Innovation Systems Approach Research Articles

Innovation platforms in practice: a conceptual framework

ABSTRACT The agricultural innovation systems (AIS) approach holds promise for researchers seeking to gain deeper understanding of how actors, norms, and knowledge interact and drive improvements in the agricultural sector in developing countries. However, use of the AIS framework in empirical research is limited and conceptual and operational frameworks are needed. In this paper we have created a conceptual framework for how innovation platforms (IPs), a unique type of multistakeholder meetings, contribute to the AIS approach by fostering innovation, networking, and performance. The conceptual framework is then applied to a case study of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems (LSIL). Findings from the case study analysis showed the meetings fostered innovative thinking, strengthened networks, and shared knowledge among actors. While the generalisability of the case is limited, the study demonstrates how future research could use the conceptual framework for advancing knowledge around AIS and IP meetings.

Animal-free safety assessment of chemicals: an innovation system perspective.

This perspective paper, which is the result of a collaborative effort between toxicologists and scholars in innovation and transition studies, presents a heuristic framework based on innovation system literature for understanding and appraising mission achievement to animal-free chemical safety assessment using New Approach Methodologies (NAMs). While scientific and technical challenges in this area are relatively well known, the recent establishment of missions and roadmaps to accelerate the acceptance and effective use of NAMs for chemical safety assessment raises new questions about how we can grasp the systemic nature of all changes needed in this transition. This includes recognising broader societal, institutional, and regulatory shifts necessary for NAM acceptance and uptake. Our paper discusses how the innovation system approach offers insights into key processes and associated activities that include as well as transcend the technical and scientific realm, and can help to accelerate acceptance and uptake of NAMs. Based on these insights, we present a comprehensive framework that, next to scientific and technological developments, recognises the need for coordinated efforts in areas like education, training, funding, policy-making, and public engagement to promote the acceptance and uptake of NAMs. Our framework can be used to perform structural and functional analyses of the innovation system of NAMs and animal-free safety assessment and as such provides handholds to track progress and organise collective efforts of actors to make sure we are moving in the right direction.

Challenge-oriented regional innovation systems

In this letter, we reflect on recent modifications of the regional innovation system (RIS) approach that have been prompted by persistent environmental, social, and economic problems. Scholars have begun to advocate a reorientation of the RIS framework towards addressing territorial sustainability challenges and have introduced the notion of challenge-oriented regional innovation systems (CORIS). While the CORIS approach holds promise given the challenges of our time, several unresolved issues remain. We elaborate on and discuss three themes that demand further research. Firstly, there is a need for in-depth studies of the geographies of problems. Systematic analyses of the origins and interrelations of territorial challenges are high in demand. Secondly, the geographies of challenge-oriented innovation-exnovation dynamics warrant more attention. We argue that future research should delve into questions around the development, testing and upscaling of innovative solutions, as well as the unlocking and destabilisation of unsustainable practices in various spatial contexts. Lastly, we contend that a better understanding of the geographies of RIS reconfiguration is necessary. This entails shedding light on various forms of system-level agency involved in reorienting or transforming historically-grown real-world RIS in different types of regions.

Are farmer organizations effective intermediaries and facilitators of agricultural innovations processes? Evidence from Tunisia

