Innovation and Sustainability

Through research on sustainability transitions and societal resilience, we generate knowledge on how technology, organisation, and policy can help minimise human impact on climate and the environment, reduce resource-dependencies, improve competitiveness, and realise a sustainable and robust society.

Our expertise

The Innovation and Sustainability Research Group has social science expertise in two main areas: sustainability transitions and societal resilience.

Within the field of sustainability transitions, we focus particularly on innovation and sustainable transformation. Key research topics include drivers and barriers for sustainability transitions, innovation and industrial policy, value chain development, and the circular economy. We have extensive experience researching these topics across sectors such as energy, transport, process industries, and water and wastewater services.

Within societal resilience, we have expertise in safety management, organisational resilience, preparedness, and the governance and management of complex risks and disruptions. We have studied collaboration across sectors, organisational learning and competence development, and new ways of working. We have also developed digital decision-support tools and platforms. Our experience spans a range of sectors, including the maritime sector, transport, mining, and the public sector.

How we can support you

Would you like to better understand how to achieve sustainable transformation? Do you need insight into how new technologies, regulations, and societal developments may affect your organisation, sector, or society more broadly?

We can help you:

• Develop evidence-based knowledge on sustainability transitions and societal resilience.
• Identify drivers, barriers, and impacts related to sustainability transitions.
• Understand the implications of emerging technologies, regulations, and market developments.
• Evaluate initiatives, policies, policy instruments, and societal impacts.
• Establish research and innovation partnerships and explore new business models.
• Strengthen safety, preparedness, and organisational resilience.
• Support the implementation of new technologies through learning, training, and trust-building, and by developing new ways of working.
• Develop and evaluate innovative services and work processes.
• Design and facilitate stakeholder and citizen engagement processes.

We combine research-based and practical knowledge to develop solutions that create value for organisations and society.

How we work

Our research draws on social science perspectives to understand the challenges facing society. This enables us to analyse complex issues and generate new knowledge on how businesses, organisations, and public authorities can address challenges related to both sustainability transitions and societal resilience. Our research supports policymaking, strategy development, governance, leadership, and transformation processes at different levels.

We often focus on societal challenges that cannot be solved by a single actor alone. Our work spans multiple levels, from businesses and organisations to value chains, sectors, and wider societal systems. We apply socio-technical system perspectives to understand how these levels interact and influence one another. The research group employs a wide range of perspectives and methods. We also have extensive experience in planning, facilitating, and evaluating participatory processes and interventions.

Our research is often interdisciplinary and carried out in collaboration with industrial partners, public organisations, and interest groups, both nationally and internationally.

What makes us different?

Our strength lies in our ability to connect technological development with societal insight and expertise in transformative processes. We consider sustainability transitions and resilience as emerging from interactions between technology, organisations, economics, and society, and as prerequisites for long-term value creation.

Our key strengths are:

• Extensive expertise in sustainable transformation and the circular economy.
• Strong knowledge of governance, policy design, and policy instruments.
• Expertise in innovation and change processes.
• Knowledge of the human, organisational, and institutional factors that influence the implementation of new technologies.
• Expertise in safety management, resilience, and preparedness.
• Broad experience with interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research.

We analyse, develop, and support transformation processes from the organisational level to sectors and wider societal systems. This includes sustainability transitions, the implementation of new technologies, the development of circular solutions, and strengthening societal resilience. We are particularly interested in how transformations can be carried out in ways that are effective, inclusive, and socially sustainable.

An international research environment

The research group participates in a wide range of international research projects and collaborates with leading research organisations and industry partners across Europe and beyond. We have extensive experience with EU-funded projects as well as research and development projects in emerging economies.

Through our collaborations, we contribute to the development of new knowledge on how businesses and societies can address climate change, resource challenges, and technological change. At the same time, we bring international perspectives and experience into national and regional development processes.

Our researchers actively participate in international networks, scientific advisory boards, and expert groups. This gives us access to the latest developments in our fields and enables us to contribute to research, policy, and societal development at national and international levels.

Highlights

• Participation in several national centres focusing on clean technologies, sustainability transitions, and the use of artificial intelligence. Our researchers also serve as innovation leaders and facilitators of interdisciplinary innovation processes.
• Development of knowledge that supports policies, regulations, and policy instruments for sustainable transformation in areas such as energy, carbon capture and storage (CCS), circular economy, mobility, and the public sector.
• Strong expertise in safety management, preparedness, and organisational and societal resilience. Through national and international projects, we have developed knowledge and digital decision-support tools for preparedness, crisis management, and collaboration across municipal, regional, and national levels.
• Key roles in several projects on Wind-Assisted Propulsion Systems (WAPS), focusing on learning, training, trust-building, and new ways of working as a foundation for technology implementation in collaboration with shipping companies, authorities, and industry partners.
• Research on innovation, learning, service development, and cross-sector collaboration, contributing to the development of sustainable and user-centred solutions.
• Application of transdisciplinary approaches, including Learning Alliances, Living Labs, and Communities of Practice, to develop, test, and implement new solutions through collaboration between research, industry, the public sector, and citizens.

Interested in collaboration?

We are always interested in new partnerships with organisations that aim to develop knowledge and solutions to address current and future challenges. Meeting these challenges requires collaboration between research, industry, and the public sector. Together, we can explore new opportunities, develop research and innovation projects, and generate knowledge and decision-making tools that contribute to a more sustainable and resilient society.