Sustainable Innovation and Transitions

The course Sustainable Innovation and Transitions takes as starting points:

(1) that technology and innovation on the one hand and society and users on the other hand mutually influence one another and evolve in a co-evolutionary way;

(2) that sustainable innovations, as well as system innovations and transitions towards sustainability, are strongly needed to bring about sustainability, and;

(3) that stakeholder involvement and participatory intervention instruments are needed and required to enable and realise implementation in a socially responsible way.

The course evolves around the concepts of Functions of Innovation Systems, Strategic Niche Management, Socio-Technical Transitions, social innovation and sustainable business models. These frameworks and instruments can be applied to sustainable or social innovations, which can be a technical innovation (e.g. recycling, EVs, biogas), an organisational innovation (e.g. car sharing), or a bottom-up grassroots innovation (e.g. energy cooperatives, urban agriculture) in both industrialised and developing countries. In addition, intervention instruments like transition management and backcasting are part of the course.

The course consists of two parts:

(1) A theoretical part consisting of lectures, readings and discussions, which is assessed by a written exam.

(2) A group assignment focusing on a self-chosen topic. Examples of systems that can be studied include regional eco-industrial parks, organic agriculture, circular economy systems and renewable energy innovation systems in both industrialised and developing countries.