Innovation platforms enabling cross-regional collaboration in low-carbon economy

The interdependent challenges of climate change need innovation in systems of practice and provision, not single innovation in products and processes. In this context, cities face the challenge of dealing with climate risks and impacts, while moving to more sustainable, zero-carbon and resilient pathways. This is a major opportunity for a new, sustainable market to combine existing knowledge and economies of scale that exist within urban environments to produce new systemic solutions. However, there are considerable differences in progress between the leading cities (mostly in Northern/Western Europe) and the one’s lagging behind. Intra-EU disparity claims for the existence of platforms that follow a systemic approach instead of “picking the winner”. The structures which allow for the coordination of a variety of actors by combining individual goals and capacities with shared purposes, norms and expectations, refers to innovation platforms.

This study addresses the role of innovation platforms as catalysers of existing (or new) innovation systems in the field of sustainable urban transitions to explore market opportunities. Empirically, emphasis is put in the analysis of the underlying factors of geographical structural differences and what are the patterns of relations between knowledge spaces and governance configurations. For doing so, we analyse the portfolio of projects and activities of the EIT Climate-KIC. This study aims to contribute to a better understanding on innovation platforms as a mechanism to accelerate innovation in the urban environment that can contribute to enhance collaboration to achieve more equally distributed progress across all Europe.

First results of this study are based in the activities implemented in the EIT RIS programme covering peripheral EU regions. Results has been already presented in the following conferences:

4^thGeography of Innovation Conference, Barcelona , January 31^st– February 2^nd, 2018

Conference program

UN/WASD International Conference on Public private partnership for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10-13 April 2018, Geneva

Conference presentation

Research project team: Cristian Matti, Irene Vivas Lalinde, Julia Panny and Balnca Juan Agulló

May 26, 2018 0

Urban specialisation & sustainability transitions

The pattern of specialization in the cities of Transition cities project are analysed through the application of Circos (Krzywinski et al., 2009) data graphics tool for structural studies. The exercise seeks to facilitate the analysis of specialization evidence from patterns in the data.

In the working paper we present a new sociotechnical and systemic approach to urban specialization with a policy focus on challenge-led clusters. Specialization patterns are explored through urban sociotechnical systems where networks and organisations act as “transition arenas” in a policy shift to the meso regime level as a new focus of transformative innovation. It is an alternative to the traditional macro/micro split more attuned to systemic rather than singular innovation, and offers a broader definition of innovation, which highlights social, organisational, and business model novelty.

1st SMARTER Conference on Smart Specialisation and Territorial Development 28-30 September, Seville

Challenge-led and participatory learning processes to facilitate urban strategies for innovation on low carbon futures

Cristian Matti, Fred Steward and Andreas Huck

Download the conference presentation here

October 3, 2016 0

Visual toolbox for system innovation

The Visual toolbox for system innovation” is a booklet-format collection of ready-to-implement tools to structure and manage the challenges and exploit opportunities of sustainability innovations and transitions.

The tools are presented in a simple and visual approach to support practitioners’ everyday work on climate change, transition and system innovation.

Download the Visual toolbox here

De Vicente Lopez, Javier and Matti, Cristian (2016). Visual toolbox for system innovation. A resource book for practitioners to map, analyse and facilitate sustainability transitions. Transition Hub Series. EIT Climate KIC, Brussels 2016. ISBN 978-2-9601874-1-0

July 30, 2016 1

Exploring foresight methodologies with the JRC Policy Lab

I am starting a collaboration with the JRC Policy Lab to work in the practical application of the JRC Scenario Exploration System (SES). After testing the game and a series of meeting with Laurent Bontoux we have seen the potential of the game for supporting the development of regional strategies while stimulating competences and skills on communication, negotiation and future orientation. We are currently working the combination of this game with tools on visioning and backasting from the Visual Toolbox for System Innovation.

See more here in the EU Policy Lab blog:

http://blogs.ec.europa.eu/eupolicylab/latest-news-on-the-jrc-ses/

Helping local communities chart a path towards their own greener future

July 6, 2016 0

The launch event “Opening the development agenda,” the STEPS center – Sustainable Alternatives for Latin America, was held on 5 and 6 November in Buenos Aires. STEPS Latin America is part of a network of universities based China, USA, Kenya, India, the UK and Sweden. STEPS Latin America seeks to renew and open innovation agenda and sustainability of the region, based on the idea that there are different paths to development. During the two-day panel on Open Science, Innovation inclusive, horizontal innovations for sustainability and natural resources and development which will have important guests were made internationally. My participation in this event was to design and facilitation of participatory workshops with the aim of thinking policies to promote open knowledge production and think a new research agenda on innovation and sustainable development for the region.

The workshop Policies to open the generation of knowledge was based in participatory techniques aimed to allow jointly identification of a number of items such as tools, methodologies and priorities related to S & T policy. Brainstorming techniques and World Cafe are used to enhance the diversity of perspectives and facilitate the exchange of ideas between different actors. The outcome of this workshop will be digitized and shared with participants to encourage collaboration in different areas.

