Abstract
The present paper is a preliminary analysis of the funding, organizational culture, environmental and innovation challenges that are currently faced by Environmental Research Infrastructures (ERI) and private enterprises working together. We contend there is a strong case for building creative collaboration models across these sectors that also require to new management tools to effectively generate economically-driven solutions to the global society at large in the face of climate change. To that end, public/private stakeholders that are likely to partner to address climate change also face new frontiers in how they will structurally and organizationally work together. We explore these issues around changing political, scientific, commercial environments; partnerships models; barriers in bridging these communities; and the role of formal project management processes. There is no one solution to fit all conditions that can bring together a specific public / private enterprise that incorporates a research infrastructure. However, we have provided two examples of collaborative models of public/private enterprises to highlight how these issues can be addressed, and to foster future dynamic and creative solutions to this problem.
Highlights
The economic exploitation of ecosystem services threatens our food security, the stability of natural and managed ecosystems, and global biodiversity
Overcoming the current challenges to bridge science and private enterprises are underpinned by the strong sense of social responsibility of all parties to co-develop strategic products and services
Society is exposed to the economic impacts of weather extremes
Summary
The economic exploitation of ecosystem services threatens our food security, the stability of natural and managed ecosystems, and global biodiversity. Environmental Research Infrastructures (ERI) have emerged to fill important gaps in our understanding of ecological processes, in response to the drivers of change the likes of climate, extreme climate events, invasive species, and land use change (Table 1, Heinz Foundation, 2006, 2008; Peters et al, 2014). While ERIs are designed to fill such gaps, their potential to transform other sectors of the economy and decision-making patterns remains largely untapped worldwide. Academicians (who utilize ERIs) and the private sector increasingly recognize they may need to move toward less conventional partnerships to address societal needs, and to justify ERIs operational budgets (Buhmann, 2016). Because these are still nascent ERIs, emerging
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