Governance of Policy Failure Risks in Mission-Oriented Innovation Policies (MOIPs) 

is the Lead Principal Investigator on a collaborative research initiative titled Governance of Policy Failure Risks in the Design and Implementation of Mission-Oriented Innovation Policies. The project is supported by an international consortium including Dr Seweryn Krupnik (Jagiellonian University, Poland) and Dr Alexandra Mallett (Carleton University, Canada), with funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Polish National Science Centre (NCN), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). 

Mission oriented innovation policies (MOIP) are a new generation of transformative policies aimed at fostering innovations that help address complex societal challenges. The uncertain, multilevel, and complex character of MOIP exacerbates the risk of policy failure, i.e., the risk of the policies not delivering their intended goals, leading to ineffective policy support and growing distrust towards governments.

This project aims to analyse policy failure risks in the design and implementation of MOIP and identify suitable risk governance approaches to address them. To do so the project analyses specific MOIP initiatives with sustainability related goals in three selected countries (United Kingdom, Poland and Canada) using Qualitative Comparative Analysis (to identify necessary and/or sufficient links through systematic cross-case comparison) and Process Tracing (to construct key causal mechanisms at the within-case level). The research contributes to a better understanding of MOIP failure risks and their governance, which can in turn help reduce policy failure and increase levels of trust in institutions and public authorities.

Investigating the Relationship between Science Diplomacy and Global Democracy, Governance, and Trust (DGT)

as co-PI and join a global consortium led by Dr Cassidy R. Sugimoto (Georgia Institute of Technology) on the project ā€˜Investigating the Relationship between Science Diplomacy and Global DGT: The Role of Inclusive Metascience Observatories (IMSO4DIPLO)ā€™. This multidisciplinary team includes experts from the University of SĆ£o Paulo, Adam Mickiewicz University, Stellenbosch University, CNRS, and UniversitĆ© de MontrĆ©al. The project is funded by ANR, FAPESP, NCN, NRF, NSF, SSHRC, and UKRI.

This project is examining the role of evidence-informed science diplomacy as a strategic instrument to strengthen democracy, governance, and trust (DGT). The project will utilise qualitative and quantitative methods to (1) understand the relationship between science diplomacy and DGT; (2) conceptualise and operationalise metascience observatories and investigate the extent to which they can be leveraged to improve science diplomacy; and (3) explore how threats to DGT could be mitigated and opportunities seized through inclusive metascience observatories.

The outputs will include both academic-oriented products, as well as communications to policymakers and the wider public, honouring the practices of open science. In addition to these products, outcomes will include communities of practice for science diplomats and training opportunities for early-career researchers.

Expanding Horizons Through Global Collaboration

We are excited to announce that the and have established new partnerships with three global institutions: the School of Public Policy at Georgia Tech, the University of Gothenburg and the University of Turin. These new Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) signify a major step forward in our ongoing commitment to advancing collaborative research, education and policy engagement. 

Our partnership with the School of Public Policy at Georgia Tech builds on our past collaborations, including significant events such as the Atlanta Conference on Science and Innovation Policy and the AI for Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy Early Career Researcher School. These initiatives have laid a strong foundation for our continued cooperation, which will now be formalised through this MoU.

The MoU with the University of Gothenburg also builds up on our long-standing collaboration with Professor Maureen Mckelvey (currently a member of MIoIR Advisory Board). Maureen is Head of the Unit for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg and director of the Centre on knowledge-intensive innovation ecosystems (U-GOT KIES). 

We have also historically close connections with the University of Turin, particularly with renowned innovation economists such as Cristiano Antonelli, Francesco Quatraro and Aldo Geuna, which we seek to strengthen with this MoU.

Our partnerships with Georgia Tech, the University of Gothenburg and the University of Turin will enrich our efforts in faculty and student exchanges, joint research projects, and academic events, further strengthening our impact in these vital areas.
 

We look forward to the exciting opportunities these partnerships will bring and are enthusiastic about the collaborative efforts ahead. Stay tuned for further updates on our progress!

Researchers at the and , funded by , have released a report titled Innovation Districts as Drivers of Sustainable Urban Development: An impacts and monitoring framework to drive knowledge economy, urban revitalization, and social inclusion. 

This study was commissioned by the University of Manchester on behalf of the Joint Venture Partnership.

Innovation Districts: Beyond Economic Islands

Innovation districts are increasingly viewed as critical mechanisms for economic innovation and investment. However, ensuring these districts benefit the broader community remains a challenge. The new report highlights how innovation districts can foster sustainable urban development by integrating inclusive innovation strategies.
 

Global Insights and Local Applications

The first section of the report includes a comprehensive literature review and a global scan of 165 innovation districts. The study identifies leading examples, such as the Cortex Innovation Community in St. Louis, USA, and Kendall Square in Cambridge, USA, which have successfully implemented strategies for broader community benefits and social inclusion.

The report's authors analysed these cases using a logic model framework (input-activity-output-outcome-impact) to pinpoint specific actions and inputs that have driven significant economic, urban, and social impacts.

ID 91Ö±²„: A Case 91Ö±²„ in Sustainable Development

The report's second part focuses on ID 91Ö±²„, a major innovation district under development in central 91Ö±²„. Positioned next to 91Ö±²„ Piccadilly, the busiest railway station in Northwest England, ID 91Ö±²„ aims to be a model for sustainable and inclusive growth in the UK.

Using the logic model framework, the report outlines a series of targeted activities to achieve three primary objectives:

1. Economic Activities: Establish a knowledge-based economy through the digital tech sector, life sciences, creative industries, green industries, and advanced manufacturing. Goals include creating a self-sustaining innovation ecosystem, supporting startups, enhancing local economic assets, and fostering global partnerships.
2. Urban Activities: Promote urban revitalization and sustainable development through local leadership, long-term partnerships, and creating mixed-use public spaces. Strategies involve forming multi-level governance partnerships, enhancing connectivity, and supporting sustainability in infrastructure and businesses.
3. Social Inclusion Activities: Enhance neighbourhood vitality and inclusive development through community engagement and empowerment. This involves fostering equality, diversity, and inclusion, providing career training and skill courses, and transitioning citizen engagement into entrepreneurship.

Innovative Monitoring Strategies

The report proposes a comprehensive monitoring framework that combines traditional metrics with innovative methods, such as qualitative approaches, longitudinal data, real-time data collection, and participatory sampling. This strategy aims to ensure that ID 91Ö±²„ remains a genuinely innovative and inclusive place, generating a wide range of benefits for the community.

The full report is available to read .

3D printing is a relatively new digital technology which can transform the way firms organize their innovation and production operations locally and globally. While 3D printing is being adopted by diverse organizations worldwide, empirical academic research on investment in early-stage 3D printing technology firms is still limited. In this paper, we consider the geography of the 3D printing ecosystem to illuminate the financing of investment into early state firms developing innovation in this technology. 

Using a hand-collected dataset of 500 firm-level investments, we hypothesize 3D printing investment is drawn to countries with greater innovative capacity, countries with greater human capital competencies, and countries with higher wages. We find that larger investments tend to benefit companies developing 3D printing technology in higher wage locations and in countries with higher innovative capacity level, suggesting that investments in the 3D printing ecosystems take places mostly in locations that already have an ecosystem in place. 

Our study is one of the first to examine detailed patterns of global investment in a new digital technology ecosystem - 3D printing, an increasingly important technology for innovation. 

Access the full article .

partnered with the of the Productivity Institute and Deloitte to host a one-day conference for business leaders on the North Westā€™s prospects as a leading region for growth and productivity by 2035.

Hosted at the Alliance 91Ö±²„ Business School, Jo Ahmed, Senior Partner in Deloitteā€™s NW practice, kicked off with an engaging panel discussion featuring Ken McPhail, Lou Cordwell OBE, and Deloitteā€™s Chief Economist, Ian Stewart. 

We were also honoured to have discussions with former Chancellor George Osborne and former Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls, followed by a keynote address from GM Mayor Andy Burnham.

The afternoon sessions included insightful breakout discussions on various themes, culminating in a final plenary wrap-up with input from Richard Jones. 

Our audience comprised leaders from key North West and global businesses, diplomats from the consulates of Spain, Italy, and Ireland, and honorary consuls from Iceland, Japan, Switzerland, and Brazil. 

It was also fantastic to see participation from several MIOIR PhD students and MSc. IME students.

