A knowledge-based perspective on system weaknesses in technological innovation systems

Frishammar, Johan; Söderholm, Patrik; Hellsmark, Hans; Mossberg, Johanna

doi:10.1093/scipol/scy037

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 58 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A transition to a bioeconomy implies an increased use of biomass, which is a key option for reducing greenhouse gas emissions across a variety of industrial sectors. The research program upon which the current article draws is summarized in prior publications by the author team 2,5,26–28 . The current article overlaps empirically with these prior articles but the research question is new.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research on Swedish biorefinery development confirms the importance of various types of significant investment risks. Even though pilot plants may be instrumental in producing the knowledge required and reducing technical problems and risks, many actors perceive the political and wider institutional uncertainties to be high 26 . For instance, the Swedish carbon dioxide tax policy (with exemptions for biofuels) lacked stability and credibility before the advent of the reduction quota in 2018 as frequent exemptions from the EU were needed, were only granted for short periods, and then had to be renewed.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It should also be noted that the lack of absorptive capacity is not only relevant to technological know‐how, or regarding future markets and customers of a more diversified product portfolio. It may also relate to procedural knowledge, such as how incumbent industries can collaborate with a diverse set of actors in development projects and share experiences and learning 26 . The next challenge makes this clear.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Challenges of sustainable industrial transformation: Swedish biorefinery development and incumbents in the emerging biofuels industry

Mossberg

Söderholm

Frishammar

2021

Biofuels Bioprod Bioref

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper investigates the transformation challenges related to incumbent industries caused by technology development and industry convergence in the transition to a bioeconomy in the context of Swedish biorefinery development. It involves the emergence of new value chains and several incumbent industries such as the pulp and paper industry, the oil refinery sector, the chemical process industry, and the heat and power sector. In 2019, Sweden had Europe's largest share of biofuels in the transport sector, roughly 20% on an energy basis, and this share has increased by around 300% during the last decade. At the same time, domestic production has stalled, and even though Sweden has beneficial conditions for biofuel production, the share of biofuel that is imported or based on imported feedstock has recently ranged between 85% and 90%. We discuss three transformation challenges: (i) inertia and lack of absorptive capacity creating lock‐in effects at the organizational level; (ii) weak and inefficient actor networks at the industry level; and (iii) contradictory policy instrument mixes and lack of coordination at the government level. The findings underscore the need for policy integration and alignment across various policy domains, and an increased focus on policy mixes that can stimulate the emergence of more disruptive innovations and value chains. There is also a need for industrial initiatives, such as improving absorptive capacity and strengthening actor networks, to help build the value chains needed to realize a sustainable bioeconomy. 2021 The Authors. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining published by Society of Industrial Chemistry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Challenges of sustainable industrial transformation: Swedish biorefinery development and incumbents in the emerging biofuels industry

Mossberg

Söderholm

Frishammar

2021

Biofuels Bioprod Bioref

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The low levels of corporate R&D referred to above can be viewed as an indicator of a relative lack of absorptive capacity. This lack of absorptive capacity may not only be related to potential future markets and customers; it may also relate to procedural knowledge in terms of how the industry interacts and collaborates with different types of actors and shares experiences [111].…”

Section: In Search For New Cooperative Approaches and Value Chains 2000-2010mentioning

confidence: 99%

Industrial Energy Transitions and the Dynamics of Innovation Systems: The Swedish Pulp and Paper Industry, 1970–2010

Söderholm

2020

Environments

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article provides a sectoral innovation system perspective of the development of energy efficient and clean process technologies in the Swedish pulp and paper industry. Specifically, the analysis elaborates the importance of knowledge development, actor networks, and institutions (including policy) for progressing and diffusing novel technologies related to energy use. The empirical analysis also sheds light on how significant changes in the sectoral innovation system have influenced the relevant research, development and demonstration activities in the Swedish pulp and paper industry over the period 1970–2010. The results are based on various sources—e.g., industry magazines, reports from industrial consultants and associations, minutes from meetings—and illustrate the importance of well-functioning innovation systems for successful technological development and diffusion processes. They display, in particular, the importance of joint, industry-wide R&D activities, trust-based state—industry relationships, government R&D expenditures, and intense information sharing. One important implication is that the role of policy stretches beyond the funding of basic R&D. Policy also involves measures that strengthen existing actor networks, build competence, and secure the existence of research institutes that provide a bridge between basic knowledge generation (at the universities) on the one hand, and industrial application on the other.

show abstract

“…Although such networks allow the pooling of competencies and knowledge required to further develop emerging sustainable technologies, managing knowledge in this context in order to advance technological development is far from easy. In particular, it is important to identify the types of knowledge that a demonstration plant produces, and more specifically, the key knowledge-based challenges that hinder the further growth of sustainable technologies (Frishammar et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge types to progress the development of sustainable technologies: a case study of Swedish demonstration plants

Nordqvist

Frishammar

2018

Int Entrep Manag J

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Knowledge development and diffusion through demonstration plants are necessary to progress the development of sustainable technologies, yet current literature lacks detailed insights into which knowledge types are critical in facilitating this progress, and what the roles of different knowledge types are. We draw on knowledge-based theory and investigate four Swedish demonstration plants for advanced biofuels using case-study research. The findings underscore the need for and production of domain-specific, procedural and general knowledge to progress sustainable technology towards commercialization, with each type having a rather specific role and purpose. However, in the plants studied, there is a tendency to focus strongly on the generation of technical, domain-specific knowledge at the expense of procedural knowledge. This deficiency frequently creates problems since a lack of procedural knowledge on how to commoditize and commercialize technologies hinders efforts to move past the demonstration stage to large-scale commercialization. Based on these findings, the paper proposes novel approaches for dealing with these problems, and for managing knowledge more generally.

show abstract

A knowledge-based perspective on system weaknesses in technological innovation systems

Cited by 12 publications

References 58 publications

Challenges of sustainable industrial transformation: Swedish biorefinery development and incumbents in the emerging biofuels industry

Challenges of sustainable industrial transformation: Swedish biorefinery development and incumbents in the emerging biofuels industry

Industrial Energy Transitions and the Dynamics of Innovation Systems: The Swedish Pulp and Paper Industry, 1970–2010

Knowledge types to progress the development of sustainable technologies: a case study of Swedish demonstration plants

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About