NEXUS-NESS applies Responsible Research and Innovation for enhancing the uptake of WEFE-NEXUS

The WEFE Nexus: Balancing Resources for Sustainable Development

The Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus concept emphasizes balancing water, energy, and food resources while engaging stakeholders from related sectors. Achieving a responsible WEFE Nexus involves minimizing impacts on ecosystems amid increasing climate, demographic, social, and economic pressures. Collaborative decision-making about natural resource management ensures their sustainable use for the future. The NEXUS-NESS project aims to create Nexus Innovation Ecosystem Labs (NELs) as open, collaborative networks of stakeholders to:

• Demonstrate benefits of the WEFE Nexus approach to the NEL stakeholders.
• Co-create a WEFE Nexus transition vision and action plan towards a WEFE Nexus plan fitting the WEFE challenges of each NEL.
• Enable implementation continuity of the WEFE Nexus transition vision and action plan. 

Unpacking the Complexity of the WEFE Nexus: Though it might appear simple, the WEFE Nexus encompasses a complex, multi-layered structure (Figure 1) involving:

• Resource Supply: Availability, price, and accessibility of water, energy, land, soil quality, and time.
• Interconnectivity: Interaction between physical attributes and biogeochemical cycles.
• Economic Factors: Costs of production, consumer willingness, and price competition.
• Technological Advances: Innovations influencing resource management.
• Human Pressures: Social dynamics impacting resource use.
• Local Experience: Knowledge and perceptions at the local level.
• Policies and Culture: Influence of traditions and governance on resource management.

Applying Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) in NEXUS-NESS Ecosystem Laboratories Addressing Complex Challenges with Transdisciplinary Approaches

The multifaceted nature of the WEFE Nexus requires a transdisciplinary approach to knowledge sharing and development. By co-producing knowledge, stakeholders can inform decision-making processes that enhance societal resilience to various shocks, moving beyond the limitations of current sectoral research practices. 

Role of RRI in NEXUS-NESS

Integrating Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) into NEXUS-NESS Ecosystem Laboratories (NELs) fosters greater awareness and holistic governance. The RRI concept has been applied through the RRI Roadmap©™ that supports systemic innovation by promoting mechanisms and tools that build trust among stakeholders, allowing them to address trade-offs and identify mutually beneficial strategies. This aligns with the PRIMA call, emphasizing the importance of stakeholder participation across all RRI dimensions: gender, science education, open science and access, ethics, and governance (Figure 2).  

Operationalizing RRI in NEXUS-NESS

The RRI Roadmap©™ guides the transition process through eight stages, ensuring sustainable and accepted actions towards WEFE-Nexus solutions. These stages involve identifying needs, motivating change, engaging stakeholders, ideating and framing solutions, co-designing visions, co-constructing solutions, measuring and adjusting outcomes, and intensifying transition actions. 

Guiding Change and Innovation

The RRI Roadmap©™ integrates Leading Change, Design Thinking, and Systemic Innovation principles to manage transitions effectively. Leading Change emphasizes creating urgency, building coalitions, forming visions, enabling action, generating short-term wins, sustaining momentum, and institutionalizing change. Design Thinking focuses on understanding and meeting end-user needs through iterative processes. Systemic Innovation addresses social and technical dimensions, ensuring positive impacts on societal values, regulations, attitudes, infrastructure, and technologies. 

RRI: An Ambitious and Inclusive Framework

RRI pushes researchers and stakeholders to engage societal actors and stakeholders through inclusive participatory approaches. This engagement spans all NEL activities, requiring collaboration from multiple sectors (water, energy, agriculture, food industry) and disciplines (policy-making, business innovation, scientific research, and consumer advocacy). 

Conclusion

The success of the WEFE-Nexus transition relies on deep participatory involvement from stakeholders across all relevant sectors. The application of RRI emphasizes qualitative stakeholder engagement to ensure transparency, buy-in, and the successful application of NEXUS-NESS models and services. This participatory approach aims to make the WEFE-Nexus the new norm, guiding NEL stakeholders through necessary changes and fostering a collaborative approach to sustainable resource management.