This yearā€™s programme focused on several key components: the role of evaluation and in the policy cycle; quantitative tools (indicators, bibliometrics, economics); qualitative approaches (qualitative tools, peer review); evaluating networks; effects of evaluation (impacts, steering science); and evaluation beyond programmes (organisations, societal challenges, demand-based policies).

The course was designed to be interactive, featuring a mix of lectures, practical exercises and group work. It was delivered by academics from the 91Ö±²„ Institute of Innovation Research: , , Professor Erik Arnold (Honorary), , , , and .

It also included guest speakers Mike Thelwall, Professor of Data Science, University of Wolverhampton, Peter O'Donovan, Head of Portfolio Integration at Wellcome Trust, and Diogo Machado, Head of the Data Science Unit at Technopolis.

Twenty-three participants from fourteen different countries attended, representing institutions such as the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Republic of TĆ¼rkiye Presidency of Strategy and Budget, ETH ZĆ¼rich, Royal Academy of Engineering, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Nordic Institute for Studies of Innovation, Research and Education, Eureka, Research Council of Finland, Nordforsk, European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, Orkestra ā€“ Basque Institute of Competitiveness, National Chengchi University, Universidad Santo Tomas, Saudi Arabia Government Office, University of Bristol, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI, and University of Vienna.
 

The collaborative environment and the opportunity to apply theoretical concepts to practical projects were particularly appreciated. Find out more about professional short courses at the 91Ö±²„ Institute of Innovation Research by contacting Deborah Cox, Institute Manager.

This series of events aimed to build a CreaTech network to provide support, funding and connections to help grow this sector. These events echoed the aspirations of the Greater 91Ö±²„ city region to develop the CreaTech sector and to facilitate partnerships between the university and the wider GM Business Community.

We are pleased to announce that is now live, featuring photos and outputs of the breakout sessions. We are also pleased to have worked with to produce a suite of after movies showcasing People's experiences at the events and highlighting the importance of networking across the emerging CreaTech sector. Watch the full videos .

Our first event invited individuals interested and working in the gaming/animation/VR/AR industry within Greater 91Ö±²„ to network with each other and collaborate. We asked them to uncover the overall theme of ā€œHow Do We Make 91Ö±²„ Great?ā€ within breakout groups. See what attendees had to say about CreaTech innovation and the importance of networking across the sector.

 

In our second event ā€˜Digital Artisansā€™ we bridged the gap between tradition and innovation through looking at how artisanal craft can harness Createch This event was held at a fitting setting to delve into how independent artists can come together to chart a path towards a future where tradition and innovation converge, propelling 91Ö±²„'s artisan arts and crafts sector to new heights of success.

Our next event focused on CreaTech innovation in the Audio and Sound sector. Held in the entrepreneurial atmosphere of , the event brought together enthusiastic, experts, and visionaries from diverse backgrounds, all united by their passion for the intersection of creativity, technology, and sound. See what attendees had to say about the importance of CreaTech in the sound industry.
 

Our next event focused on the fast-paced world of ā€˜Creative AIā€™ and took place at . This event brought together creatives who have an interest in digital technology and AI. Furthering the CreaTech ethos, the event connected inspired individuals who wanted to understand how to stay at the front of technological change and how their work practice has adapted to the advances in accessible AI.

The final instalment in the CreaTech Network Series surrounded the theme of Fashion, taking place in the iconic in Ancoats. Bringing together professionals and enthusiasts in the Fashion scene around 91Ö±²„. We asked attendees about how they thought technology could change the landscape of the Fashion industry.

As our CreaTech Network events of March 2024 have drawn to a close, we reflect on the exciting potential all attendees have reflected through the CreaTech network and look forward to future collaborations. 

We have helped to pave the way for a strong network of Creatives in Greater 91Ö±²„ ready to tackle the evolving CreaTech sector. We have also gained an understanding of the University of Manchesterā€™s role in an increasingly digital and technology focused landscape.

MIOIR Working Paper 2024-02: by Stan Metcalfe

The Swedish Schumpeter Lecture 2022 On Knowledge and Economic Transformation: Joseph Schumpeter, Alfred Marshall and the Nature of Restless Capitalism. Incepted in 2011, the Swedish Schumpeter Lecture is an annually recurring series of talks organised by Swedish Entrepreneurship Forum. Contribution to the series provide advanced treatment of scholarship about the entrepreneur, the entrepreneurship function and its role for economic development. The lecture series is named in honour of Joseph Schumpeter, the scholar who pioneered a view of the entrepreneur as the central driving force of a dynamic economy. The lecture series brings together contemporary contributions to Schumpeterian research themes. Lectures are given by leading scholars, with comments provided by representatives from academia, business and politics.

MIOIR Working Paper 2024-03: by Huanjia Ma, Raquel Ortega-ArgilƩs, Matthew Lyons

This paper examines the UK implications for regional and national growth associated with different geographical investment patterns of publicly-funded R&D, in the light of the recommendations of the 2022 Levelling Up White Paper, aimed at balancing the national economy. The White Paper outlines twelve main "missions" focused on science, technology, and education to achieve this goal. One of these missions aims to increase domestic public Research and Development (R&D) by at least 40% outside the Greater South East (GSE) by 2030. We develop three scenarios based on different assumptions about extra R&D allocation. We use data from UKRI and ONS to determine the current distribution of R&D investment in the UK, and then using the multi-regional Socio-Economic Impact Model for the UK we evaluate our three proposed R&D spending scenarios. 

Our findings suggest that the regional impact varies significantly across the different proposed scenarios. The scenario that allocates more GERD to areas with previously low funding levels yields the largest effect. On average, output, employment and GVA in regions outside GSE increase by 0.33%, 0.37% and 0.34%, respectively, showing a potentially positive effect on the levelling up of R&D in the country. Our analysis of both internal and external multipliers highlights the importance of investing in regional redistribution. We demonstrate that the GSE is more self-sufficient as it has much higher internal multipliers than the rest of the UK. However, we identified a potential obstacle: the capacity to absorb human capital, which could reduce the expected positive results of a more spatially balanced R&D expenditure across the UK.

To access the full collection of working papers or further information on the submission guidelines, please follow .

The series welcomes submissions from members of the Institute as well as from external authors who work in a relevant research area. We look forward to your future submissions!

Guest editors:

Elena Cefis, University of Bergamo, Jakob Edler, ISI Fraunhofer and University of Manchester, Silvia Massini, University of Manchester.

Background

Research on innovation policy has often developed to address and respond to the specific challenges that dominated the definition and intentions of innovation policy itself at the time. While much progress has been made in conceptualizing models and approaches to policy intervention to stimulate and support innovation (Freeman, 1987; Mazzucato 2018; Edler & Fagerberg 2017), the context of innovation policy has severely changed in recent years, most notably through the twin transformation towards digitalization and sustainability, major geo-political shifts, and post-pandemic quests for more resilience (Schot & Steinmueller, 2018; Rodrik, 2020, Edler et al. 2023). 

This evolution has broadened the ambitions of innovation policy, creating a strong need to push research on innovation policy forward and address issues around the relationship between innovation and industrial policies, their transformative potential, and, given their broadened ambition, the effects not only on the systems to which they are applied but also on the main addressees, the firms (Chang & Andreoni 2020; Aiginger & Rodrik 2020, Cimoli et al., 2009; BorrƔs & Edquist, 2013; Foray, 2018; Foray, 2019).

Extant research in innovation policy emphasizes a systemic view, recognizing the interplay between technology and societal change. Policies must address complex coordination failures and guide technological directionality towards societal goals (Foray, 2019). This calls for a renewed role of the state in orchestrating socio-economic transitions (Landesmann, 2015), using frameworks like invention-oriented, mission-oriented, and system-oriented policies (Edler & Fagerberg, 2017). Such strategic frameworks are informed by the non-linear dynamics of innovation systems, their path-dependent nature, and the importance of institutional interactions (David, 1975; Arthur, 1983; Edquist, 1997).

Nevertheless, analysts have almost exclusively focused on the transformative challenges and effects and on governance challenges, most notably as regards mission-oriented innovation policies or transformative innovation policies (among others see Diercks & Stewart, 2019; Haddad et al 2022). In a second strand of literature, less broad yet, scholars have had a new look at industrial policies, particularly in the context of debates on systems competition through industrial policy triggered by the Inflation Reduction Act of the US and the attempt to define strategic industrial policy in Europe (Rodrik, 2020).