Integration of productivity, resource management, and institutional innovations is crucial across different system levels. Traditional research and extension services face challenges in disseminating innovations effectively, leading to the emergence of the agricultural innovation system (AIS) approach. AIS involves collaboration among various stakeholders to improve the technological, managerial, and institutional aspects of agriculture. Intermediary actors play a pivotal role in facilitating innovation exchange and learning processes. In Tunisia, farmer organizations (FOs) such as Groupements de Développement Agricole (GDAs) and Sociétés Mutuelles de Services Agricoles (SMSAs) are key intermediaries. However, there is a lack of comprehensive assessments of FOs' innovation roles, which this study aims to address using the social network analysis (SNA) method. The findings aim to shed light on FOs' effectiveness as innovation intermediaries and identify potential challenges and benefits associated with their roles in innovation processes through the comparison of three farmers' groups divided by their membership status to detect the effect of FO presence or absence on innovation facilitation and actor's configuration. The studied sample involves 592 farmers from the Kef and Siliana governorates in northwestern Tunisia. The results show that FOs are playing a crucial role in facilitating collaboration and knowledge exchange among farmers and other agricultural actors. However, their effectiveness varies depending on membership status and is always contextually influenced. While FOs contribute to reshaping sales channels and optimizing access to services, they face limitations in promoting inclusivity and equitable knowledge sharing. The recommendations include strengthening FOs' social dimension, addressing trust barriers, and investing in reinforcement measures, especially in human capital, to enhance their functionality. Strengthening measures can take many forms, such as facilitating regulation and investing in capacity building. Long-term strategies should re-evaluate the effectiveness of collective action and focus on fostering a culture of shared learning and local empowerment.

Regional innovation systems and entrepreneurial ecosystems: their value added to rethinking regional development policies

ABSTRACT Advances on the understanding the innovation process and phenomenon, principally coming from the regional innovation systems approach and from the theorization around the concept of entrepreneurial ecosystems, have given an impulse to entrepreneurship promotion. The aim of this paper is two-fold. On the one hand, the first objective is to contextualize and clarify the concepts of regional innovation systems and entrepreneurial ecosystems that have been gaining a growing importance in terms of regional policy. It will also address their differences and complementarities, proposing an analytical filter to enhance their understanding, both theoretically and operationally. The second objective is to formulate a set of recommendations about the role both concepts bring to local and regional development strategies, opening the way for a set of public policy interventions.

Delivering sustainable development via social innovation: Cases of social entrepreneurship in South Korea and Singapore

AbstractSocial innovation is a useful mechanism to address unmet needs in local societies and tackle wicked problems through innovative products and services. Policymakers and practitioners have increasingly become interested in effective policies and strategies for facilitating social innovation to deliver sustainable development; however, a lack of coherent analytical framework persists. To address this gap, we propose the Social Innovation System framework, by adapting the Technological Innovation Systems approach widely used in innovation management and policy. Providing a holistic and comprehensive perspective to explore complex interactions among different actors and institutions involved in social innovation, our framework allows more systematic understanding of the development of social entrepreneurship and relevant ecosystems. We employ this framework to analyze social innovation ecosystems in South Korea and Singapore. The results indicate systemic challenges to overcome owing to the collective and interactive nature of social innovation.

Performance Assessment of Base Plate Connections with Anchor Rod Sleeves

This research presents findings from a study focused on evaluating the performance of exposed base plate connections featuring anchor rods under cyclic loading conditions. The study introduces an innovative sleeve system approach designed to enhance the ductility of column base connections. The inclusion of a steel sleeve with defined geometric characteristics between the base plate and the anchor rod washer modifies the load path within the connection, resulting in a more ductile response. The study utilizes a validated finite element (FE) model to analyze exposed base plate connections featuring different sleeve shapes, illustrating the concept behind this novel method. The innovative approach discussed in this research has the potential to significantly increase the rotational capacity of connections without compromising their inherent strength.

Innovation in vine growing in a context of climate change: AKIS and map of knowledge in Central Spain

