In knowledge economies, the prevailing belief is that research and innovation are crucial for societal progress. The call for ‘responsible' research and innovation is, however, an indication that the link between science and technology on the one hand and societal progress on the other is less unequivocal than many would like to think. This article wonders why the relationship between knowledge economies and ‘responsible' research and innovation is not self-evident. It, consequently, proposes glocal sustainability research (GSR)—and an appropriate process architecture for GSR—as a translation of RRI and it suggests a type of knowledge arena—and some institutional preconditions for its institutionalisation—as a breeding ground for RRI.