Innovation, intermediaries and societal challenges
Innovation is regarded by many as an important avenue for addressing 鈥榞rand鈥 societal challenges, like the response to a changing climate. Intermediaries responding to such challenges sometimes facilitate uncommon collaborations, sparking promising innovation paths. Two recent publications by researchers at Utrecht 木瓜福利影视 explore policy opportunities and challenges for linking organisations that under normal circumstances would be unlikely to collaborate.
鈥淲hen a collaboration with potential for innovation breakthrough is hard to achieve it is useful to explore how policy can make a difference,鈥 says Matthijs Janssen, assistant professor of innovation policy at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht 木瓜福利影视. 鈥淭his is especially true when uniting organisations around themes like societal challenges can inspire the development of novel solutions鈥.
Linking strong but unrelated sectors and knowledge domains
In in the Cambridge Journal of Regions Economy and Society, Matthijs Janssen and Koen Frenken propose linking an economy鈥檚 strong but unrelated sectors or knowledge domains. This could be through policy that encourages joint exploration of a societal challenge. Even if no viable solution emerges, organisations may still exchange and recombine their knowledge, facilitating future successes.
鈥淭he Netherlands is already attempting this in the recent revision of its national R&D and competiveness strategy, focused on prominent innovation domains,鈥 explains Janssen. 鈥淪ocietal challenges have been identified spanning across these nine 鈥楾opsectors鈥, and integrated into their respective Knowledge and Innovation Agendas.鈥
Systemic innovation intermediaries drive sustainability transition developments and help translate research findings into applications
鈥楽ystemic鈥 innovation intermediaries for orchestrating collective R&D
Another way to encourage experts from different domains to work together is by mobilizing systemic intermediaries. Such entities are known for driving sustainability transition developments, in contrast to innovation intermediaries, which help translate research findings into applications. A by Matthijs Janssen, Maya Bogers and Iris Wanzenb枚ck identifies systemic innovation intermediaries, which combine these two functions.
Systemic innovation intermediaries cross geographical and cognitive distance
In the Netherlands systemic innovation intermediaries like Top Consortia for Knowledge and Innovation (TKIs) have been set up to encourage innovation in each of the nine top sectors. They encourage public-private partnership projects and coordinate research in line with the Topsector鈥檚 Knowledge and Innovation Agendas. Janssen and colleagues found that intermediaries like TKIs help organisations cross geographical and cognitive distance when setting up new collaborative R&D projects.
Overcoming the risk of groupthinking
At the same time, there are indications that pre-existing 鈥榮ocial鈥 structures based on earlier collaborations are being reinforced. 鈥淭he caveat here is that dense networks of organisations may still reinforce their existing innovation paths, rather than explore novel ones鈥, say Janssen, Bogers and Wanzenb枚ck. Their follow-up research aims to shed light on which specific policy designs result in the best societal outcomes.
Further reading
Matthijs J. Janssen, Maya Bogers & Iris Wanzenb枚ck (2019) Do systemic innovation intermediaries broaden horizons? A proximity perspective on R&D partnership formation, Industry and Innovation,
Matthijs J Janssen, Koen Frenken, Cross-specialisation policy: rationales and options for linking unrelated industries, Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society,