Thus, there is now a gap regarding the broader implications of the new ambition and the new context of innovation policy. Old questions have new relevance, and new questions are posed by the new context. Most notably, how can micro- and macro-considerations be reconciled, how to make sure to address systemic challenges like multiple systems transformation while supporting and not distorting the market dynamics at the micro level, within and between firms? What are the effects of mission-oriented innovation policies on the productivity of firms, and what are the sectoral effects of innovation policies that seek to ensure technology sovereignty?

Furthermore, there is a remarkable gap both in policy practice and in analysis when it comes to the creation and acceleration of markets through demand-side policy measures. In the context of the interplay of innovation, industrial and transformative policies there is a need to better understand the development of markets. Demand-side policies have a role to play that is underexplored both in the discourse on industrial policy and in innovation policy in particular. It is thus of great importance to understand the market and systems failures on the demand side and to understand better the effects of industrial and innovation policies, particularly regarding the incentives of businesses and consumers to absorb and use innovations quickly and the repercussions this has for the supply side to generate innovations (Edler 2016).

Our understanding of innovation policy is very context-dependent, both in terms of time (e.g., in relation to the digital transformation and green transition agendas) and places (regional, national, and international realities). Thus, our understanding of innovation policy and the design of specific innovation (and industrial) policy interventions continuously evolve and call for a renewal of thinking about innovation policy to identify potential fertile areas for the design and implementation of new/modern innovation policies which fit the current emerging digital industrial era as well as the pressure on governments and international organizations to deal with the ever urgent environmental and sustainability issues.

The purpose of this ICC special issue is to revisit existing theoretical models of innovation policy with a critical and contemporary eye, to understand the effectiveness of past models - whether, why, and where - and their usefulness in the current and future economic settings. This includes new conceptual frameworks, new combinations and applications of existing models and methods, and new frameworks for integrating innovation policy and other complementary public policies (e.g., industrial policy, education policy, market power regulation, and innovation and industrial policy). Case studies are also welcome.

A particular focus will be placed on research addressing new conceptual issues arising from the socio-economic post-pandemic realities, trade de-coupling between large economic powers, increased attention to firm and countries' resilience, as well as empirical evidence on the impact of recent innovation and industrial policies, to address the dual - digital and green - transformation. We invite contributions utilizing new conceptual frameworks and paradigms, methods and (combinations of) units of analysis, to initiate or contribute to new discourses and controversies in innovation policy with original and provocative research.

Possible conceptual and empirical research contributions, addressing, among others, the following issues:

• Broadened ambitions of the state - innovation, mission, transformation - and consequences for firms and markets
• Investigating green and digital innovation policies within the context of the dual transition
•  Evaluation of the effectiveness and impact of innovation policy: What is the impact on productivity and for whom? Are benefits accruing to a few selected high performers, thereby increasing the risk of additionality?
• Addressing innovation and technological unemployment: Do innovation policies need to create offsetting mechanisms and policies for reskilling and upskilling?
• Exploring complementary policies - e.g., (digital) education
• Examining the efficacy of bottom-up vs top-down and horizontal vs vertical policy initiatives
• Reevaluating the role of the State and the importance of public procurement in innovation policy
• Understanding the role of standards and regulation as a means to reduce uncertainty and provide guidance and frameworks for innovation.

Submission process and timeline

Deadline for the submission of full papers via the ICC online submission system: Thursday, 31 October 2024.

Paper Development Workshop after the first round of reviews: March 2025.

Preliminary publication date: Autumn 2025.

Please ensure to submit your full papers via the by the deadline of Thursday, 31 October 2024. For detailed instructions on the submission process and references, kindly refer to the .

We are hiring a Postdoctoral Research Associate (Qualitative) to work on the project ā€œā€, sponsored by the UoM Faculty of Humanities Large Collaborative Grant. The researcher will be housed at the 91Ö±²„ Institute of Innovation Research, Alliance 91Ö±²„ Business School, under the supervision of Dr Cornelia Lawson and Professor Philip Shapira.

The successful candidate will undertake research exploring how science is being affected by internal, institutional, and system-level transformations and how these developments interact with and influence research practices and innovations in methods and approaches in labs and their research teams.

A series of transitions and shocks ā€“ from the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and the automation of research to persistent post-pandemic impacts, funding uncertainties in the face of rising costs, and increased global tensions ā€“ present wide-reaching implications for science. 

These trends and events are themselves occurring in the context of heightened concerns about equity, diversity, and inclusiveness and how science can be relevant and trusted in addressing global sustainability and societal challenges. Together, these developments both promise and require transformations in the fundamental practices of scientific work and notions of scientific expertise and responsibility in research.

The project probes these changes and the innovations they trigger in research labs and teams. We aim to answer the following overarching research questions: (a) How are research practices and priorities, including topic and method choices, team roles, publication outputs, and collaborations, being affected by transformations in science? (b) What is the role of innovations in research approaches and practices in addressing challenges presented by scientific transformations? (c) What are the implications for research management and science policy to address potentially negative effects and facilitate positive learning from innovative practices?

The deadline for applications is Thursday, 4 April 2024.

To apply and for more details please follow the link below:

The much-anticipated conference report from the Era-Learn Partnership Stakeholder Forum 2023 is now available for download on the Era-Learn website. 

Prepared by ²Ń±õ°æ±õøéā€™s Honorary Professor Effie Amanatidou and Dr Dimitri Gagliardi, in collaboration with other Era-learn consortium partners, this report delves into the dynamic discussions that unfolded at the second Partnership Stakeholder Forum, organised by the European Commission and ERA-LEARN.

Held in Brussels on December 5-6, 2023, the event drew more than 250 participants, engaging in parallel sessions that addressed pivotal topics for the Partnership community. From exploring synergies between partnerships and missions to evaluating achievements based on the Horizon Europe interim evaluation, the report captures the essence of the diverse discussions that took place.

One key focus of the forum was the future of Partnerships, with in-depth discussions on their selection process and design under FP10, internationalisation, and global links in the context of the EUā€™s strategic autonomy. 

The report provides valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by European Partnerships and outlines their role in building a better future amid limited resources.

European Partnerships play a crucial role in achieving critical mass, channelling over 20 billion euros from Horizon Europe and leveraging an additional 30 billion euros from various partners, primarily from the industry. This collaborative effort is pivotal in addressing pressing global challenges.

For those interested in finding out more about the EU Partnerships programme, the Era-Learn platform offers a page on ''. 

To gain insights into the discussions and outcomes of the 2023 Partnership Stakeholder Forum, access the report here: 

The 91Ö±²„ Institute of Innovation Research (MIoIR) is thrilled to latest addition to its recently launched MIOIR Working Paper Series.

Working Paper 2024-01: 

• - Silvia Massini, Mabel Sanchez Barrioluengo, Xiaoxiao Yu, Reza Salehnejad

Advanced digital technologies (DTs) such as AI, Big Data, Cloud Computing, 3D printing, IoT, and Robotics are known for their potential to be pervasive and generate disruptive change. Despite this, there is limited evidence regarding the factors that motivate or hinder technology adoption. 

This study, based on an original survey of firms in Greater 91Ö±²„, aims to shed light on the determinants of DT adoption, including underlying motivations, potential barriers, and skills deficits. Additionally, it explores the influence of digitalisation and skills on firmsā€˜ performance. 

Our results suggest that while different DTs are at varying stages of technology diffusion, they are characterised by complementarity and are often jointly adopted. Furthermore, the adoption of DTs in SMEs and younger firms, coupled with the presence of appropriate (digital and non-digital) skills, constitutes a pivotal synergy that significantly influences firms' productivity levels.

To access the full collection of working papers or further information on the submission guidelines, please follow the .

The MIOIR Working Paper Series warmly welcomes submissions from members of the Institute and external authors working in relevant research areas. We look forward to your future submissions!

The , based at AMBS, welcomed almost 500 delegates from 33 countries last week as it hosted the prestigious Geography of Innovation conference over three days at The University of Manchester.

The seventh edition of the conference, which is held every two years, brings together leading scholars from a variety of disciplines ranging from economic geography and regional science, to economics and management science, sociology and network theory, and political and planning sciences.

Global representation

, Director of MIoIR, said: 

Innovation and 91Ö±²„

Fellow conference organiser Dr Mabel Sanchez Barrioluengo added:

Heart of city

The conference was opened by , President and Vice Chancellor of The University of Manchester. 

She said:

Her words were echoed by , Head of AMBS, in his opening address. He added:

Support

Other members of the Geoinno 91Ö±²„ organising committee were , , , , , , , , and Professor Philip McCann.

