Innovation-Driven or Challenge-Driven Participation in International Energy Innovation Networks? Empirical Evidence from the H2020 Programme

Author(s)
Giuseppe Calignano, Michaela Trippl
Abstract

The European Union (EU) Framework Programmes represent the ideal platform for exchanging knowledge potentially leading to innovation outcomes, in addition to providing vital research funds for various types of organisations (firms, universities, agencies, etc.) The present paper aims to assess whether innovativeness (‘innovation-driven’ participation) or energy demand/vulnerability (‘challenge-driven’ participation) determine a different degree of participation in the context of the energy programme funded under Horizon 2020 (2014–2020 period). By combining social network analysis and econometrics, our empirical analysis clearly shows that the more innovative EU regions hold a central or key position, while the regions characterised by higher energy demand or vulnerability play a marginal role in the EU energy network. These findings are not dissimilar to what other scholars have observed in relation to different EU programmes and funding schemes. Based on this, we argue that EU policymakers and evaluators should aim at encouraging challenge-driven participation and, more generally, a more balanced participation through appropriate and specific policy actions.

Organisation(s)
Department of Geography and Regional Research
Journal
Sustainability
Volume
12
No. of pages
18
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114696
Publication date
06-2020
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
507026 Economic geography
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Environmental Science (miscellaneous), Geography, Planning and Development, Energy Engineering and Power Technology, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/cc18971f-11c6-409d-92dc-57f7884264f0