PurposeTo address the challenges of the agricultural sector, innovation is necessary. This study aims to focus on knowledge circulation as a basis to facilitate innovation in viticulture in the context of climate change.Design/methodology/approachWe have conducted interviews with viticulture stakeholders in Central Spain (Madrid region) on their perceptions and concerns about climate change, knowledge on practices to mitigate its effects on this crop and their relationship with each other for knowledge exchange. A map showing the knowledge nodes and their relationships with other stakeholders has been drawn based on the answers obtained.FindingsWinegrowers have already noticed the effects of climate change, and they are changing some agricultural practices. Drip irrigation was the most frequently mentioned option to minimize these effects. The map of knowledge identifies the main nodes in the information flow. Results also highlight different approaches to climate change and interesting nuances in the maps of knowledge among winegrowers with and without winery.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is focused on the Madrid region, a territory that is still consolidating its wine sector at the economic and marketing levels. We understand that regions with more consolidated or stronger sectors involve maps of knowledge more complex than that obtained in this study.Practical implicationsShowing the nodes of knowledge, as well as the weaknesses and strengths of the information circuit in the wine sector in the Madrid region, is very relevant to developing strategies aimed at supporting innovation in this sector. From a practical point of view, strategies for knowledge generation and circulation are only one part of the innovation process – policies for financial and technical support are key complementary measures.Social implicationsIdentification of key agents in the innovation process in the wine sector is essential to foster innovation processes. Ultimately, this will lead to more efficient adaptation to new challenges in the sector.Originality/valueThe Agriculture Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) approach has a consolidated theoretical framework that pays great attention to knowledge flows, but specific studies are needed to capture the reality of AKIS by sector and by region.

Sustainable innovations, knowledge and the role of proximity: A systematic literature review

AbstractInnovations can substantially contribute to the transformation toward sustainability if they induce a positive social and/or environmental impact. Such sustainable innovations differ considerably from conventional, purely economic innovations. The main difference stems from the different knowledge bases necessary for the development of these innovations. These knowledge bases are widely dispersed across different actors from business, academia, government, and civil society. Following the innovation system approach, we look at actor constellations, linkages between actors, and knowledge flows within networks that generate sustainable innovations. For this purpose, we conduct a systematic literature review, focusing on the concept of proximity and its five dimensions (geographical, cognitive, institutional, organizational, and social proximity). The results show that all proximity dimensions, as well as the interdependencies between them, are relevant for analyzing knowledge flows leading to sustainable innovations. The interplay of the different proximity dimensions can be described via two mechanisms, one being reinforcement and the other one being either substitution or overlap. We conclude that for the occurrence of radical, systemic innovations, which have the potential of altering the prevailing socio‐economic paradigm toward greater sustainability, a combination of low cognitive and low (micro‐) institutional proximity combined with high organizational, social, or geographical proximity, appears particularly conducive.

Modeling of electromagnetic propagation inside jet engine environment using statistical electromagnetic approach

In this paper, the distribution of the electromagnetic field inside a complex jet engine environment is analyzed using statistical electromagnetics. The jet engine environment is an extremely complex geometry and exhibits random behavior due to the presence of moving metallic parts. This renders traditional analytical and simulation modeling techniques highly inefficient. To address this issue, two different approaches are proposed to model the propagation characteristics of the jet engine environment. The first is an innovative dynamic system approach based on dynamic system simulation which is inspired by the analysis of mechanically stirred reverberation chambers. In the dynamic system simulation the dynamic system, which is characterized by the rotation of a distinct set of blades, is primarily studied through the simulation program. A dimension scaling method is also introduced along with the dynamic system simulation to solve the complex jet engine environment. In the second approach, a novel statistical excitation method is applied to develop an equivalent model for the dynamic jet engine system. The studied jet engine is considered as a static jet engine system without blade rotation (static blades), but with a random excitation.A small signal analysis method is used to integrate the static and dynamic system parameters to generate random excitation characteristics of the static system. The extracted electric field values from the dynamic jet engine simulation environment and the static system field values from the small signal analysis have been analyzed statistically to prove the statistical equality between the two systems. The numerical results of the static system model are presented and verified through comparison with finite element method simulation packages.

