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The innovation literature increasingly addresses grand challenges and transformative change. However, the issue of to what extent transformative change can build upon the resources, actors and institutions of existing innovation systems has not received sufficient attention. Against this background this paper aims to advance our understanding of the geographies and continuities of transformative change, by exploring the role of regional innovation systems in mission-oriented innovation. Based on an in-depth case study of electrification of ferries in Western Norway, the paper finds that the accomplishment of the mission was in large part due to the fact that it created new regional economic opportunities and built upon and mobilized existing regional resources, actors and structures. This mission re-orientation of an existing regional innovation system was characterized by (a) limited contestation, low complexity and low uncertainty about the technological battery-driven solutions pointed at, (b) multi-actor and multi-scalar agency and finally (c) asset modification of strong and pre-existing RIS structures, institutions and regulatory context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Analyses CCS technological innovation system dynamics in Norway. • Employs the technological innovation system (TIS) framework. • Overall the CCS innovation system has intermediate-weak performance. • Momentum is however positive, albeit future prospects being uncertain. CO 2 Capture and Storage (CCS) is today seen as a key technology to cut carbon emissions in many hard-to-abate sectors such as energy-intensive processing industries and the waste sector. Although CO 2 capture is technically possible, key challenges for realizing CCS persist. Over the past decade, CCS has taken a new direction with more focus on application in energy-intensive industries rather than the energy sector. For CCS value chains to materialize, innovation and implementation thus needs to occur amongst an array of actors, with different innovation modes, institutions, and policy regimes, and with varying sectoral capacities for adaptation and change. There has so far been limited social science research on CCS innovation dynamics, which we suggest approaching as a socio-technical change process. To better understand this process, we draw on the sustainability transitions research field and employ the Technological Innovation System (TIS) framework to study the CCS innovation system in Norway. We find that, overall, the Norwegian CCS TIS displays systemic weaknesses for example in the form of market formation and resource mobilization, yet recent developments suggest a relatively positive momentum for this technological field which is key to meeting Norwegian and global climate mitigation targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Technology innovation assessed in terms of its effects in other sectors. • Industrial transformative capacity driven by context, complementarities and competition. • Proximity to existing activities accelerates growth but distance create opportunities. • Industrial specialization and technology characteristics as sources of variation. • Indicator to measure the transformative capacity of innovations is proposed. This paper investigates the conditions in which the development of new technologies induce structural change in the economy. A literature review reveals three factors that influence the industrial transformative capacity of a technology: context; complementarities; competition. We explore the dynamics of these factors, focusing on the extent and nature of induced activities in adjacent sectors. We apply this framework to study marine renewable energy technologies (MRET) in Portugal. Adjacent sector firms active in several MRET exhibited diversified activity, innovation and internal change. Comparing with Norway, where an offshore sector (oil & gas) supports the emergence of offshore wind, the absence of such sector in Portugal raises challenges but also creates opportunities for the transformation of several other sectors. We develop a new indicator to identify and compare the industrial transformative capacity of innovations. Finally, we discuss the extent to which context, complementarities and competition contribute to accelerate or hinder transformative change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key challenge to achieving a net-zero transition by mid-century is rapid diffusion of several low-carbon technologies which requires massive upscaling of production capacity including vast use of material resources. However, both diffusion theory and main transition studies frameworks pay insufficient attention to the role of material resources. To better understand the relationships between diffusion, production, and material use in technology diffusion and transitions, we conceptually elaborate the role of material resources in the value chain perspective on Technological Innovation Systems (TIS). We account for how material scarcity appears and how it influences TIS structural and functional dynamics with particular attention to how actors along the value chain respond. Our study of China's Electric Vehicle lithium-ion battery TIS value chain shows that a shortage of critical materials occurred due to structural tensions between sectoral regimes along the value chain which influenced the TIS structural and functional dynamics both within and across sectors. The study contributes new insights on the role of materials in TIS and circular value chains, on how the TIS growth and diffusion phase unfolds, and on how urgency of a net-zero transition and geopolitics influence diffusion. • Critical material resources influence the pace and direction of sustainability transitions in growth and diffusion phase. • Extant work offers little insight on the role of resources and actors' strategies in the diffusion of green technology • The role of material resources in a technological value chain in accelerating transition processes is highlighted. • China's battery industry shows that material shortage comes from misalignments of sectoral regimes along the value chain. • Coping strategies developed by actors along the TIS value chain in the face of material scarcity are teased out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose that foresight can contribute to inclusive development by making innovation systems more inclusive. Processes of developing future oriented innovation policies are often unsuccessful and rarely inclusive. We conceptualize such processes as foresighting. We focus on how the ex-ante design of policymaking processes affects the actual process with a focus on inclusion, and we discuss how it affects policy effectiveness and innovation system transformation. Our argument is that processes of policymaking must be inclusive to affect and transform innovation systems because a set of distributed actors, rather than ministries and innovation agencies, is the gatekeepers of change. From this perspective, inclusion is a precondition rather than an obstacle for transformation. Based on the notion of innovation system foresight, we develop an analytical framework that we use to study design and processes in foresight cases in two emerging economies: Brazil and South Korea. We conclude that better systemic and innovation oriented foresight is needed to enhance inclusive development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to argue that innovation system foresight (ISF) can significantly contribute to the third mission of universities by creating an active dialogue between universities, industry and society. Design/methodology/approach – This paper’s approach is conceptual. The authors analyse the third mission and relevant literature on innovation systems and foresight to explain how and why foresight contributes to the third mission. Findings – The authors propose