Increasing synergies between institutions and technology developers: Lessons from marine energy

Abstract

a b s t r a c tThis paper describes innovation activities in the marine energy sector across ten European countries in 2011. Intense knowledge creation occurred in the UK and northern European countries, while European research networks encouraged public-private partnerships facilitating knowledge diffusion. An analysis based on a technological innovation system (TIS) has identified challenges for the system to evolve from one phase of development to another, i.e. from pre-development to take-off phase. In order for marine energy to pass successfully through the commercialisation 'valley of death', entrepreneurial experimentation and production is crucial. Entrepreneurial initiatives were developed mainly in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway and Ireland, whereas France, Germany and Sweden were active through venture capital initiatives. Additional system-builders, such as the authorities in charge of energy policies, could offer guidance for research, ensure legitimacy and effectively mobilise resources for system development. Although public support was efficient in stimulating private investment, national targets seemed less efficient in creating a long time horizon for private investors, due to consecutive, unexpected changes. In contrast, positive interactions between technology developers and policymakers could empower market formation. Ultimately, the creation of a policy community, also involving local communities, could foster a positive environment for the development of innovation activities.

Technological innovation systems: a review of recent findings and suggestions for future research

“…Notable exceptions are Dantas (2011), who describes the development of ethanol technology in Brazil at a quite detailed level and Gabaldón Estevan and Hekkert (2013) who divide the development of knowledge for tile production into sub-fields such as clay extraction and processing, glazes and tile design. The recent use of bibliometric data and patents to map a technology's development over time (Andersen 2014;Andersson et al 2017;Binz et al 2012;Corsatea 2014;Gosens and Lu 2013) show great promise in this respect, although such analyses have so far mostly been used to describe inventor networks and quantitative outputs of R&D programs rather than their knowledge contents.…”

Marine Energy Exploitation in the Mediterranean Region: Steps Forward and Challenges

“…In general, considering the whole European landscape, the UK, Ireland and the Nordic countries were early movers in the ME industry, and initiated an intense process of knowledge creation, whereas other EU countries are lagging behind, with limited investments that are mainly expected to be overcome by intensification of knowledge diffusion through EU funded projects and programmes (Corsatea, 2014). Among the latter, Italy has been trying to fill the gap and coordinate a national effort to gain visibility for its well-established activities in the sector (Sannino and Pisacane, 2017).…”

“…In order to reduce the high cost of marine energy technology, "nursery markets" were accordingly created to provide opportunities for the infant industry to develop (e.g., publicly supported centers providing the infrastructure needed for the successful demonstration of marine devices). The UK is certainly a leader in this respect, while France and Sweden have started implementing public funded projects, and Germany is pursuing the involvement of multi-technology private companies (Corsatea, 2014).…”

Influence of Trust on Biomass Supply Decision-Making in China

“…In biomass industry in China, policy support is necessary. There are related studies in TIS that makes explicit the relationships between system innovation dynamic and public policies [1,[6][7][8]. The decision-maker can influence the level of uncertainty in the development of the technology [4,5,9].…”

“…In China, the abundance of straw resources has prompted the pursuit of biomass power plant development as a long-term target, but such development has been confronted with obstacles due to a lack of cooperation in the straw supply chain. To create a straw supply market for biomass power plants, this study could contribute in explaining the formation of one of the function of the technological innovation systems (TIS), which not only includes science, but also includes the dimensions of creation of new knowledge [1], guidance for the direction of search processes [2,3], supply resources [4], facilitation of the creation of positive external economics [5,6] and facilitation of the formation of markets [7]. In these dimensions of TIS, the interaction of stakeholders during exchange of information, knowledge, and vision imply the role of trust.…”