Policy as a catalyst in shaping mobility sector transition for developing countries

This paper presents a modified technology innovation system (MTIS) approach applicable to developing countries. Evidence collected over three decades 1992–2022, shows how policy plays a catalytic role in managing multidimensional low-emission mobility transitions in developing countries such as Pakistan. This paper follows policy and the network of actors, institutions and technology in compressed natural gas (CNG)-based mobility transition in Pakistan. Event-based analysis helped in mapping the development of respective functions, which is later validated by expert consultation. Between 1992 and 2002, deliberate policies for early adoption were put in place to strategically manage a desired transition path. This involved providing guidance and knowledge diffusion through demonstration to increase entrepreneurial activities and market formation. The accelerated diffusion during the take-off period during 2003–2012 was due to the entry of private businesses and multinational companies speeding up entrepreneurial activity and market-formation functions. However, there was a clear policy-driven roll-back and deceleration during 2013–2022. Policies designed to ban CNG licence issuance and renewal resulted in detrimental effects on market and entrepreneurial activities. Social struggle arising from roll-back is now caught in a dilemma if policy innovation will lead to re-emergence of CNG or will support a new transition cycle through the emergence and adoption of electric vehicles in the mobility space of Pakistan. Rapid shifts in the global landscape of innovation and market conditions are creating a need for the effective handling of cascading transition management in developing countries. This paper outlines how lessons learnt from Pakistan’s CNG-MTIS can help in shaping electric vehicle MTIS not only in Pakistan, but also in many other developing countries. It is recommended that, in order to manage cascading transitions in developing countries, new approaches and strategies for reskilling, retraining and redirecting finances to address stranded assets be employed. This can mitigate the negative impacts on those affected by transformation and create an environment for a just transition that restores trust in policy and accelerates transformative change.

The Virtual Human Platform for Safety Assessment (VHP4Safety) project: Next generation chemical safety assessment based on human data.

The Virtual Human Platform for Safety Assessment (VHP4Safety) project aims to build a Virtual Human Platform (VHP) to protect human health and revolutionize the safety assessment of chemicals and pharmaceuticals by transitioning from animal-based to human-based approaches. The goal of this article is to introduce the project and its interdisciplinary approach to co-creation with multiple academic, regulatory, industrial and societal partners covering the entire safety assessment knowledge chain. Three research lines drive the project: 1) building the VHP; 2) feeding the VHP with human data; and 3) implementing the VHP. The project focusses on three case studies that incorporate human relevant scenarios not included in current animal-based safety assessment strategies. The VHP is built on tools and services, including pharmacokinetic and computational models, and integrates several data sources within each case study, including data on human physiology, epidemiology, toxicokinetic and -dynamic parameters, as well as data on chemical characteristics and exposures. In addition, the VHP integrates new data generated within the project using new approach methodologies representing key events within adverse outcome pathways. Implementation of the VHP is investigated using an innovation systems approach, engaging stakeholders and organizing training and education. Central to the VHP4Safety project is our co-creative approach, which facilitated by biannual designathons and hackathons that foster active involvement of all project participants from over 30 partner organizations. By integrating technological innovations with transparency and stakeholder collaboration, the VHP4Safety project will help shape the transition to the next generation safety assessment in which animal testing becomes redundant.

Universities and institutionalization of regional innovation policy in peripheral regions: Insights from the smart specialization in Portugal

Regional innovation policies are currently influenced by a series of territorial innovation models, with the regional innovation system (RIS) approach being one of the prominent examples. The rationale of smart specialization strategies (S3s) is deeply influenced by the RIS concept and highlights the importance of entrepreneurial discovery and shared governance by different types of actors. Among them, universities are seen as crucial for the success of S3 design and implementation. This article, mixing a policy debate perspective with analysis of recent quantitative and qualitative information about the Portuguese case, highlights relevant aspects for understanding the institutionalization of regional innovation and the role universities have in it as crucial knowledge brokers. The results have implications for regional innovation policies and in particular for the challenges that peripheral regions face.