The conference was sponsored by the Faculty of Humanities Hallsworth Conference Fund, The Regional Studies Association and The Productivity Institute, and supported by 91Ö±²„ Urban Institute and Creative 91Ö±²„.

We are delighted to announce the 2023 winner of the Kiki Ahmadi Dissertation Prize is Mohammad Hossein Eslamian for his dissertation ā€œAI Trustworthiness and Responsible Innovationā€.

Each year the sponsors the Kiki Ahmadi Dissertation Prize which is awarded to the best dissertation submitted to the at Alliance 91Ö±²„ Business School.

The dissertation uses the EU Trustworthy AI framework to analyse three cases of AI application in the UK: ChatGPT in education; live facial recognition technology in policing; and, the GP at Hand NHS primary health care service. The dissertation provides practical recommendations regarding responsible governance of AI in the UK.
 

The dissertation was supervised by , Professor of Innovation Management & Policy at MIOIR who commented:

, Programme Director for the MSc Innovation Management & Entrepreneurship (IME) added:

The Kiki Ahmadi Dissertation Prize honours the memory of Kiki Ahmadi, IME alumnus from the class of 2017. Kiki passed away in January 2021, leaving a lasting impact through his career in Indonesia's start-up scene. 

Kiki was a stellar student and a kind classmate. His dissertation examined the emerging tech start-up ecosystem in Jakarta, and the connections he made when conducting this research helped him to secure a job at Indonesian fintech start-up Amartha after graduation, rapidly ascending to AVP of Business Development by 2019. 

An avid blogger and communicator even as a student, Kiki inspired classmates and future IME students with his curiosity, analytical abilities, and passion for innovation. The dissertation prize bearing Kiki's name celebrates these qualities in the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs and honours Kiki Ahmadi's short but impactful life. 

The week-long program covered a broad spectrum of topics, starting with an introduction to AI, definitions, its history and an overview of its benefits and concerns. Generative AI and large language models (LLMs) - understanding their workings and creation processes. Methods for utilizing LLMs and other AI tools in research processes, coding, and data analysis. 

The ethics, responsibility, and emerging policies/guidelines surrounding AI. The application of AI in both qualitative and quantitative research. Assessing the efficacy and validity of LLMs. The implications of AI for scientific processes, practices, and organization.

This was followed by lab sessions providing hands-on experience with tools like ChatGPT and OpenSource, LLMs and API coding interfaces and group projects that applied learnings to a policy analysis exercise.

The curriculum also included talks and fireside panels on AI's prospects for science and society, and humanizing AI, featuring distinguished speakers such as: Laurie Smith (Nesta), Alistair Nolan (OECD - OCD), Parsa Ghaffari (Quantexa News Intelligence), Elle Farrell-Kingsley (AI Tech Journalist) and Samuel Kaski (Aalto University/University of Manchester/Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence).

The conclusion of this winter school was dedicated to reflecting on our group projects and engaging in group discussions to enhance our collective learning.

The course was facilitated by Philip Shapira, Barbara Ribeiro, Arash Hajikhani, Justin Biddle, Cornelia Lawson, Carolyn Cole and supported by Eu-SPRI Forum, 91Ö±²„ Institute of Innovation Research, VTT Technical Research Center of Finland, Georgia Institute of Technology, SKEMA Business School, Partnership for the organization of innovation and new technologies (4POINT0).

The is thrilled to co-sponsor a public lecture with and the .

Join us on Tuesday, 5 December from 17:30 to 18:30, for a lecture by Tom Kelsey, an ESRC Policy and Research Fellow at the University of Oxford on "When Missions Fail: lessons in 'high technology' from post-war Britain". Register here to .

Industrial strategy is back at the centre of geopolitics. From the UKā€™s ambition to be a Science and Tech Superpower to the US Inflation Reduction Act, it is widely believed that being on the technological cutting edge is crucial for both economic prosperity and national security.

History does play a role in these discussions. The post-war US is now widely praised as an entrepreneurial state and a mission economy, demonstrating the power politicians can wield to transform the technological basis of society.

Tom Kelseyā€™s new report When Missions Fail: lessons in ā€˜high technologyā€™ from post-war Britain suggests we can learn more about industrial strategy from the troubled British case than the much-vaunted example of the United States.

This event will be facilitated by Professor Richard Jones, Professor of Materials Physics and Innovation Policy, Vice-President for Regional Innovation and Civic Engagement, Co-Investigator of The Productivity Institute, University of Manchester.
 

Tom Kelsey:

Tom Kelsey is an ESRC Policy and Research Fellow at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford, currently working on a project aimed at improving policymaking at the intersection of economic prosperity and national security.

He worked in the UK Civil Service as part of the Digital Strategy team in the Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sport. He has won both the Joan Cahalin Robinson Prize and the Samuel Eleazar and Rose Tartakow Levinson Prize from the Society for the History of Technology. He has written for the Independent, the Guardian, and Open Democracy.

This event will be facilitated by , Professor of Materials Physics and Innovation Policy, Vice-President for Regional Innovation and Civic Engagement, Co-Investigator of The Productivity Institute, University of Manchester.

Academics from the (MIoIR) based at AMBS, in partnership with colleagues from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manchester, presents the "3D Printers on the Road" project. This project aims to explore how the adoption of 3D printers can revolutionize the innovation processes of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the North West region.

This is multidisciplinary project funded by the University of Manchester, which is focused on deepening our understanding of how SMEs in the North West can benefit from integrating 3D printing technology. 

The project has two key objectives:

1.  To compare the motivations, barriers, changes in organizational structure, and the scientific knowledge and skills required for firms that have integrated 3D printers into their manufacturing processes.
2. To conduct a feasibility study to analyse how adopting 3D printers can transform business models, increase competitiveness, and impact innovation and production processes in these firms. The project is particularly interested in collaborating with manufacturing companies in the health sector.

What We Offer

For companies interested in participating in this project, we provide access to a 3D printer for approximately three weeks, available in your own facility from November through February. Additionally, one of our expert engineers will work closely with your team to help you learn to operate the technology, understand design requirements, choose the right materials and evaluate the quality of the final products. At the end of our collaboration, we will provide a comprehensive report on the technology, along with practical managerial recommendations for its adoption.
 

What We Need

To make this project successful, we require the firm's commitment to participate actively. This entails engaging one of your employees for 2-3 days, tailored to your daily activities. We also request some time from key decision-makers, such as the CEO or product innovation leaders, who can spare a couple of hours for an interview regarding the motivations, barriers, and skills associated with the adoption of 3D printers.
 

Next Steps and Call to Action

If your company is eager to be a part of this journey and seize the opportunities presented by 3D printing, we invite you to get in tough. To express your interest and participation, please email msbarrioluengo@manchester.ac.uk, including your company name, sector, and a brief description of your current knowledge and expertise in 3D printing. Additionally, let us know why you are interested in adopting this technology.

We look forward to embarking on this journey with your company and collectively exploring the exciting possibilities of 3D printing technology.

The 91Ö±²„ Institute of Innovation Research (MIoIR) is thrilled to latest addition to its recently launched MIOIR Working Paper Series:

Working Paper 2023-05:

Authored by Richard Heeks, Bookie Ezeomah, Gianluca Iazzolino, Aarti Krishnan, Rose Pritchard, Jaco Renken and Qingna Zhou.

As digital transformation continues to take center stage in international development, this paper offers a comprehensive overview of "digital-transformation-for-development" (DX4D). The research involved an extensive analysis of 75 papers, employing a range of search terms to uncover key insights. 

The paper not only highlights the general features of the literature and the research methodologies applied but also presents a groundbreaking set of 13 principles to serve as a foundational guide for understanding and implementing digital-transformation-for-development research and consulting. Moreover, the document provides a glimpse into the future of DX4D research priorities.

This review was undertaken with financial support from the and part of the University of Manchester.

To access the full collection of working papers or further information on the submission guidelines, please follow the .

The MIOIR Working Paper Series warmly welcomes submissions from members of the Institute and external authors working in relevant research areas. We look forward to your future submissions!

In the midst of a persistent housing crisis in the UK, the presents its latest blog "Tackling the Housing Crisis: Taking a Closer Look at Challenges in Delivering Modular Housing". 

Authored by the research team from Alliance 91Ö±²„ Business School, including Suzanne Peters, Jonatan Pinkse, and Graham Winch, the blog delves into the housing industry's productivity challenges and suggests recommendations to support the sector.

