AGORA: Supporting Urban Transitions with System Innovation

25 November, 13:00 - 16:00 (CET)

Event 2024 Urban Transitions with System Innovation

The Driving Urban Transitions Partnership’s vision is to “develop the skills and tools to make urban change happen and boost the urgently needed urban transformations towards a sustainable future with enhanced quality of life in cities”.  DUT does so by adopting a challenge-driven approach that aims to translate global and European strategies into local actions. However, supporting urban transitions requires specific funding frameworks, tools, and additional activities to achieve a transformative impact and go beyond small, incremental improvements to current urban systems.  

Throughout Europe, countries and funding agencies are experimenting with new research and innovation approaches to support transformative change. This often requires significant changes to how research and innovation have been supported over the past decades. In other words, our current funding systems do not fully reflect the needs and requirements to support transformative projects.  

Over the past 1.5 years, the DUT Management Board conducted an (internal) study on barriers and provided recommendations for the DUT partners to support transformative research and innovation activities. Together with the experiences from Vinnova’s, SWEA’s, and Viable Cities’ System Demonstrator initiative, the outcomes of the study highlight important action points to make DUT a transformative research and innovation program, as outlined in its vision.  

Aim of the workshop  

    • Discuss the outcome of the study with DUT partners and selected stakeholders to identify action points for implementing the recommendations into DUT activities.   
    • Develop input for improving the work of national funding agencies, individual DUT partners, and various governance bodies of DUT, including the Governing Board, the Project Owners’ and Managers Group, and the Management Board.  
    • Raise awareness and deepen the understanding on System Innovation.

Registration 

This is a closed event aimed primarily at funding agencies. To express interest in participating, please contact Johannes Riegler johannes.riegler@dutpartnership.eu, Lisa Hudson-Bushart lisa.hudson-bushart@ffg.at and Björn Svensby Kurling bjorn.svensbykurling@vinnova.se.