Technological Niches Research Articles

Sociotechnical transitions in the system for providing beef to human food: Scenarios for cultured meat

The objective of this work was to investigate the possible scenarios of sociotechnical transitions for cultured meat, considering a time horizon of ten years. We employ methodological procedures from the La Prospective School of scenario planning. Through the structural analysis, we identified ten key variables concerning the sociotechnical system of cultured meat, oriented according to the five sociotechnical regimes: technological, scientific, political, socio-cultural, and user and market. Subsequently, based on each key variable, we propose possible key events. The results present plausible scenarios for the next ten years (2022–2032). Using the key events identified based on theoretical contributions of sociotechnical transitions, we propose dynamics and transition paths for the sociotechnical system of supplying cultured meat. Thus, elements inherent to the exogenous landscape, the characteristics of the sociotechnical regimes, and the peculiarities of the aforementioned innovation developed at the technological niche level are highlighted. The findings do not neglect any possibility or transition path, but point to a greater inclination towards the path of transformation and reconfiguration to the detriment of de-alignment and realignment, and technological replacement. Thus, our contributions provide insights and reflections on the plausible paths of these modifications.

Patents as an indicator of sustainability of domestic products in the Russian market on the example of redispersible polymer powders

The article provides information regarding patenting statistics in the field of compositions and methods of production of redispersible polymer powders. It is demonstrated that a patent is primarily a profit-making tool, and patent research is a mechanism for making long-term forecasts in a technological niche. The main mistakes of Russian patent holders when protecting their developments are discussed and ways to prevent them are proposed. Comparative examples of claim writing are offered, and issues of comprehensive patent protection are also discussed.

Інноваційні стратегії сталого розвитку підприємств в умовах мінливого ринку

The article analyzes various approaches to innovation development for enterprises operating in volatile markets. It explores critical innovation strategies, including proactive, reactive, imitative, niche, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), open innovation, incremental, and radical strategies. The proposed utilization of these strategies aims to ensure sustainable development for enterprises, considering their specific activities and market conditions. Proactive Strategies are characterized by their focus on anticipating and shaping market trends—proactive strategies position companies as market leaders by developing new products and services ahead of market demand. Analyzing technological trends and innovations is highlighted, enabling enterprises to maintain a competitive edge by staying ahead of competitors. Reactive strategies, however, adapt to changes in market and consumer demand. This approach involves responding swiftly to market shifts and competitive innovations. Imitative Strategies involve replicating or adapting innovations introduced by other companies. Niche Strategies concentrate on serving narrow market segments or specific technological niches. Companies utilizing niche strategies aim to become specialists in their chosen fields, offering unique solutions tailored to specific customer needs. This approach requires deep understanding, specialization, and expertise, allowing enterprises to command premium prices due to the distinctiveness of their products or services. This approach accelerates innovation processes by integrating external capabilities while reducing competitive pressures. However, successful implementation of M&A strategies demands meticulous planning and effective management to achieve synergy between organizations. In conclusion, the article offers a comprehensive framework for selecting and implementing innovative strategies tailored to enterprises’ specific needs and conditions in dynamic market environments. By strategically applying these approaches, enterprises can enhance their innovation capabilities, adapt to market changes effectively, and achieve sustainable development in the long term. Keywords: innovation strategies, sustainable development, dynamic market, proactive strategies, reactive strategies, imitative strategies, niche strategies, mergers and acquisitions, open innovation, incremental strategies, radical strategies, university partnerships, R&D, competitive advantage, market stability.

Are outliers more disruptive? Technological niche, disruptive innovation, and recombinant capability

Whether disruptive technologies are more likely to emerge at the margin or the core of industry has been a long‐debated issue. We theorize the relationship between technological niches and the generation of disruptive innovations. Introducing the main path analysis, we develop a novel indicator to depict firms' technological niche in a focal industry's technological landscape and link it to their performance of disruptive innovation. Further, we investigate its boundary condition by taking firms' recombinant capabilities into consideration. A sample of 29,655 USPTO patents of the electric communication industry (H04W/L) for the period 1995–2019 is used to test our hypotheses. Our research reveals an inverted U‐shaped relationship between a firm's technological niche and its disruptive innovation performance. Besides, firms' recombinant capability could moderate the relationship by steepening the curvilinear. This paper helps reconcile the long debated question of ‘Are Outliers More Disruptive’ by providing a contingency perspective and identifying a non‐monotonic relationship.