The blog primarily focuses on "Category 1" or modular homes, seen as a scalable and efficient approach that holds the potential to increase productivity while offering sustainability benefits. However, despite its potential, the adoption of modular construction methods has faced hurdles, including high-profile failures. The blog report identifies five key barriers and outlines potential solutions for the industry.

In this blog, they suggest that the government can play a vital role in driving change by creating demand for modern construction methods, fostering relevant skills development and streamlining the approval process for new developments. These measures can lead to the construction of more quality homes at a faster pace, ultimately benefiting families in need of housing solutions.

The research team acknowledges that the challenges are complex but emphasizes that government support and objective research are crucial for success in the housing sector. The blog represents just the beginning of an in-depth exploration of modern construction methods and their potential to address the UK's housing crisis.

You can access the . This blog draws its insights from the recently published paper, "" authored by S. Peters, J. Pinkse, and G. Winch and made available through .

Researchers from the (MIoIR) at AMBS have just published an article titled "Innovation Intermediaries at the Convergence of Digital Technologies, Sustainability, and Governance: A Case 91Ö±²„ of AI-Enabled Engineering Biology." This paper, featured in Technovation, offers valuable insights into the crucial role played by innovation intermediaries in shaping innovative ecosystems.

The study authored by , , and , explores the emerging field of AI-enabled engineering biology (AI-EB) and its implications in our digital age. This blending of technologies raises numerous questions, not just of a scientific nature but also ethical, social and economic. To tackle these complex issues, the researchers engaged with a variety of stakeholders deeply involved in the AI-EB innovation realm.

At the heart of this study is the question of how much innovation intermediaries, key players in the innovation ecosystem, are considering societal and environmental goals while also pursuing economic objectives. Despite available guidelines for responsible innovation that encourage this balance, the findings of the study reveal that innovation intermediaries in the field of engineering biology tend to lean towards traditional scale-up and commercialization methods.

This research is expected to have a significant impact, not only on the development of innovation intermediaries but also on how research is managed and policies are shaped within the AI-EB domain. The authors suggest that a more holistic approach, one that takes into account both the societal and environmental consequences of AI-EB alongside commercialization, is vital to fully unlock the potential of this emerging technology.

The full research paper can be access .

The postdoc will work with Dr Cornelia Lawson and Professor Philip Shapira at 91Ö±²„ Institute of Innovation Research on the project ā€œInnovations in the Lab: Leveraging Transformations in Scienceā€, sponsored by the UoM Faculty of Humanities Large Collaborative Grant.

The postdoc will undertake research that looks at questions of scientific transformation and innovation using large-scale advanced quantitative bibliometrics, data analytics, and modelling. 

This includes bibliometric research on key patterns and trajectories of global science, including impacts of the pandemic and post-pandemic and also considering the emergence and use of AI, automation and big data in science and how this is influencing scientific research. 

Hence we are looking for someone with good quantitative and programming skills, and ideally an interest in AI and automation and related approaches in the context of science.
 

The deadline for applications is Wednesday, 6 September 2023.
 

To apply and for more details please follow the link below:

The 91Ö±²„ Institute of Innovation Research (MIOIR) is pleased to be a partner on a four-year coordination and support action grant from the European Commissionā€™ Horizon Europe programme for the Era-Learn project consortium. 

Titled 'Strengthening the European Partnership Community', the grant will support its partners in promoting research and innovation partnerships in Europe from 2023 to 2027.

MIOIR plays a vital role in Era-Learn, assisting research funding organisations, policy makers, and researchers with valuable information and services on European Partnerships. Dr. Dimitri Gagliardi and Debbie Cox will lead the 91Ö±²„ participation in the project, focusing on impact generation and assessment.

Led by Dr. Roland Brandenburg from the Austrian Research Promotion Agency, the consortium comprises 15 esteemed partners. Era-Learn is a trusted support platform for European Partnerships, providing evidence and guidance for their development, implementation, and evaluation.
 

The consortium welcomes researchers, policy makers, and stakeholders to engage actively in promoting innovation and addressing societal challenges. 

For more information, visit .

AI4STIP will consider the implications of rapidly emerging AI technologies for and in the context of science, technology, and innovation (STI) management and policy while also considering ethical and responsible research and innovation approaches. 

Analyses and assessments of the rise of AI technologies in science, industry and society will be combined with hands-on training to improve technical understanding of AI methods that can be applied to STI policy topics (including participantsā€™ projects and research themes).

The AI4STIP Winter School will be held 13-17 November 2023 organised by MIOIR at the Alliance 91Ö±²„ Business School in 91Ö±²„, UK, with speakers from The University of Manchester, 91Ö±²„ Institute of Innovation Research; VTT Finland; the SKEMA Centre for AI at the SKEMA Business School; and the Georgia Tech School of Public Policy. AI4STIP has received sponsorship from the European Forum for Studies of Policies for Research and Innovation (Eu-SPRI Forum).

For more information about the Winter School and details on how to apply visit the .

Legal professionals ā€˜sitting on the fenceā€™ in terms of embracing new technologies

A lack of understanding by, and encouragement from, management is proving a barrier to the uptake of technologies like artificial intelligence in the legal services sector, according to a new report.

The report, which was launched at a conference this week at AMBS, has been published by The University of Manchester, UCL (University College London), and the Law Society.

The project was led by Gerard P. Hodgkinson, Professor of Strategic Management and Behavioural Science at AMBS. He said:

Use of lawtech

The survey of more than 650 solicitors found that less than a third use lawtech daily. Lawtech encompasses a range of technologies that aim to support, supplement or replace traditional methods for legal services.

These technologies range from lower-level ones with the potential to improve the efficiency of service delivery, such as the use of legal databases and automation of document assembly/discovery, online portals, virtual assistants, and contract review software, to advanced chatbots and the latest advances in predictive artificial intelligence, which have the potential to displace human judgment and decision making.

More than one third of the sample said they do not use lawtech at all, or do so highly infrequently. Those that are using the new technologies are doing so primarily in routine administrative tasks, such as managing legal databases, rather than utilising the more cutting-edge developments to supplant their expert judgment in respect of complex issues.

Benefits

While respondents acknowledged the benefits lawtech can bring in terms of improving service quality and workflow efficiency, the report found a significant lack of confidence in using it effectively at an individual level. Nearly a quarter of respondents disagreed with the suggestion that learning to use lawtech would be easy.

Those surveyed also failed to equate the benefits lawtech brings to the wider business with benefits that might enhance their own career prospects. Over half said they feel lawtech increases their productivity, but around six in 10 actively disagreed that using lawtech will increase their chances of getting promoted, and more than eight in ten disagreed that using lawtech will increase their chances of a pay rise.

However, the findings indicate that there is a growing willingness to engage with lawtech despite these concerns. Sizeable proportions of the sample believe that they would be capable of performing jobs and tasks using lawtech if someone else helped them to get started (59%), or were available in the event that they needed help (60%).
 

Strategic priority

Added Professor Hodgkinson:

Dr Karen Nokes, a Lecturer in Law at UCL Faculty of Laws, said:

91Ö±²„ Initiative

The project was funded by The University of Manchester Lawtech Initiative, a partnership between The University of Manchester ā€“ spanning Alliance 91Ö±²„ Business School, the Department of Computer Science, and the Law School ā€“and several law firms.

This weekā€™s conference featured presentations from the report authors, as well as a discussion of the findings from Tanja Podinic from The Law Society, and also from UK legaltech expert Jenifer swallow.

Read the new report on attitudes towards .

²Ń±õ°æ±õøéā€™s , (Assoc Professor at SKEMA Business School and an Honorary Lecturer at The University of Manchester) and doctoral researcher contributed a chapter to the newly published OECD - OCDE book on AI in Science, entitled Artificial Intelligence in Science: Challenges, Opportunities and the Future of Research. Increased use of AI is often touted as the solution to the problem of scientific productivity.

Their essay explores the research policy and governance implications of AI, considering lessons from previous waves of automation in science and their impact on the practice of science. 

Since the public sector science base is also the environment in which advanced skills in science and technology are developed, the paper also considers possible implications of AI use on scientific human capital. It then examines a range of policy and governance implications, including how AI tools might be used in funding and governance practices.

The book is available online and can be accessed .

An expert in science policy and strategy, he was previously Director of Strategy at global charitable foundation the Wellcome Trust. In this role he led the creation of Wellcomeā€™s 2020 strategy to focus its Ā£1.6bn funding on supporting science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone.

