JUST-R: Justice Underpinning Science and Technology Research Tool

The Justice Underpinning Science and Technology Research (JUST-R) Offline Tool guides researchers through integrating justice considerations into early-stage research and development of energy technologies.

Metrics Framework

Based on principles of energy justice and responsible research and innovation, the JUST-R Metrics Framework guides researchers through an assessment of their work to better align their research and development (R&D) efforts with energy justice goals. JUST-R facilitates brainstorming and guides researchers, engineers, and project managers through considering the potential social, economic, and environmental implications of their work both during the research period and when the technology is scaled, with the goals of eventually developing technologies to work for all communities.

Offline Tool Description

The JUST-R Offline Tool consists of an Excel file and PDF guide to aid users in their application of the JUST-R Metrics Framework. This tool is designed to enable users to select, assess, and track JUST-R metrics over the course of their projects. The user guide provides additional context, examples, and step-by-step instructions for using the Excel tool.

This tool enables researchers to:

1. Consider the potential energy justice implications of their research
2. Develop justice-oriented changes to their research processes
3. Track the implementation of these proposed changes.

For the purposes of this tool, "energy justice implications" span a series of potential social, economic, technical, and environmental impacts of R&D processes and outcomes, with an emphasis on those that disproportionately affect frontline or historically marginalized groups.

The metrics included in the JUST-R Metrics Framework are sorted into five aspects of research: Team Dynamics, Sources and Inputs, Processes and Protocols, Waste and Hazards, and Results and Dissemination.

Download the JUST-R Offline Tool

The JUST-R Offline Tool's PDF Guide and Microsoft Excel tool are available for download below.

Target Audience

JUST-R has been designed for researchers working primarily at early stages of energy technology development, including scientists and engineers at universities, national labs, and private companies. JUST-R is meant to be applied to everything from fundamental science research with potential applications in energy (e.g., electrochemistry, materials discovery and synthesis, or catalysis) to lab-scale development and testing of proof-of-concept energy devices (e.g., next-generation batteries, solar cells, or fuel cells). In the JUST-R Offline Tool PDF Guide, users will find example assessments of fictionalized case studies spanning a wide range of research areas to help understand how JUST-R may apply to their research. These research areas include wet lab research and material characterization, engineering design and demonstration, modeling and analysis, and fundamental science.

Users outside of the aforementioned target audience may also wish to engage with JUST-R to consider the energy justice implications of their projects and programs. Although this tool aims to elicit brainstorming in R&D efforts, the PDF guide also includes options for how leadership and management may engage with this tool and more information on the tool's limitations.

Ongoing Development

JUST-R Online Tool

The JUST-R Team aims to develop an online version of this tool with additional functionality, an intuitive user interface, and enhanced features to facilitate collaboration.

JUST-R Metrics Expansion

Although the JUST-R Metrics Framework was initially designed with a focus on early-stage research, the JUST-R team is actively working to expand the metrics framework to encompass mid- and late-stage technology development, demonstration, and deployment.

Publications

JUST-R Metrics For Considering Energy Justice In Early-Stage Energy Research, Joule (2023)

Evaluating Energy Justice Metrics In Early-Stage Science and Technology Research Using the JUST-R Metrics Framework, Frontiers in Environmental Science (2023)

Applying Energy Justice Metrics To Photovoltaic Materials Research, MRS Advances (2024)

Contact

JUST-R Team
JUST-R@nrel.gov