Abstract
Social innovation is a promising tool in bringing about the required transformation for greater good in tackling the grand challenges. This paper studies social innovation of enterprises from multiple perspectives: from the research and innovation perspective, from the legal lens i.e. the intellectual property. The methodology involves literature review to identify few gaps and the dimensions of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI)framework. The comprehensive theoretical discourse on these themes is followed by descriptive analysis of five select case studies from the Patents for Humanity program of United States Patents and Trademark Office (USPTO), where patents working towards the humanitarian goals and social impact are awarded. The cases are evaluated along the key RRI dimensions and for their alignment towards sustainable development goals (SDGs). Findings show a positive implementation of these two frameworks in these cases. This paper primarily contributes to the literature on RRI evaluation and patents’ social impact.