censes_skjerm

CenSES annual report 2014

RA 4 Innovation, Commercialization

and Public Engagement

Work related to the Work Packages in RA 4

In RA 4 we will develop knowledge within three main areas:

1) What factors in uence the commercialization of research?

How can commercialization processes from research institu-

tion be stimulated? How can research result in spin-o and

technology transfer? How does one identify commercial po-

tential, and enable paths towards actual commercialization?

2) If there is a tension between knowledge creation and

spillover, how does this in uence policy in a small open

economy in Europe? The roles innovation systems in a

globalized world.

3) How do local and regional barriers in private and public

sector hinder transition strategies and what strategies that

are needed to overcome such barriers?

The research plan for RA 4 was revised during 2014. In WP 1

will the focus be somewhat stronger on the development of

spin-o rms from research organizations. We will develop

further the interesting paths related to dynamic business

models in developed and less developed countries. We will

also continue the mapping of innovation activities in the

technical FMEs. In WP 2 was the initial focus on analyzing

attempts to build innovation systems to support the devel-

opment and introduction of technologies to transform re-

newable energy sources (wind, solar, bio, wave) into energy/

electricity. Many of these emerging technologies are initially

challenged both by their intrinsic newness and the competi-

tion with existing technologies, which called our attention to

the analysis of the speci c conditions that make, or hamper,

emerging technologies from becoming more cost-e ective.

In the coming period we will therefore focus more on inter-

national aspects of innovation systems building to embed

new technologies in economy and society. This will involve

both cross-national (bi-lateral/multi-lateral) and international

(particularly EU) analysis.

In WP 3 will the focus be on how meeting the EU’s and

Norway’s ambitious renewable energy targets will have

signi cant local consequences. Policy makers must make

decisions that balance the consequences for the economy,

the society, and the environment. Most of the activity in WP

3 will be related to the RELEASE project (Renewable Energy

Projects: Local Impacts and Sustainability). The project is

nanced by RCN and a number of user partners.

RA4 will dedicate resources in order to participate in the sce-

nario work outlined in RA 5. This will be done in close relation

with key researchers in RA 2 and RA 1. Furthermore, the RA 4

team will take lead in the development of the position paper

“Nurturing new technologies”. Finally, we will in RA 4 contin-

ue to support student startups focusing on renewable energy

solutions. This could be related to both technology develop-

ment and business model innovations.

Post doc Ekaterina Bjørnåli attended the

RERC2014 conference that was organized

at the University of Oslo in June 2014.

More than 160 researchers from promi-

nent international and Norwegian research

institutes put forward their latest discoveries and

analysis within the eld of renewable energy.

Bjørnåli presented her paper about the factors a ecting the

growth of clean-tech start-ups under the theme “Innovation

and Public engagement”. She was showing that current

studies have focused on such external factors as policies

and regulations while the rm-speci c and individual

factors have been neglected. She argued for the need to

investigate the role of individuals and rm-level factors in

the development of clean-tech start-ups.

The paper has been published in Energy Proceedia.

Renewable Energy

Research Conference

(RERC) 2014