Company strategies for responsible research and innovation (RRI): A conceptual model

Responsible research and innovation (RRI) has become an important topic in the academic community and in policy circles, but it has not yet been systematically included in the innovation process of companies. We discuss how companies can integrate RRI into their corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies and business strategy. To this end...

Science communication and Responsible Research and Innovation: How can they complement each other?

In today's society a variety of challenges need attention because they are considered to affect our well-being. Many of these challenges can be addressed with new innovations, yet they may also introduce new challenges. Communication of these new innovations is vital. This importance is also addressed by the concept of Responsible Research and...

The EU's 2030 agenda and the Energy Union: Member States bargaining positions and the way forward

The EU’s 2030 climate and energy package and the Energy Union have both the ambition to create a framework that will lead the energy sector towards decarbonisation. However, if the legislative process to implement both these legislations does not develop a framework for sharing the costs and benefits among Member States, the latter will not be...

Ele Agbe in search of a new light in Ghana's shea sector

Ele Agbe is a Ghanaian phrase meaning “God is alive.” Founded as a small and medium enterprise (SME), in Ghana in 1996, Ele Agbe Company is currently a dynamic business operating in the downstream shea export sector. Demand for shea is increasing for skin and hair products on the foreign market. Ele Agbe’s artisans use traditional Ghanaian tools...

Responsible innovation in the private sector: Foreword

Responsible Innovation is an emerging concept concerning the governance of socio-ethical aspects of research and innovation practices. Von Schomberg for instance defines responsible innovation as a ‘transparent, interactive process by which societal actors and innovators become mutually responsive to each other with a view to the (ethical)...

Responsible innovation among academic spin-offs: How responsible practices help developing absorptive capacity

Responsible innovation (RI) among technology-based start-ups has received little attention, while these firms are known to operate on the edges of what is socially desirable or ethically acceptable. In this paper we develop a conceptual model that captures the RI practices among 61 academic spin-offs and investigate how it affects the capacity...

EDGaR D1: Integrating local and regional energy systems for enhancing sustainability. Work Package 3: Designing Institutions for Future Energy Systems

The integration of renewable energy into the Dutch energy infrastructure raises interrelated operational and market challenges. In their efforts to address them, engineers and economists approach the design of electricity infrastructures very differently, however. While economists focus on a market design that addresses potential market failures...

Power struggles: The geopolitical implications of EU energy policy

Key EU energy policies will produce winners and losers among member states and industries. Increased participation in the EU power market will be considered a strategic issue.

Towards a European Division of Labour: Do Europe’s Crises Highlight Structural Challenges to Sustainable Economic Growth in the Eurozone?

The financial and economic crises of the last few years in many Southern Eurozone countries are generally studied individually, without reference to other such crises in the region. In this note, we argue that they may also be approached as symptoms of an underlying structural challenge facing the EU economy. In many ways the relationship...

Viability of Self-Governance in Community Energy Systems: Structuring an Approach for Assessment

This paper sets out to formulate a structured approach to assist in analyzing the viability of self-governance in community energy systems. Existing research in self-governance in the framework of socio-ecological systems provides a basis for analysis in applications concerning socio-technical systems, but more than a basis is needed. Although...

The impact of entrepreneurial orientation on innovation adoption and innovation generation, and ultimately performance of vegetable farmers in West Java, Indonesia

In emerging high value markets, farmers are challenged by growth options. They can benefit from the growth options depending on their entrepreneurial orientation and how they engage in product quality improvement through adopting and generating innovations. Our study investigates the combined effects of entrepreneurial orientation and innovation...

The geopolitics of renewables: A mere shift or landslide in energy dependencies?

Renewable energy sources are often hailed as the panacea for a plethora of challenges associated with the use of fossil fuels. Partly for good reasons; while the utilization of renewables diminishes energy scarcity and lowers various kinds of pollution, their potential to address energy related geopolitical tensions among producer, consumer, and...

De zin en onzin van het EU integratiedebat

In hoeverre heeft het integratiedebat dat zich afspeelt binnen de Europese Unie invloed op de voortgang van het EU-integratieproces? Dit proces lijkt grotendeels gedreven te worden door bijzondere gebeurtenissen en omstandigheden. Beperkt het debat zich daardoor tot een hobby van academici en de retoriek van politici?