Innovation Economics

BioTOP

The current economic system is facing big challenges. This requires sustainable change, in which the bioeconomy is playing a key role. Due to the necessary reorganization of the material basis of the economic system, this transformation also bares challenges. The scientific discourse shows that a sustainable transformation depends firstly on an efficient and coherent innovation policy and secondly on the integration of bio economy activities into existing contexts. This is where the project sets in by addressing four questions: (1) What market, system and transformation failures can be identified despite ongoing political interventions? (2) To what extend are bio economic activities integrated in the surrounding contexts (e.g. in research networks or technological spaces)? (3) Which driver influence the degree of integration? (4) What (new) policy approaches can reduce errors and promote integration? Therefore, we will analyse the status quo of the sustainability transformation in terms of biotechnology, biomass and biomaterials at international, national as well as regional level and identify market, system and transformation errors. Following this, we will discuss current, national and international strategies and political funding measures. Further, we illustrate the status quo of integration and integration potential. Therefore, we use a mixed method-approach consisting of qualitative (i.e. expert interviews) and quantitative analyse-methods (including patent, funding, publication data). Subsequently, we will develop new or modified innovation policy approaches. As there should be practical relevance in addition to the analysis, we will develop two tools: one in the field of funding and another one as a simulation tool to test the impact of different policies.

Term: 01.09.2019 – 31.08.2022

Project director:CRIE

Contact TU Berlin: Luana Ladu, Alexandra Gottinger

Funded by: BMBF (German Ministry for Education and Research)