Understand the Diversity Score, the Innovation Quadruple Helix (QH) and Beneficiaries

With this article, you will understand the importance of having a diversified and complementary team for your R&I project.

With the Diversity score, we encourage projects to have the most diverse and balanced groups of stakeholders as possible.

The Diversity score is divided into 5 levels:

1. 0 - Missing project members to get a score
   
2. 1 - Team represents 1/4 of the Innovation Quadruple helix
   
3. 2 - Team represents 2/4 of the Innovation Quadruple helix
   
4. 3 - Team represents 3/4 of the Innovation Quadruple helix or at least 3 partners with a beneficiary representative
5. 4 - Team represents at least 3/4 of the Innovation Quadruple helix with a beneficiary representative

What is the Quadruple helix? 

As a reference for diversity, we use the Quadruple helix (QH) innovation model that includes the four major sectors of society: industry, government, research institutes, and civil society. 

A variation of this model adds a fifth helix (the environment), called the Quintuple helix.  Within this framework, the natural environments of society and the economy are also seen as drivers for knowledge production and innovation.

Source : Carayannis, E.G., Barth, T.D. & Campbell, D.F. The Quintuple Helix innovation model: global warming as a challenge and driver for innovation. J Innov Entrep 1, 2 (2012).

Gathering a diversity of stakeholders along the QH implies taking into account an ecosystem perspective on the topic or challenge addressed. The more diverse are the stakeholders, the more numerous and different are the points of view and experiences allowing for systemic thinking and potential synergies.

Gathering a diversity of stakeholders along the QH allowing for multi-stakeholder interactions is a prerequisite to implement a Responsible Research and Innovation (“RRI”). Co-creation with a diversity of stakeholders is what differentiates RRI from traditional research and innovation processes that often takes place between the research helix and private helix only.

What is a beneficiary representative? 

Beneficiaries are individuals or groups directly affected by the impact of your research and innovation project, those who will benefit from the deployed solution.

Integrating a beneficiary representative into your team is key:

• to develop a relevant and effective overall solution during the research phase.
• to benefit from your beneficiaries’ experiences, opinions, recommendations, or ideas is key to shape your solution.

⚠️ Warning: a common mistake is to stop at users or project members. Beneficiaries go far beyond users! beneficiaries extend beyond humans to ecosystems or animal species. 

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Here is an example of the beneficiaries of an R&I project:

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