that foresight contributes to the third mission of universities, particularly to the research and development and innovation dimensions through the development of joint understanding of the agendas and future needs of stakeholders. In addition, foresight enables education to be designed to address identified needs. Research limitations/implications – The findings are both conceptual and exploratory in nature. Thus, the argument needs further examination through a broader study on foresight in the university–industry context and/or longitudinal research on the outcomes and impact of foresight in this context. Practical implications – The findings highlight the importance of understanding the systemic nature of innovation and its role in economic development. Universities must understand their role within the larger innovation system to fulfil the potential of economic development and by extension, their third mission. Originality/value – The paper outlines a novel approach of using ISF to promote university–industry partnerships and the growth of innovation systems. The paper also contributes to the discussion of the third mission by outlining that mission in practical terms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sustained push for large-scale deployment of renewable energy technologies across the EU is generating transformation pressures on the transmission infrastructure and stimulating technological change within it. In particular, high voltage direct current (HVDC) technology has been rejuvenated in recent years and its role in the grid is now growing. Still, uncertainties prevail over the longer-term extent of both sector transformation and HVDC development and diffusion. We analyze recent trends in HVDC as a technological innovation system (TIS) within the transmission sector. We build on previous research that explicitly conceptualizes and analyzes interactions between a focal TIS and other TIS and larger sectors. Our analysis illustrates the merits of such an approach. We conclude by pointing out key policy issues for changing transmission grids and for further HVDC development and diffusion. We also show how the idiosyncratic techno-economic properties of infrastructure sectors affect the dynamics of technological change within them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practice and concept of foresight have developed over several decades. However, the academic literature that addresses foresight is mainly descriptive, and it is generally acknowledged that there is a gap between practice and theory in foresight. This article contributes to building the theoretical underpinnings of foresight. The article explores the co-evolution of the academic field of innovation studies and the practice and concept of foresight. The article illustrates that foresight is importing the dominant understanding of innovation from innovation studies with a time lag. Currently, foresight is in a catching-up process vis-à-vis innovation studies by gradually incorporating the implications of a systemic understanding of innovation. The latter is reflected in the current research gaps in foresight. This paper concludes that the concept of innovation system foresight (ISF) constitutes an improved integration of the contemporary understanding of innovation into foresight. Furthermore, the article explores four preliminary implications of ISF on the conceptual design of foresight, including the goal of foresight, system definition and boundary setting, participation of actors, and finally, methods for mapping the present. These four implications also constitute avenues for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of studies have explored the interconnection between the foresight literature and the innovation system literature. This paper adds to these studies by investigating how theoretical elements of the innovation system approach can contribute to the design and practice of foresight processes. The paper originates in a foresight project in the Nordic facilities management sector. The goal of the foresight project was to identify the possible futures of the facilities management sector in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden) and, based on the findings, to establish a proposal for a common Nordic facilities management research agenda. The paper finds that three elements of the innovation system literature are of particular interest for the practice of foresight: innovation systems and context dependency, learning and user-producer interactions, and the role of knowledge and knowledge production. These elements are embedded into a simple sectoral innovation system model (including actors, knowledge flows, and the strategic environment). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the acceleration phase transitions often increase in depth and scope, and thereby create knock-on effects for wider system structures. In the renewable energy transition, for example, higher shares of intermittent renewable energy sources call for new grid technologies to increase flexible grid operation. At the same time, there are different ways of achieving renewable energy transitions and providing flexibility. In Europe, important tensions exist over how centralised or decentralised a renewable energy electricity system should be. This paper explores to what extent and how European framework programmes for research and development have addressed and supported innovation in transmission grid (centralised system) and distribution grid (decentralised) technologies. We analyse European R&D projects that studied electricity grid planning, development and innovation over 2002–2020. We apply social network analysis of the collaboration partners in these projects, and analyse the calls for proposals issued by three European Framework Programmes: FP6, FP7 and Horizon 2020. The framework programmes have addressed energy-related issues, but the priorities have changed over time, reflecting the ongoing energy transition. We ask if the importance of transmission grid vs. distribution grid has changed over time, and if and how the collaboration patterns have changed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Analysis of step change in mature niche technology in power transmission due to energy transition. • Focal technology dynamics explained by different types of multi-technology interactions. • Established transition frameworks do not fully capture such multi-technology interactions. • We introduce a theoretical 'overlay module' to complement established frameworks. • Transition policy increasingly needs to embrace multi-technology and –sector dynamics. Studies of socio-technical transitions have often focused on niche emergence or on the interaction of niche and regime technologies in a 'single-sector' setting. Such analyses are particularly important in the early stages of transitions, when there is a primary interest in developing novel technologies. In later phases, transitions do not only involve multiple technologies but also multiple sectors, which means that the complexity of technology dynamics increases. We want to improve established frameworks—technological innovation systems and the multi-level perspective—to account for such phenomena. We study HVDC technology, which is a mature technology for electricity transmission that has remained in a niche for decades but recently gained new momentum as the ongoing transition in the electricity sector accelerated. Our case highlights: i) the importance of multi-technology interaction within and across sectors, ii) an important role for innovating incumbents responding to these dynamics, and iii) an increasing relevance of multi-technology interactions and organizational responses in advanced stages of transitions. To guide our analysis, we introduce a novel multi-technology map. Such a tool can be useful to complement existing frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]