Innovation for biorefineries – Networks, narratives, and new institutions for the transition to a bioeconomy
Author
Summary, in English
The transition to a bioeconomy is dependent on transformative changes to technologies, organisations, and institutions, which jointly can be described as a socio-technical change. The thesis contributes to the understanding of how the transition is shaped by expectations on and collaborations for innovation for
biorefineries, which can produce chemicals, fuels, and materials needed in a bioeconomy.
The thesis poses three research questions: i) what are the systemic characteristics of innovation for biorefineries? ii) how do collaborations and networks shape innovation for biorefineries? and iii) in what ways are expectations and institutions shaping pathways of innovation for biorefineries?
These questions are answered with a mixed methods approach.
Reorienting the socio-technical system for production and utilisation of chemicals, fuels, and materials towards a bioeconomy requires the overcoming of significant technological and institutional barriers. Though collaborations on innovation for biorefineries are needed to combine knowledge about technologies, materials, and markets they are costly and difficult. Expectations on biorefineries in the bioeconomy are divergent and conflictual. Acknowledging and resolving these conflicts is thus key to build effective and stable partnerships, which has proven to be difficult in the biorefinery field. Further, actors meet barriers to local transformative innovation in the global institutional context in which they are embedded. The thesis shows that transition initiatives are shaped by and dependent on institutional structures on multiple scales, but that opportunities exist for actors to build new networks which can enable the transition to a bioeconomy.
biorefineries, which can produce chemicals, fuels, and materials needed in a bioeconomy.
The thesis poses three research questions: i) what are the systemic characteristics of innovation for biorefineries? ii) how do collaborations and networks shape innovation for biorefineries? and iii) in what ways are expectations and institutions shaping pathways of innovation for biorefineries?
These questions are answered with a mixed methods approach.
Reorienting the socio-technical system for production and utilisation of chemicals, fuels, and materials towards a bioeconomy requires the overcoming of significant technological and institutional barriers. Though collaborations on innovation for biorefineries are needed to combine knowledge about technologies, materials, and markets they are costly and difficult. Expectations on biorefineries in the bioeconomy are divergent and conflictual. Acknowledging and resolving these conflicts is thus key to build effective and stable partnerships, which has proven to be difficult in the biorefinery field. Further, actors meet barriers to local transformative innovation in the global institutional context in which they are embedded. The thesis shows that transition initiatives are shaped by and dependent on institutional structures on multiple scales, but that opportunities exist for actors to build new networks which can enable the transition to a bioeconomy.
Department/s
Publishing year
2018-04-03
Language
English
Full text
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Document type
Dissertation
Publisher
Lund University, Faculty of Engineering
Topic
- Other Chemical Engineering
Keywords
- bioeconomy
- biorefineries
- innovation
- socio-technical transitions
Status
Published
Project
- Innovation for biorefineries
Supervisor
- Christian Hulteberg
- Lars Coenen
- Pål Börjesson
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISBN: 978-91-7422-570-9
- ISBN: 978-91-7422-569-3
Defence date
27 April 2018
Defence time
09:15
Defence place
Lecture hall K:C, Kemicentrum, Naturvetarvägen 14, Lund University, Faculty of Engineering LTH, Lund
Opponent
- Anna Bergek (Professor)