Summary of conference contributions

1. Summary of conference contributions Patries Boekholt

2. Where we started off • The arranged marriage suggests we take a good look at each other. The conference was a first flirtation. • The innovation system approach asks for a good policy mix that addresses the bottlenecks in the system • We can’t rely on fixing the individual ‘boxes’ in the system: policy has to shift to bridging between the boxes • End of pipe solutions are not sufficient to tackle today’s problems • While we usually look at input and output additionality in evaluations, the behavioural additionalities are as important • We need to aim at changing capabilities and skills

3. Do innovation policy incentives make a difference? • Yes,…... No,……..We don’t know • No: private R&D went up, while public R&D incentives went down. • Yes: evaluations and studies show: • S&T collaboration correlates positively with economic results and public funding of this collaboration has added value • Publicly funded R&D projects have a higher research component than privately sponsored R&D projects • Yes, but: we need to look at the interplay between incentives in the innovation system

4. There is a lot we don’t know • The ‘soft factors’ of innovation are crucial for economic success • Thus behavioural additionality aspect of success of incentives should be taken on board • Yet we are not capable of ‘measuring’ these • Additionality as a test: leads to narrow definition of ‘what works’ • Fundamental methodological problems in measuring socio-economic impacts

5. What have we learnt from environmental policies? • Environmental technology policies have similar ‘additionality’ patterns • Finding the right balance between • Programmes that support incremental innovations: ‘the safe route’ • Integrated approaches that push radical paradigm shifts: ‘the risky route’ • Here the behavioural factor is even more important • Who are the drivers for sustainable solutions? • Where’s the money? • There are good practices of environmental technology programmes • No ‘mainstreaming’

6. standards innovation policies technology policies regulation The focus of the two spheres so far Innovation policy Environmental Policy Firms public demand research (consumer) demand Changing mindsets

7. Open questions • How do we create a ‘sense of urgency’ with innovation policy makers regarding sustainability problems? • The institutional barriers in the public sector are a major impediment: innovation of policy • We need strategic intelligence to understand how to change mindsets in businesses: but what is this exactly? • Will the marriage between the two enhance the market orientation of sustainability policies? • The incremental approach of most environmental technology programmes is not sufficient to address the issues: we need paradigm shifts

8. Points of discussion • Stimulating the large block of firms to produce more sustainable is the real problem: • Institutional barriers • Barriers within firms • What can be learnt from strategic intelligence and related instruments (foresight, benchmarking, technology assessment, technology roadmapping)? • Incremental or revolutionary: what does it mean for policy implementation? • Lessons from innovation system perspective? • Experiences within the environmental scene ?