accessibility and diverse participation formats.
The workshop demonstrated the Toolbox’s potential to strengthen innovation cultures by encouraging dialogue across disciplines and stakeholders. By doing so, it supports anticipatory, ethical, and inclusive shaping of emerging technologies.