National Innovation System and an Approach to Innovation Activities at the Scale of an Economic Sector: Some Theoretical Foundations

Innovation is one of the important factors for rapid and sustainable economic and social development in an internationally competitive environment. Identifying and analyzing the national innovation system is a necessary need, moving towards building policy solutions to support Vietnam's national innovation system. However, at the scale and level of an economic industry, this connotation can and should be developed and applied according to the industry innovation system approach.
 Keywords: National innovation system, sectoral innovation system, emerging innovation system, fragmented (dual) innovation system.

Current and future roles of the automotive and ICT sectoral systems in autonomous driving - Using the innovation system approach to assess value chain transformation

In this paper, we assess the current and future roles of the automotive and the information and communication technology (ICT) sectoral systems in the provision of autonomous driving and draw conclusions on the potential configuration of the corresponding value chains. We approach the question of value chain transformation from an innovation system perspective, combining sectoral, national and technological perspectives on innovation systems. We introduce a supplementary function at the intersection of the sectoral and technological innovation systems that describes the interactions between the automotive and the ICT system. By choosing indicators that allow for the sectoral and national differentiation of activities, we are able to identify differences and similarities in engagement between the automotive and ICT sectors and countries. Furthermore, we find various and changing types of interactions and relationships, such as competition, cooperation or spill-over, between the sectoral systems. Our findings underline the relevance of contextual factors to the dynamics and design of innovation systems, based on which we propose an approach for integrating different perspectives into one study. We find the strength of the innovation system perspective in its structuring and holistic characteristics and demonstrate its applicability to the assessment of value chain transformation.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) in the Swedish cement industry – logistics collaboration potentials in the Baltic area

The cement industry in Sweden is facing a major climate change. A central part of the transition is carbon capture and storage (CCS), which is to be implemented in the Swedish largest cement production site on Gotland by 2030. For CCS to be realized, a reliable cost- and environmentally efficient logistics system for CO2 is required, which for the Swedish cement production on Gotland means CO2-transport by ship. A research project has been initiated during 2023 with the aim of increasing the cement industry’s knowledge and understanding of possible CO2 logistics systems for CCS. The project takes a larger innovation system approach of CCS by mapping current knowledge about CO2-logistics for CCS and emerging industrial and logistics actors in the Baltic area and North Sea. Further, logistics scenarios from the perspective of the cement industry will be investigated as well as opportunities for fossil-free CO2-shipping and business models for the cement industry’s CO2-logistics. The Baltic area includes heavy CO2 emitting industries both from cement production as well as steel, pulp & paper, power & heat with locations nearby a port, in which there are several initiatives to apply CCS. Further research will investigate how different types of cross-border collaborations could influence the efficiency of the CO2-logistics system. The project supports the cement industry's decisions regarding processes for the design of CO2-logistics arrangements for CCS.

Market Formation in Turkish Solar Electricity Generation: Technology Innovation System Approach

The Technological Innovation System (TIS) is a theoretical approach to the analysis of a new technology's diffusion dynamics. The development and establishment of market-related structures are essential for maturing a TIS and its long-term success, especially at the beginning of sectoral development. In this paper, we focus on market formation in the Turkish solar electricity generation TIS to understand how the market forms. We made an empirical study and benefitted from structural analysis, functional analysis, and process analysis to point out how green transition efforts have started with the market formation process in the Turkish solar energy sector during the first phase of sectoral development. We conducted fifty-seven interviews with key experts in the energy sector in the 2013-2015 period when the sector just started to develop. The structural analysis showed that the most active actors are companies, consultancy organizations, public organizations, and real persons; networks are associations and cooperative organizations, and institutions are general legislation and political developments. The process analysis showed that the constitutive processes are institutionalizing and associating for the formation of market segments, and competing and communicating for the formation of market transactions. The functional analysis pointed out that at the beginning of the TIS development, the market formation was in the nursing phase, but developing very fast.

