Actors’ strategic goals in emerging technological innovation systems: evidence from the biorefinery sector in Germany

ABSTRACT

This paper explores the strategic goals behind actors’ involvement in emerging technological innovation systems (TISs) for sustainable technologies and the way they contribute to the development of the TIS functions. Based on six expert interviews with firms within the biorefinery sector in Germany, we observe four different strategic goals driving firm-actors’ involvement: (1) exploiting new markets and businesses, (2) learning about the potential of new markets and businesses, (3) developing new technologies and (4) building up new market applications. We also differentiate between three firm-actor types: (1) a leading type of incumbent firm highly contributing to the TIS functions; (2) a learning type of incumbent firm with lower contribution; and (3) a ‘fill the gap’ type of SME or start-up producing complementary knowledge or connecting other TIS actors.

KEYWORDS:

• Technological innovation systems
• strategic goals
• actor typology
• biorefinery sector

Acknowledgements

This paper is carried out within the framework of the project ‘Advanced Pulping for Perennial Plants: A holistic and sustainable integrated lignocellulose biorefinery concept’ (AP³) of the Bioeconomy Science Centre (BioSC). For further information, please refer to https://www.biosc.de/AP3_en. The scientific activities of the Bioeconomy Science Centre were financially supported by the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Research of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia within the framework of the NRW Strategieprojekt BioSC (No. 313/323-400-002 13).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Available at https://clarivate.com/products/derwent-innovation/, last accessed on 19.05.2019.

2 Available at https://bbi-europe.eu/, last accessed on 10.05.2019.

3 Available at https://cordis.europa.eu/en, last accessed on 10.05.2019.

4 Available at https://www.maxqda.com/ last accessed 01.03.2020.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Research of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia within the framework of the NRW Strategieprojekt BioSC [grant number No. 313/323-400-002 13].

Notes on contributors

Lora Tsvetanova

Lora Tsvetanova is a PhD student at the Chair of Technology, Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship, University of Bonn, Germany. She holds a master's degree in agricultural and food economics and a bachelor's degree in business administration. Her current research is into technological innovation systems, especially within the bioeconomy. She seeks to understand the role that organizational actors play in the development and diffusion of sustainable technologies.

Laura Carraresi

Laura Carraresi is an associate professor at the Faculty of Management Economics and Science, Lille Catholic University, France. She obtained her PhD in innovation technology for agri-food and environmental sciences at the University of Milan, Italy, in 2009. Her research covers innovation management and sustainability transitions, as well as emerging value chains, and business model innovation.

Michael Wustmans

Michael Wustmans is a Research Associate (Post-Doc) at the chair for Technology, Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship at the University of Bonn, Germany. There, he is leading the research group Technology Dynamics focusing on research topics related to technological change driven by sustainability transitions. He obtained his PhD at the University of Bremen, Germany, where he focused on patent intelligence for decision-making.

Stefanie Bröring

Stefanie Bröring is a professor of Technology, Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship at the Institute for Food and Resource Economics, University of Bonn, Germany. She obtained her PhD in business administration at the University of Münster, Germany in 2005. Her research covers the emergence of new technologies, technology convergence as well as science-based entrepreneurship in the field of sustainable technologies.