Multiperiod Modeling and Optimization of Hydrogen-Based Dense Energy Carrier Supply Chains

The production of hydrogen-based dense energy carriers (DECs) has been proposed as a combined solution for the storage and dispatch of power generated through intermittent renewables. Frameworks that model and optimize the production, storage, and dispatch of generated energy are important for data-driven decision making in the energy systems space. The proposed multiperiod framework considers the evolution of technology costs under different levels of promotion through research and targeted policies, using the year 2021 as a baseline. Furthermore, carbon credits are included as proposed by the 45Q tax amendment for the capture, sequestration, and utilization of carbon. The implementation of the mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) framework is illustrated through computational case studies to meet set hydrogen demands. The trade-offs between different technology pathways and contributions to system expenditure are elucidated, and promising configurations and technology niches are identified. It is found that while carbon credits can subsidize carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS) pathways, substantial reductions in the cost of novel processes are needed to compete with extant technology pathways. Further, a research and policy push can reduce the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) by upwards of 2 USD/kg.

Hydrogen energy vector in the sphere of intellectual property in Russian Federation

Information on the statistics of patenting in the hydrogen energy sector is given in the article. It is demonstrated that a patent is primarily a profit-making tool, and patent research is a mechanism for building long-term forecasts in the technological niche. The article discusses the main mistakes of Russian patent holders in protecting their research and suggests ways to prevent them. Comparative examples of claim drafting are offered. The issues of comprehensive patent protection are considered.The material presented in the article will be most useful for developers and manufacturers of innovative domestic products and technologies; re-engineering centers; development institutes providing support measures for hydrogen energy projects; development institutes implementing the policy of import substitution of hydrogen energy products; investors, organizers of innovation activities; design offices; high-tech startups.

Blockchain and public service delivery: a lifetime cross-referenced model for e-government

ABSTRACT The article presents the results of field studies, analysing the perspectives of blockchain developers on decentralised service delivery and elaborating on unique algorithms for lifetime ledgers to reliably and safely record e-government transactions in an intrinsically cross-referenced manner. New interesting technological niches of service delivery and emerging models of related data management in the industry were proposed and further elaborated such as the generation of unique lifetime personal data profiles, blockchain-driven cross-referencing of e-government metadata, parallel maintenance of serviceable ledgers for data identifiers and phenomena of blockchain ‘black holes’ to ensure reliable protection of important public, corporate and civic information.

Voltage Source Converter based High Voltage Direct Current Transmission: A Comprehensive Review of Control Strategies, Developments and Trends

The continuous increasing progress in high power and high voltage semiconductor devices leads to have a substantial impact on optimization and effective management of electric grids. These developments have great influence on High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) and flexible ac controller technologies. This article gives an outline of the innovations in Voltage source Converter (VSC) based HVDC technology. VSC based HVDC technology offers decent advantages which includes interconnection of asynchronous networks, bulk power transmission and voltage stability support. VSC based HVDC technology niche utilities to grab opportunities in incorporating large scale renewable energy sources to the grid, especially on shore /offshore wind energy to the grid. Furthermore, VSC-based HVDC technology is essential for maintaining voltage stability in networks of interconnected grids. In the face of changing loads and the incorporation of renewable energy, these systems help to maintain grid dependability and resilience by offering dynamic voltage management and wattless power support.This article highlights the transformative potential of VSC-based HVDC technology in modernizing and future-proofing electric grids. By leveraging the latest innovations in semiconductor devices and control technologies, VSC-based HVDC systems empower grid operators to overcome existing challenges and embrace the opportunities presented by the evolving energy landscape.

Vibration of flexible robots: Dynamics and novel synthesis of unbounded trajectories

Flexible Robotic Systems, by and large, are prone to inherent vibration that recreates itself in several modal frequencies. This in-situ vibration in flexible robots or in any such complaint robotic unit becomes tricky so far as the control system architecture is concerned. Thus, customization of the design and firmware of higher-order flexible robots is highly challenging due to its inherent parameters related to real-time vibration. Vibration in flexible robots has been investigated hitherto from the standpoint of frequency & amplitude tuple, sidetracking the important paradigm of looping of the trajectories. This work has added a technological niche in bringing out the intrinsic dynamics of this vibration from a mathematical perspective of trajectory formation so as to understand the mechanics of spiraling loops while a flexible/compliant robotic system is vibrating under natural conditions. The analytical modeling of the said in-situ vibration has been experimented with through an indigenous single-link flexible robot, fitted with a miniature gripper.