He has also previously been a Deputy Principal Private Secretary to former Prime Minister David Cameron, where he was responsible for supporting the Prime Minister on public services policy decisions and implementation. Ed has also worked for many years in the Treasury.

Rich ways of working

In his role at AMBS Ed says he intends to work closely with academics from across the School. 

's latest blog article, written by Trang Tran, an MSc Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship student, delves into the potential of 3D bioprinting in addressing the global issue of organ trafficking and how this emerging technology could provide a solution.

Tran highlights the severe shortage of organs worldwide, leaving countless patients waiting for life-saving transplants. Organ trafficking has become a gruesome reality, with a black market valued at around 1 billion USD. 

In this blog, it explores 3D bioprinting as a potential remedy for the organ shortage. By using a patient's own cells as materials, this technology enables the creation of complex body parts, reducing the waiting time for organ transplants and eliminating the risk of transplant rejection.

Tran emphasizes that 3D bioprinting aligns with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, which focuses on good health and well-being. By providing a steady supply of organs, this technology has the potential to eliminate the need for criminal organ purchases, thereby contributing to SDG 16.2, which aims to end abuse, exploitation, and trafficking.

To ensure responsible development, Tran suggests adopting a purpose-based approach to governance, prioritizing responsible innovation and considering societal, ethical, and environmental impacts. Responsible research and innovation (RRI) should guide the development of 3D bio-printing. 

The responsible development and diffusion of this technology, in conjunction with the RRI framework and appropriate governance, offer the potential to mitigate the organ shortage crisis and ultimately address organ trafficking.

You can read the full piece .

Regional Economic Growth Through Innovation Policy and Business Engagement: Evidence from Three UK City Regions.

A new report commissioned by the Innovation Caucus sheds light on the potential for regional economic growth through innovation policy and business engagement in three UK city regions: Cardiff, Glasgow, and 91Ö±²„. 

The report, titled "Regional Economic Growth Through Innovation Policy and Business Engagement: Evidence from Three UK City Regions," brings together insights from interviews conducted with representatives from business, higher education, and local and national government.

The research team, which comprised of Dr Katherine Parsons (Cardiff Business School), Professor Rick Delbridge (Cardiff Business School), (Alliance 91Ö±²„ Business School), Dr David Waite (University of Glasgow), Professor Robert Huggins (Cardiff University), and Professor Kevin Morgan (Cardiff University) delved into the interactions between stakeholders in designing and implementing innovation and economic growth policies in these city regions. 

Despite variations in economic profiles and governance structures, the report identifies common characteristics and a shared commitment towards a more inclusive and place-based approach to innovation.

You can download the .

Academics from the 91Ö±²„ Institute of Innovation Research (MIoIR) based at AMBS are seeking applicants to work on the UMRI Interdisciplinary Research Pump-prime project, which aims to develop more comprehensive approaches to the successful adoption of 3D printers by SMEs.

Research Associate on the UMRI project ā€œAdoption of 3D-printers by SMEsā€

Applications are invited for two part-time positions or one full-time position as Research Associates working in the fields of innovation management and with engineering expertise in additive manufacturing (3D printing). This is an exciting opportunity to work on an interdisciplinary funded project with researchers at the 91Ö±²„ Institute of Innovation Research, part of the Alliance 91Ö±²„ Business School (Faculty of Humanities) and the Dept. of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering and Dept. of Materials (Faculty of Science and Engineering) aiming to provide insights into the adoption of 3D-printers by SMEs.

The appointed Research Associate will work closely with and Prof. Silvia Massini from AMBS and Dr Murat Kilic from the Dept. of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering and Dr Wajira Mirinhanage from the Dept. of Materials.

The deadline for applications is Thursday, 22 June 2023.

To apply and for more details please follow the link below:

The (MIoIR) is pleased to present the latest additions to its newly launched MIOIR Working Paper Series. These two new working papers showcase our commitment to exploring essential research themes, such as innovation management, sustainable innovation, science and technology, innovation policy, and emerging technologies.
 

Working Paper 2023-03: by Jakob Edler

Jakob Edler delves into the role of the state in influencing and supporting the demand for innovation within the context of transformation. The paper emphasizes the importance of demand for both innovation and transformation and explores the conceptual foundations of state intervention on the demand side. Edler connects demand-side interventions with the ongoing transformation debate and the discussion surrounding the innovation-based competitiveness of systems. 

The paper focuses on public demand and public procurement practices as powerful levers to stimulate both transformation and innovation. It highlights the underexplored and underutilized potential of these approaches, offering insights into various forms of public procurement and their functions within different transformation contexts. Edler concludes the paper by providing high-level recommendations for policy and analysis, encouraging further debate and the formulation of comprehensive strategies for procurement that can effectively support innovation and transformation.
 

Working Paper 2023-04: by Elvira Uyarra, Kieron Flanagan, Iris Wanzenbƶck

Elvira Uyarra, Kieron Flanagan, and Iris Wanzenbƶck present a compelling paper that sheds light on the implications of missions in innovation policy. The authors argue for a shift from generic and primarily R&D-based innovation support measures towards a new generation of innovation policies. This new approach, often referred to as challenge-led, mission-orientated, or transformative innovation policies, seeks to address major societal challenges, including climate change, migration, and food and energy security. By adopting a more targeted and challenge-oriented approach, innovation policy can deliver desired outcomes and meaningful solutions. 

The paper highlights the need for an active role of the state in funding risk-taking activities and creating markets, emphasizing the socio-ecological dimension of innovation. The authors draw attention to the European Green Deal and the Innovation Strategies for Sustainability (S4) as examples of regional policies that emphasize the importance of addressing societal challenges. However, the paper also acknowledges the lack of consensus regarding the implementation of such policies, leaving room for further exploration and discussion.

To access the full collection of working papers or further information on the submission guidelines, please follow the following .

The series welcomes submissions from members of the Institute as well as from external authors who work in a relevant research area. We look forward to your future submissions!

The course focused on six key components; an introduction to evaluation and its role in the policy cycle; quantitative tools (indicators, bibliometrics, economics); Qualitative approaches (qualitative tools, peer review); Evaluating networks; Effects of evaluation (impacts, steering science) and Evaluation beyond programmes organisations, societal challenges, demand-based polies).

It included a range of lectures and group exercises delivered by Dr Kate Barker, Dr Effie Amanatidou, Professor Erik Arnold (Technopolis Group), Professor Jakob Edler, Professor Maria Nedeva, Professor Raquel Ortega-Argiles, Dr John Rigby, Professor David Sweeney (University of Birmingham) and Professor Mike Thelwall (University of Wolverhampton).

Twenty-six participants from twelve different countries attended representing the Academy of Finland; Brno University of Technology; University of Cambridge; Danish Council for Research and Innovation Policy; Department for Science, Innovation and Technology; Fraunhofer ISI; Hartree Centre, Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC); Innosuisse; Innovate UK, UKRI; KISTEP (Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning); KOYSLab; Moravian-Silesian Innovation Centre Ostrava (MSIC); National Agricultural Research Institute of Uruguay; NOVA University of Lisbon; University of Jena; Vinnova, Swedenā€™s Innovation Agency.
 

Feedback from the participants during the course was extremely favourable. The course was facilitated and supported by Debbie Cox, Holly Crossley and Wendy Walker. Thank you to colleagues who gave their time and support to make this course a success and to all the course participants for their excellent contribution!

Find out more about the at MIOIR. If you have any specific requirements for a relevant short course please contact Deborah Cox, Institute Manager.

guest edited a special issue of Studies in Higher Education with Chiara Marzocchi, Fumi Kitagawa and Federica Rossi on ā€˜Reconceptualizing university contribution to knowledge exchange: broadening our understanding of knowledge exchange motivations, channels and stakeholdersā€™ in Higher Education Institutions.

This Special Issue represents an effort to go beyond a narrow notion of knowledge exchange (KE) and explicitly address broader questions related to the measurement of and incentives towards KE in Higher education institutions (HEI). Specifically, we bring attention to a number of under-researched topics in the literature. 

These relate to: (i) The participation of a diverse set of academic actors in KE activities ā€“ in particular, academics in emerging economies and women academics ā€“ whose role in KE is insufficiently investigated in the extant literature; (ii) academicsā€™ engagement with under-explored KE stakeholders, specifically policymakers and the public sector; and (iii) the tensions and tradeoffs that are implicit, but often unacknowledged, in the relationship between HEIsā€™ traditional teaching and research activities, and KE as a third institutional mission.