Towards a Mission-oriented Innovation Systems (MIS) approach, application for Dutch sustainable maritime shipping

This paper builds on the literature on mission-oriented innovation policy, governance, transition studies and innovation systems, and develops a structural-functional approach to formatively evaluate mission governance from a Mission-oriented Innovation Systems (MIS) perspective. Central to this MIS approach is the mission arena, a governance structure where actors formulate and govern the mission, by mobilizing and directing other, preexisting system components. Their goal is to meet the mission by developing and diffusing innovative mission solutions and destabilizing harmful practices. The MIS approach involves a problem-solutions diagnosis and an analysis of structural, functional, and systemic barriers. To provide formative mission governance recommendations, the systemic barriers are then contrasted with the mission arena’s governance tasks. To illustrate the value of the MIS approach, we use a case study of the Dutch mission for sustainable maritime shipping. This case study illustrates a mission arena striving to increase coherence amongst different innovation system structures in semblance of a MIS. The mission arena configuration of actors shaped the mission formulation and negotiated governance actions. Dominant industry networks negotiated green growth as problem direction and non-committal governance actions, which are likely ineffective for inherently transformative sustainability missions. The paper concludes by identifying directions for further developing the MIS approach and the mission arena concept.

Innovation in forest tree genetics: A comparative economic analysis in the European context

In the context of global environmental change, European forests are expected to fulfil a broad range of functions, including the supply of raw materials to the bioeconomy, biodiversity preservation, and the provision of ecological services. Given fast progress in applied genetics, the selection and diffusion of genetically improved forest reproductive material (FRM) has a role to play towards the achievement of some of those goals. We therefore investigate European forest tree breeding conceived as an innovative activity on the basis of four case studies (eucalyptus in Portugal, maritime pine in France, and Norway spruce in Sweden and Finland), using a conceptual framework combining the innovation system approach and the economics of innovation. The genetic progress achieved for each of those species has been steady since the beginning of tree breeding activities. Despite that, we identify both systemic issues and market failures that hinder FRM genetic innovation and make the prospects of a forest tree breeding revolution unlikely. While the innovation systems in the studied countries are structurally sound, we identify several functional deficiencies. We also identify incentive problems limiting both supply and demand of genetically improved FRM. On the demand side, forest owners value improved FRM only moderately because of long lags between plantation and harvest, imperfect knowledge of the potential gains from adoption of genetically improved FRM, and risk aversion. On the supply side, returns to investments in genetic improvement are heavily constrained by the slowness of the breeding process, capacity constraints related to FRM production, limited demand-pull and regulatory uncertainty. Those incentive problems are partially overcome in situations where the industry is vertically integrated, from FRM production to wood processing, as observed in the case of eucalyptus in Portugal or Norway spruce in Sweden. In the other cases, public support for breeding programmes is paramount.

İnovasyon için Yenilikçi Yönetim Sistemi Yaklaşımları

Kuruluşlar inovasyonun etkili gücünden hareketle inovasyonu etkin yönetecekleri bir yönetim sistemi oluşturma ihtiyacı içinde hareket etmektedirler. Standartlar ile inovasyon arasında ise karmaşık ve dinamik bir ilişki olduğu bilinmektedir. Bu araştırma, küresel olarak var olan ilk ulusal sertifikalandırılabilir standartlardan olan Ar-Ge yönetim sistemi UNE 166002 ile inovasyon yönetim sistemi olan ISO 56001 standartlarına odaklanmıştır. Amaç; kuruluşların inovasyon yönetim yeteneklerini artırmak için onlara faydalı olacak yönetim sistemlerini açıklamaktır. Bu makale ile yapılan literatür taramasında ilk olarak, inovasyon yönetimi ile yönetim sistemleri gözden geçirilmiş; ikinci olarak aralarındaki ilişki mevcut araştırmanın öncülleri olarak ortaya konulmuş ve kuruluşlar için katkıları belirtilmiştir.