Multi-system dynamics in regional path upgrading: The intra- and inter-path dynamics of green industrial transitions in the Solent marine and maritime pathway

Industries and regions are facing socio-technical landscape pressures to enter green transitions. Coastal industrial regions, often with traditional heavy industries in marine and maritime activities, are under both significant pressures from international organizations and governments to decarbonise, but also find themselves with sizeable opportunities to use green transitions to revitalize and upgrade what are typically declining traditional manufacturing regions. Using 30 semi-structured interviews, we explore the challenges facing green path upgrading in the Solent region of South-East UK. By synthesizing the emerging economic geography literature on inter-path dynamics with the multi-system dynamics approach from the multi-level perspective literature, we find evidence of eight green niches emerging, yet the five main marine and maritime socio-technical systems in the region have struggled to develop and integrate these green technology niches. Consequently, path upgrading has been stifled. We find that the competitive intra-path dynamics between socio-technical systems and emerging technology niches within the Solent marine and maritime pathway, and competitive inter-path dynamics with other industrial pathways beyond the Solent have inhibited the co-ordination and coupling necessary for resource mobilization and green path upgrading. This approach enables us to broaden existing economic geography perspectives of multi-path dynamics, conceptualizing how inter- and intra-path development may work in economic geography, which has thus far mainly focused on single path dynamics and successful path creation.

Международная инновационная активность компаний в области систем пассивного снижения теплопритоков

The article analyzes innovative activity in the technological direction of liquefied natural gas transportation based on trends in patent activity. An analysis of the dynamics of patenting new developments in this area showed a high level of innovative activity both on the part of major market players and in relation to individual authors. The study noted bursts of patent activity in certain periods associated with the development of scientific and technological progress. The most active national markets in this area are China, Japan and South Korea, but the European patent market also has potential for scaling. An assessment of the patent portfolios of companies has identified the most significant players in the market for liquefied natural gas transportation technologies in terms of the value of technical solutions patented by these companies: Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, Chugoku Electric Power, Hyundai Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Osaka Gas, Samsung Heavy Industries, Siemens. The authors give forecasts for the development of the considered technological niche in the corporate and regional context. The obtained results of the study can used in the formation of programs for the innovative development of organizations involved in the implementation of orders in the field of energy and transport.

Antibody There? Mapping the Human Proteome with Mathias Uhlén

Antibody There? Mapping the Human Proteome with Mathias Uhlén

The evolving policy network in sustainable transitions: The case of new energy vehicle niche in China

Policy has been the driving force behind the rapid development of China's new energy vehicle (NEV) industry. However, the policy network that supports NEV development has been underexplored. This paper explores NEV as an innovative niche for sustainable transition and investigates the evolutionary mechanism of its policy network by combining insights from policy network, strategic niche management and technology innovation system (TIS) theories. Operationally, this paper adopted a social network analysis method to study the NEV policy network in various niche development stages consisting of 377 NEV policy documents formulated by government agencies between 2000 and 2021. Results show the NEV policy network evolves towards bigger, newer actors and is more heterogeneous in creating joint efforts in policymaking that promotes niche development and facilitates a transition to a market niche. Specifically, the policy network expands continually, and network density reaches the maximum of 0.635 at the end of the technological niche. Six agencies are identified as dominators in NEV policymaking. Collaboration on NEV policymaking exhibits obvious organisational heterogeneity, especially in the market niche with an E-I value of 0.576. This study enhances understanding of the evolutionary patterns of policy network and its function on supporting TIS development for immaturely sustainable technologies. The findings also provide important insights into the NEV policymaking process.

Policy supports for the deployment of solar fuels: islands as test-beds for a rapid green transition

Coastal areas, particularly islands, are especially vulnerable to climate change due to their geographic and climate conditions. Reaching decarbonisation targets is a long process, which will require radical changes and ‘out of the box’ thinking. In this context, islands have become laboratories for the green transition by providing spaces for exploring possibilities and alternatives. Here we explore how hydrogen (H2) energy technologies can be a critical ally for island production of renewable electricity in part by providing a storage solution. However, given the abundance of sunlight on many islands, we also note the huge potential for a more profound engagement between renewables and hydrogen technologies via the co-generation of ‘green hydrogen’ using solar fuels technology. Solar hydrogen is a clean energy carrier produced by the direct or indirect use of solar irradiation for water-splitting processes such as photovoltaic systems coupled with electrolysers and photoelectrochemical cells. While this technology is fast emerging, we question to what extent sufficient policy support exists for such initiatives and how they could be scaled up. We report on a case study of a pilot H2 plant in the Canary Islands, and we offer recommendations on early-stage policy implications for hydrogen and other solar fuels in an island setting. The paper draws on the literature on islands as policy laboratories and the multi-level perspective on energy transitions. We argue that particular attention needs to be given to discrete issues such as research and planning, and better synchronising between emerging local technology niches, the various regulatory regimes for energy, together with global trends.