The special issue comprises seven papers that seek to broaden our understanding of KE in a broader context, with more diverse audiences and impacts, and deepen the understanding of tensions and trade-offs between university missions ā€“ Teaching, Research and Third Mission. The volume altogether sheds light on several themes that have received comparatively less attention in the literature.

You can read this short and access the link to the full collection of papers published.

The Geography of Innovation Conference provides a forum for discussion to scholars interested in scientific, policy and strategic issues concerning the spatial dimension of innovation activities. The conference will bring together some of the worldā€™s leading scholars from a variety of disciplines ranging from economic geography and regional science, to economics and management science, sociology and network theory, and political and planning sciences.

The call for papers is now open, and we have the pleasure of presenting a list of thirty-four strong special sessions and twelve regular sessions. The deadline for submission is Friday, 21 July 2023.

To stay updated with conference news and announcements, follow us on Twitter at . Visit our official conference website at for detailed information about the conference, submission guidelines, and registration. 

To mark its 30th anniversary, Industry and Innovation has selected a collection of 30 impactful research articles published in the journal across its different Editorships to date.

The (MIOIR) has reason to celebrate as three of its researchers have been selected to be featured in the 30-year anniversary issue of Industry and Innovation. The prestigious journal has selected 30 impactful research articles published across its different Editorships over the last three decades.

The first paper is "" by . The paper challenges the notion that services are non-innovative and instead proposes that they tend to innovate differently from manufacturers. Through empirical analysis of a survey of European firms carried out in 2002, Tether sheds light on the softer aspects of innovation in services based on skills and inter-organizational cooperation practices.

and ā€™s paper, "," discusses the field of innovation policy studies and its crossroads. The paper identifies four dangerous tendencies that could compromise the critical insight necessary for innovation policy studies to remain influential. Based on this, the paper suggests ways forward that deal better with the complex multi-actor dynamics, fundamental uncertainties, and challenges to the implementation, coordination, and evaluation of policies.

ā€™s paper, "," explores openness and collaboration in scientific research. The paper links dispersed knowledge on open innovation, open science, and related concepts to propose a unifying Open Innovation in Science (OIS) Research Framework. The framework involving 47 scholars captures the antecedents, contingencies, and consequences of open and collaborative practices along the entire process of generating and disseminating scientific insights and translating them into innovation.

Together, these papers showcase the diversity and depth of research being conducted by MIOIR researchers in the field of innovation studies.

You can download the .

The first event will feature Dr Robert Phaal, Director of Research, in the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge on Monday 17th April 2023 from 15:30 ā€“ 16:30 PM (BST).

Roadmapping for strategic alignment

Roadmapping emerged in US high-tech sectors more than 50 years ago, and since then has been adopted widely around the world, at both firm and sector levels. This seminar will provide an overview of the roadmapping method and its flexibility in any strategic context. Dr Phaal will also highlight the underpinning principles that make it a knowledge integrator in strategy and innovation processes and toolkits.

• .

The second event will feature Michael Keenan, a Senior Analyst in the OECDā€™s Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation on Wednesday 18th April from 13:00 ā€“ 14:00 PM (BST).

Introducing the OECD S&T Policy 2025 project: promoting STI policy transitions to meet the sustainability challenge

The twin crises of COVID-19 and climate change call for an ambitious, wide-ranging, disruptive and visionary STI policy agenda. Keenan will be introducing the OECD S&T Policy 2025 project, which aims to promote STI policy transitions to meet the sustainability challenge. He will discuss how reforming STI policy to better contribute to sustainability transitions, resilience, and inclusivity goals requires revisiting STI policy models, visions, targets, and instruments. Keenan will also highlight the lock-ins that hinder reforms of research and innovation systems.

The final event will feature Dr Eugenia Cacciatori, Senior Lecturer in Management at Bayes Business School, City, University of London on Monday 24th April from 15:30 ā€“ 16:30 PM (BST).

Simulations at the nexus of known and unknown: Catastrophe models in terrorism insurance

The paper explores how simulations in terrorism insurance enable actors to deal with the unknowns. The study shows that the structure of simulation models allows the compartmentalization of different types of ignorance, and actors employ different strategies such as accepting, working around, and ignoring ignorance. The paper makes a contribution to understanding how models deal with persistent unknowns.

• .

All events will be taking place on campus at Alliance MBS and will be hosted online using Zoom.

Further Links:

• View our list of .
• Follow us and for our latest news and updates.
• .

The 91Ö±²„ Institute of Innovation Research runs a series of regular seminars given by visiting speakers to 91Ö±²„. These seminars are open to anybody who is interested in science, technology and innovation policy and management.

Many local governments worldwide have actively started thinking about making cities more inclusive and sustainable for their residents.

The latest MIOIR blog discusses Melbourne, the second-largest city in Australia approach to inclusion in urban areas, offering insights into how Greater 91Ö±²„ can learn from the Australian city's experience.

In this blog authored by , a Lecturer in Innovation at , who collaborated on a research project investigating how urban innovation models such as innovation districts could bridge the widening social and economic inequalities of metropolitan areas. Melbourne has recently introduced a ten-year Inclusive Melbourne Strategy aimed at supporting inclusive development, with three key priority areas: (1) inclusive workforce and public services, (2) sustainable and fair economic recovery, and (3) empowered communities.

The Strategy was developed based on extensive community consultation and focus groups with diverse stakeholders, and Dr Kadyrova discusses the contextual factors that influence the approach to inclusion in Melbourne, including the governance structure, the number of policies addressing inclusion, and the institutionalised community engagement process.

This research project was funded by the University of Manchester-Melbourne research internationalisation fund. The wider project team includes Elvira Uyarra, Kieron Flanagan, Philip Shapira, Mabel Sanchez-Barrioluengo, Xiuqin Li (Alliance 91Ö±²„ Business School) and Richard Jones (Faculty of Science and Engineering).

You can read the full blog .

The and are delighted to announce that we will be hosting the 7th Geography of Innovation (GEOINNO) Conference, at The University of Manchester from 10th to 12th January 2024.

The Geography of Innovation Conference provides a forum for discussion to scholars interested in scientific, policy and strategic issues concerning the spatial dimension of innovation activities.

In line with the six previous editions of the conference, held in Saint Etienne (France) in 2012, Utrecht (Netherlands) in 2014, Toulouse (France) in 2016, , and the main objective of this event is to bring together some of the worldā€™s leading scholars from a variety of disciplines ranging from economic geography and regional science, to economics and management science, sociology and network theory, and political and planning sciences.

The local organising committee includes: Professor , Dr , Professor Professor , Professor , Professor , Dr , Dr , Professor and Professor  

We invite proposals for special sessions which showcase contemporary, cutting-edge research in any area within the geography of innovation field, with a particular emphasis on a specific topic. The Organising Committee will assess and choose a limited number of suggested sessions based on their scientific excellence and originality.

Key Dates:

• Deadline for call for special session: 6th April 2023
• Deadline for call for papers: 21st July 2023
• Registration: 2nd October ā€“ 3rd November 2023
• Conference: 10th ā€“ 12th January 2024

For more information about the conference and the call for special sessions, please visit the .

In this blog MIOIR Researcher Martina Ayoub and Stephane Lhuillery from BETA, University of Strasbourg have explored the knowledge components that drive environmental innovation. They found that firms' investment in green research and development (R&D) is essential for developing eco-innovation. The study also found that R&D activities in biotech and information and communication technologies (ICT) are drivers of eco-innovation.

The researchers pushed the boundaries of knowledge by exploring the existence of complementarities between the different R&D fields. Also, they found that firms successfully combine biotech R&D and green R&D to eco-innovate, but knowledge diversification has limitations. The researchers recommend that policies promoting innovation should not solely focus on narrow categorisations of research but should also support broader knowledge applications across various technological fields, including ICT and biotech. They suggest that private and public R&D spending should be increased and greater efforts should be made to encourage the development of complementary technologies.

You can read the full blog .

The MIOIR Working Paper Series provides a platform for discussing and disseminating studies from across the disciplines, covering a range of issues related to Innovation.

Our series will publish high-quality research papers with a focus on the Institute's primary research themes, including: Innovation management; Sustainable innovation; Science, technology, and innovation policy; and Emerging technologies.

We welcome submissions from members of the Institute as well as from external authors who work in a relevant research area. Both work in progress and finalised research will be considered.

