The emergence of a global innovation system – A case study from the urban water sector

Jonas Heiberg; Bernhard Truffer

doi:10.1016/j.eist.2022.04.007

The emergence of a global innovation system – A case study from the urban water sector

Jonas Heiberg, Bernhard Truffer

Swiss Federal Institut of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag)

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Innovation studies is increasingly acknowledging the multi-scalar nature of the systemic contexts, in which innovations are being developed and deployed. This paper builds on and further develops a recently proposed framework for studying global innovation systems (GIS). It aims at explaining the emergence of a GIS by outlining the specific local resource-related conditions that lead to the creation of structural couplings, i.e. actors, networks and institutions that allow for multi-scalar resource flows. Deploying a qualitative case study, the paper investigates the interrelated developments of eight demonstration sites of innovative wastewater treatment technology in North-Western Europe. It shows how resource-related deficits lead actors to draw on resources generated outside of their local context. The paper contributes to the literature on the Geography of Transitions by highlighting the importance of resource complementarities among different local contexts, as well as the crucial role of trans-local systemic intermediaries in shaping an emergent GIS.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	270-288
Number of pages	19
Journal	Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions
Volume	43
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2022.04.007
Publication status	Published - Jun 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022

Funding

Beginning around the turn of the 2010s, several new projects emerged in different countries building on variegated sets of local resources. In the Netherlands, Sneek ’s succeful application of the technology secured local legitimacy for continued experimentation. A spin-off firm, Desah, as well as an engineering consultancy, LeAF BV, were created by members of Wageningen University to commercialize and further develop and diffuse the technology, allowing for more demonstration projects in Venlo and Kerkrade. Thus, legitimation and knowledge creation were developed locally during this phase. However, market formation and access to financial resources were rather scarce and fluctuating. Major influx of financial support during this phase came through the support by funding schemes of the European Commission, like through the participation of Dutch actors in a Horizon2020-funded project called Run4life from 2017 onwards (In10, 11). Without these external funding sources, the Dutch innovation system might not have been sustained during this period (In11). On the vacuum toilet end of the technology, however, knowledge was channeled to the Netherlands through a collaboration with the Dutch branch of Jets. Thus, while legitimation was generated local, knowledge for specific components, and funding were mobilized from outside of the Dutch national subsystem mainly through Jets and the EU. This research was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) within the National Research Programme “Sustainable Economy: resource-friendly, future-oriented, innovative” (NRP 73) Grant No. 407340_172366. We thank all interviewees for their insightful contributions during the investigation phase of this study.

Funders	Funder number
European Commission
Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung	407340_172366

Keywords

Geography of transitions
Global innovation systems (GIS)
Modular water technologies
Multi-scalar resource flows
Systemic intermediaries

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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1-s2.0-S2210422422000429-mainFinal published version, 3.72 MBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

Cite this

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The emergence of a global innovation system – A case study from the urban water sector

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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