ARRTI fosters critical reflection among KIT students and researchers on their engineering and scientific practices. Our key aim is to transform scientific culture from a purely “can do” approach into a “should do” culture in which critical reflection about responsibility is embedded in scientific teaching, research and innovation.

ARRTI understands responsibility as multi-dimensional: On the one hand, responsibility means considering global and intergenerational justice and the broader societal and ecological impacts of research and innovation; on the other hand, ARRTI fosters an attitude of responsibility for addressing societal challenges. Rather than taking a dogmatic approach, ARRTI enables students, researchers, and entrepreneurs to recognize their own responsibility in conducting research and in the transfer of research results and entrepreneurial ideas.

ARRTI endorses an interdisciplinary perspective. Normative and empirical disciplines must combine their respective areas of expertise if we want to successfully address the ethical challenges of our time. Autonomous driving, CRISPR/cas, climate change, renewable energy sources, or life-prolonging medical measures are but a few examples in which questions about how we want to or how we should live shape disciplinary endeavors. ARRTI also endorses a transdisciplinary perspective as citizens need to be involved in the discourse on technical-ethical issues.

ARRTI comprises the following pillars:

• The Academy pillar follows the "train the trainers" concept, whereby the academy members ensure the transfer of the contents and skills to the scientists and students.
• The key aim of our Research pillar is to promote responsible and sustainable research as well as critical reflection of the benefits and risks associated with it.
• Our Teaching pillar offers formats that enable and encourage and enable students at KIT to critically reflect on ethical questions related to their fields of study. Our teaching programs are interdisciplinary and include co-teaching formats in cooperation with varios courses of study at KIT.
• The pillar for Responsible Innovation focuses on both intrapreneurship (entrepreneurial activities within KIT as a deliberate addition to the scientific activities of a staff member) and entrepreneurship (establishment of a new company). In this context, the pillar targets students and staff of KIT trough responsible communication, advice and application in order to enable individuals to recognize their own responsibility in research, transfer and entrepreneurial ideas.