The workshop Research agenda for sustainable development was based in participatory techniques for making maps on areas of knowledge and research priorities through a prospective approach. By visualizing a future scenario, the exercise seeks to help participants to relate different elements at different levels and over time in order to facilitate change processes at the system level. The outcome of this workshop will be digitized and shared with participants to encourage collaboration in different areas.

The event was part of the new line of collaboration between Transition Hub – Climate KIC and the STEPs center. Further actions are related with the co-development of learning materials and exploring research opportunities in the area of resilient and smart agricultural systems

See full agenda of the event here & summary of event in STEP website

November 20, 2015 0

Network mapping, participatory methods & Urban Socio-Technical systems

Cristian Matti and Fred Steward

Transition cities project

This study provides analytical evidence on new practices to transform the policy agenda in European cities. We carry out a participatory method approach to facilitate a process of mapping socio technical system and enable cities to articulate better their needs and challenges.

We run several rounds of networks analysis based in real projects data gathered in workshops through collaboration between actors and researchers as part of the Transition Cities project funded by the Europe’s Climate-KIC initiative. This exercise illustrates the combination of science and practice in the search of a more coordinated model to signal the market opportunities for co‐creation of low carbon innovative products and services. The preliminary results of this study have been presented in the following academic conference during 2015:

International Sustainability Transitions Conference 2015 – Sustainability Transitions and Wider Transformative Changes: Historical Roots and Future Pathways

University of Sussex, Brighton 24-28 August 2015

Qualitative and Mixed Methods in Research Evaluation and Policy Workshop

Brunel University London, 1-2 October 2015

EU-SPRI Early Career Researcher Conferences (ECC)

IRCRES Rome, 14-16 October 2015

Poster presentation

Transition Cities project of Climate KIC to collaborate in the search of methodologies to facilitate the analysis of opportunities on environmental project from a socio-technical perspective through a co-creative collaboration between actors and researchers (transdisciplinary research).

October 30, 2015 0

Javier de Vicente López, Cristian Matti and José Jiménez Pérez

This document summaries the results obtained as a result of the participatory process that is part of the “Foundations for a Provincial Strategy Biomass” in the province of Castellon.
These actions are ultimately aimed at laying the foundations for sustainable biomass strategy, which included the set of actors in the territory and the entire value chain that the use of biomass genera.La idea behind all the participatory process It is incorporating the different viewpoints, knowledge and experience of all actors in the work of treating biomass as “an element to assess forest biomass” capable of “generating economic wealth, clean energy and employment, especially in the interior villages helping the development of these rural areas. ”

Download report here: Report Biomass Castellon – Participatory methods 2015 (in Spanish)

May 31, 2015 0

Enabling practitioners interactions to foster innovative actions on Climate Change

Networking event for practitioner on management of environmental innovations

As coordinator of Valencian coaching team in the Pioneers into Practice programme 2014 (Climate KIC), I have had the opportunity to explore the introduction of new practices to foster stakeholder collaboration on projects related to Climate Change issues. We got a very good attendance of firms, researchers and local government officers from Valencia region and Portugal.

Flyer networking event

June 7, 2014 0

Enabling public-private cooperation for innovation in green construction

In recent decades an international building system has emerged through the central cities in both industrialized and developing countries. This system includes materials and components that overlap and work simultaneously with regional and local practices. The interaction between innovations developed at different international and local perspectives on building systems could explain how a variety of sustainable construction techniques have emerged in different locations.

CW 3_pic In that sense, this scientific meeting aimed to bring together companies and researchers from diverse backgrounds working on the problem of the introduction of more sustainable construction methods from different disciplinary perspectives. Through discussion and exchange of ideas is expected to facilitate bridges to future research collaboration as well as enable a diverse set of participants on the seach of opportunities for funding projects at local, national and European level.

Link to conference program:

http://www.ingenio.upv.es/en/seminar-about-sustainable-construction-and-innovation#.UozkhY0hf9h

Agenda

Brochure

November 20, 2012 0

Methodologies for national and regional statistics in Argentina

Survey and fieldwork methods – National economic census 2004/2005 Argentina

During 2004-2005 I had the opportunity of join the National economic Census in Argentina. I was appointed as regional methodological chief for many different municipalities across the province of Buenos Aires, the biggest and richest region in Argentina.

Two of these municipalities were part of the biggest concentration of population in Argentina: Avellaneda and Lanus while the other were located in the south of Buenos Aires place of the most important agricultural activity. This was a first experience on professional training but also as chief of a big team as I was in charge of the training of regional coordinators and regional trainers (i.e. methodological issues on gathering information, survey management and human resource recruitment and management) but also the methodological supervisor during all the project. Thousands of kilometres later, I had carried out selection process, training, coordination and supervision of more than 50 professionals who were at the same time in charge of more than 200 pollster. The experience was great and the results has changed the perception of the regional economy. (Here some results)

May 24, 2012 0