Study of reaction-diffusion controlled mass transport in stopped-flow fluidics for spatiotemporal multiplexing

Integration of biochemical reaction networks (BRNs) with biosensor platforms has emerged as a technological niche overcoming challenges related to the loss of sensitivity and selectivity in biological media. Optimal operation of BRNs in microfluidics requires control over reaction-diffusion dominated mass transport, heavily influenced by fluidic parameters. In this work, we study and design an on-chip platform combining a programable unique molecular amplification as BRNs with nanoscale biologically sensitive field-effect transistor (BioFET) arrays, which employs a physical diffusion barrier to gain spatial and temporal control over mass transport. Computational and numerical approaches, such as finite element and finite volume methods, were implemented to solve partial differential equations numerically after domain approximation by numerous finite elements. The focus on geometrical optimizations of fluidics is aimed at mass transport to occur with precise spatial and temporal control toward BioFET-arrays. Adopting a 0.5 pM limit-of-detection (LoD) for biochemical monitoring of BRNs via a single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (ssDNA) output, we show that it was possible to compartmentalize the mass transport spatiotemporally without crosstalk, which can be of critical advantage for using biosensor arrays in order to realize simplified multiplexed point-of-care biosensors.

From a promising technological niche to an established market niche: Solar photovoltaic niche formation in Iran

Transformation toward a low-carbon sustainable energy system is getting more recognition in oil-rich developing countries under pressure exerted by their growing environmental challenges and international treaties- including UN SDGs. This calls for concerted efforts for developing renewable energy technologies (RETs). In this regard, the current paper examines the historical development of the solar photovoltaic (PV) niche formation in Iran from 1990 to 2020 in two chronological phases, i.e., technological niches and market niches. We adopt strategic niche management framework and highlight the active role of government support should plays as a key prerequisite required for RET niches development in oil-rich developing countries (ORDCs) where market is heavily in favor of fossil sources of energy. Data was gathered through 19 semi-structured interviews as well as PV-related science and technology development activities. We found that while universities and research institutions played a pivotal role in PV technological niche formation, foreign direct investment (FDI) and local firms were instrumental in PV market niche development. Our findings provide recommendations to direct ORDCs in developing PV, which include proper implementation of feed-in tariff policy, enhanced collaboration among international and local actors, integrated and balanced development of the PV value chain, diversified application of PV in the residential and industrial sectors, and lastly, leveraging FDI and joint-ventures as means of promoting local technological capabilities, industrialization, and market expansion.

Evaluating and forecasting the niche fitness of regional innovation ecosystems: A comparative evaluation of different optimized grey models

There is little research that evaluates the niche fitness of regional innovation ecosystems (RIEs) based on current niche theories, even though RIE development is a key driver of national and regional development. This study seeks to address the gap in research by constructing an evaluation index system and an evaluation model for the niche fitness of RIEs based on niche theories and by assessing the niche fitness of 30 Chinese RIEs for the years 2010 to 2019. The results show, first, that from 2010 to 2019, the niche fitness of Chinese RIEs overall was low. We suggest one possible reason for this finding might be the imbalanced development of different Chinese RIEs, as well as the lagging development of China's innovation community and habitat niche. Second, our findings show that RIE development needs a higher level of support from different ecological factors. Moreover, studies that predict the niche fitness of RIEs using forecasting models such as the grey model—GM (1,1)—remain scarce, even though forecasting the niche fitness of RIEs could provide a good reference for formulating innovation policies. Therefore, this study, aiming to fill this research gap, also establishes an optimized grey model—FMCGM (1,1)—to forecast the niche fitness of Chinese RIEs for the years 2021–2025, in addition to the analysis discussed above. Our results obtained by using FMCGM (1,1) show, first, that in the period 2021–2025, the niche fitness of Chinese RIEs will gradually increase, and second, that the development mode of Chinese RIEs will change from one mainly supported by the resource niche and the technology niche into a more balanced support mode via different ecological factors. To sum up, this study, presenting new methods to evaluate and forecast the niche fitness of RIEs, not only contributes to the research of RIE and grey forecasting models but also provides new insights for RIE governance.

The mechanism and direction of state economic policy transformation in modern socio-economic conditions

The system of accounting for the transformation of the world economy in the state economic policy has been improved in the following directions, namely: technological transformation (taking measures to fully realize the positive potential and reduce the threat of negative consequences; creation of a national ecosystem of a new technological order); organizational transformation (creating a regulatory and legal framework for the use of flexible forms of management (including in the field of public-private partnership); taking measures to adapt the national economy to organizational transformation); value transformation (development of measures to use new technological and organizational tools to account for new value requests of society; creation of a legislative framework for accounting for new requests; formation of financial resources and mechanisms for their distribution in order to satisfy value requests (including by revising the tax system). According to the results of the research, it is proven that modern society is undergoing a deep transformation, which includes technological, organizational, and value aspects. These aspects should be taken into account for the formation of the state economic policy. It was determined that the transition to a new technological system creates unique opportunities for Ukraine. At the stage of formation and development of the new system, the market volume ceases to be a significant limiting factor, which creates conditions for the construction of a national ecosystem of a new technological system in our country. This will allow Ukraine to become one of the economic poles of the multipolar world, occupy its economic and technological niche and form its sphere of economic influence. It was established that from a technological point of view, the priority task of the state economic policy is not the accelerated development and introduction of advanced technologies, but the creation of a national ecosystem of a new technological structure, which will provide conditions for the innovative development of the national economy, which is self-sustaining. It is necessary to form a legal framework for the use of flexible forms of organization of economic activity, including in the field of public-private partnership. This will reduce business transaction costs and increase the efficiency of business entities. The state needs to create conditions for meeting the changing value demands of society, in order to provide full-fledged conditions for realizing the needs of all population groups. An important tool for solving this task is the individualization (high level of targeting) of state support, which can be achieved with the help of the technological tools of the electronic state.

Conservation or revolution? The sustainable transition of textile and apparel firms under the environmental regulation: Evidence from China

As the environmental pollution problem in developing countries becomes more and more prominent, how to solve the environmental crisis has become the central issue they should consider. Many countries, such as China, are increasingly focusing on limiting industrial pollutant emissions through certain constraints. We know, however, that according to Porter's hypothesis, environmental regulation may be able to promote a sustainable transition of firms. We have launched a series of empirical studies to test whether this hypothesis can be established in textile and apparel companies. This study examines the impact of environmental regulations - defined as government requirements for environmental concerns and management - on sustainable transition for firms in the textile and apparel industry. Based on public data records of 24 listed textile and apparel companies in China for a total of 15 years between 2006 and 2020, we use the text of the Chinese local government work reports as a proxy variable for the intensity of environmental regulations while simulating the sustainable transition options for these firms by two technological niche indicators to discuss how environmental regulations affect firms' sustainable transition decisions, while we analyze the moderating effect of deviant strategy. Finally, combining the results of textual analysis and statistical tests, we found that: 1. Environmental regulation can promote sustainable transition of textile and apparel enterprises; 2. This promotion effect is negatively influenced by deviant strategy.

Social movements and institutional entrepreneurship as facilitators of technology transition: The case of free/open-source software

We integrate insights from the literature on social movements and institutional entrepreneurship into the strategic niche management (SNM) and multilevel perspective (MLP) frameworks to understand the emergence of Linux, a free/open-source operating system, in a regime dominated by proprietary operating systems such as Unix and Windows NT. Employing a “microhistories” methodology, we document how actors in the free/open-source movement took steps that enabled an alternate technological niche to form, gain momentum and eventually infiltrate the extant regime. Our account delineates the key role that actors play in shaping the identity of a niche, amplifying its presence, and finally mainstreaming it. We observe a heterogenous response by incumbents to the emergent niche and highlight the sustained coexistence of a niche and regime as a distinct form of technological transition. Finally, we demonstrate the significant impact that a niche can have, spanning beyond the targeted regime, and becoming part of the landscape. Our insights highlight how tracing the processes involved in the emergence and development of a niche can provide a prospective and generative understanding of technological transition, thereby contributing to and complementing the extant SNM and MLP literatures.