As part of this announcement, we are excited to publish the first papers in the series:

• Working Paper 2023-01: - Ying Zhang, Cornelia Lawson, Liangping Ding

Returning scientists play a critical role in building up the academic workforce and science in their home country. Yet, in this study we argue that return mobility may limit scientistsā€Ÿ international relevance and thus spillover effects may not be realised. We take scientists returning to China as a sample to investigate the impact of return mobility on international visibility/impact. What is more, we explore the roles of the international collaboration network and international knowledge base in this effect. Our findings clarify the limitation of return mobility and provide some empirical evidence on the limits of global knowledge spillovers in science and talent introduction policies.

• Working Paper 2023-02: - Xavier Castaner, Panos Desyllas, Huma Javaid, Orietta Marsili

Based on information economics and organizational learning literatures, we investigate how information asymmetry and uncertainty regarding the value of technological resources of target firms influence the due diligence process after an acquisition announcement is made by the acquirer. We study how information asymmetry between the acquirer and target firm captured by the technological distance between the two firmsā€™ patent portfolio extends the due diligence process. 

Additionally, we study how uncertainty about target firmsā€™ technological resources explained by the pending patent applications of target firms tends to prolong the duration of due diligence. 

Further, we argue that business similarity reduces information asymmetry between the acquirer and target firm and shortens the duration of due diligence. We test the predictions on a sample of acquisitions of privately held technology firms in the UK and find a significantly positive effect of targetsā€™ pending patent applications on due diligence duration that is amplified by technological distance but reduced by business similarity. The findings of the study contribute to the M&A literature that higher information asymmetry and uncertainty lengthen the due diligence process of the acquirers when evaluating prospective target firms.

For further information, including how to submit a paper and submission guidelines, please follow this .

We look forward to your future submissions!

Dr Abisope Akintola has joined MIOIR as a Research Associate on the new ESRC ā€“ UKRI project: The Organisation and Diffusion of Translational Research: Can Cardiovascular Medicine learn from Oncology? Case Studies of Pharmacogenomics in the NHS, working with Dr Ronnie Ramlogan and Dr Dimitri Gagliardi.

The project, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, is a collaboration between The University of Manchester and The University of Liverpool and aims to identify the critical factors affecting the use of genetic and genomic information in treatments.

Abi was awarded her PhD in Public Health from Teesside University- UK, a Master of Science in Public Health from Teesside University ā€“ UK, a Master of Science in Environmental Microbiology from the University of Ibadan ā€“ Nigeria, and a Bachelor of Science in Biological Science from the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta ā€“ Nigeria. Abisope is an associate member of Fuse, The Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, and an Associate Fellow of the Advance HE (formerly Higher Education Academy).

Abisopeā€™s research interests are primarily in the areas of: Public Health including domestic abuse and maternal mortality, Embedded Research, Translational Research, Co-production, Health innovation, and Evidence-based practice. Her methodological expertise is particularly in systematic reviews and qualitative research.

The Academy of Social Sciences is delighted to announce that fifty-six leading social scientists have been conferred Fellowship of the Academy this spring.

Professor is one of fifty-six leading social scientists elected as Fellows this spring and the only University of Manchester academic named. All are highly accomplished individuals recognised for excellence in their fields and their wider contributions to the social sciences for public benefit.

Professor Raquel Ortega-ArgilĆ©s is the Chair of Regional Economic Development at Alliance 91Ö±²„ Business School. She is a member of the and . Raquel is also the Director of The Productivity Instituteā€™s Productivity Lab, a centre of excellence for data-related activities, including joining data in a central repository and creating opportunities for augmented datasets.

Further Information:

Join for their upcoming seminar with Professor Beatrice Dā€™Ippolito from the School for Business and Society, University of York on Monday 06th March 2023 from 15:30-16:30pm (GMT).

Endless Applications: Strategic Maintenance of the World's Most Enduring Herbicide Technology

Technological maintenance is a significant but understudied component of innovation. Maintaining a technology's ability to create and capture value over time can produce sustained competitive advantage. We challenge existing theory in institutional maintenance that defines institutional work as inherently non-economic and non-technical, demonstrating that institutional maintenance and strategic value maintenance can be mutually constitutive. 

We draw on the case of Monsantoā€™s Roundup herbicide technology, adopting a historical approach, to conceptualize how firms strategically develop capabilities for maintaining the value of technological assets. The case illustrates the significance of multilevel institutional work for organizations confronting the challenges of preserving and defending technological resources over time and across institutional boundaries. 

Technological maintenance, when pursued across organizational boundaries and through control over technological knowledge, not only produces strategic advantages for specific firms, but also remaps power relations in society more broadly.

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The 91Ö±²„ Institute of Innovation Research runs a series of regular seminars given by visiting speakers to 91Ö±²„. These seminars are open to anybody who is interested in science, technology and innovation policy and management.

Maria Stadler will be joining MIOIR for 3 months from 6 March 2023 to carry out a research visit, supervised by . The circulation visit is funded by the European Forum for Studies of Policies for Research and Innovation (EU-SPRI) Network.

Maria is a third-year PhD student enrolled at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research, Germany. Her PhD Project aims to link insights from urban sociology, transition studies and innovation studies to analyse changes in urban governance directed towards more sustainable urban systems in response to climate change.

During her stay at MIoIR, her work will focus on urban level policy making for knowledge creation and innovation and address questions on the roles of cities and local governments in relation to globalized problems. Mariaā€™s research interests are to gain insights into the role that social innovations and governance innovations on the urban level might play for addressing grand challenges. Moreover, the visit allows her to compare empirical findings from a German city (city of Mannheim) with insights from 91Ö±²„.

91Ö±²„ Institute of Innovation Research hosts visiting researchers from EU-SPRI member organisations under the early career and PhD researcher mobility programme, which is part of the development of the European Training Platform. It addresses the objective of offering a European pathway to Early Career and PhD researchers in the area of science and innovation policy studies.

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At this Fred Jevons lecture Dr Cassidy Sugimoto will explore the gender gap in science and technology, and what can be done to address it.

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Equity for Women in Science

If current trends continue, women and men will be equally represented in the field of biology in 2069. In physics, math, and engineering, women should not expect to reach parity for more than a century.

The gender gap in science and technology is narrowing, but at a decidedly unimpressive pace. And even if parity is achievable, what about equity? This talk will present a large-scale empirical analysis of the global gender gap in science, providing strong evidence that the structures of scientific production and reward impede womenā€™s career advancement.

The evidence is drawn from publication and survey data and shows that women are systematically denied the chief currencies of scientific credit: publications and citations. The rising tide of collaboration only exacerbates disparities, with women unlikely to land coveted leadership positions or gain access to global networks. The findings are unequivocal: when published, men are positioned as key contributors and women are relegated to low-visibility technical roles.

The talk will conclude with a discussion of how intersecting disparities in labour, reward, and resources contribute to cumulative disadvantages for the advancement of women in science and what might be done to mitigate this.

Cassidy Sugimoto 

Dr. Cassidy R. Sugimoto is Professor and Tom and Marie Patton School Chair in the School of Public Policy at Georgia Institute of Technology. Her research examines the formal and informal ways in which knowledge is produced, disseminated, consumed, and supported, with an emphasis on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Sugimoto was a professor of Informatics in the School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering at Indiana University Bloomington from 2010-2021 and served as the Program Director for the Science of Science and Innovation Policy program at the National Science Foundation from 2018-2020. She has received the Indiana University Trustees Teaching award (2014), a national service award from the Association for Information Science and Technology (2009), and a Bicentennial Award for service from Indiana University (2020).

She holds a bachelorā€™s in Music Performance, a masterā€™s in Library Science, and a doctoral degree in Information and Library Science all from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Fred Jevons Lecture

The Fred Jevons Science Policy Lecture commemorates the founding professor of ā€˜Liberal Studies in Scienceā€™ at 91Ö±²„.

91Ö±²„ has long been a major centre for social, economic and historical studies of science and technology, a history consolidated by the establishment of a Department of Liberal Studies in Science in the 1960s. That scholarly tradition is today maintained by LSSā€™s successor centres, the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine, and the 91Ö±²„ Institute of Innovation Research, which collectively constitute one of the worldā€™s major centres of expertise in the social, historical, economic and political analysis of science and technology.

There will be refreshments served with the opportunity for networking before the lecture from 4:15pm.

The Council is a globally unique advisory body, working with policy makers and politicians from the 16 German States and the Federal Ministry for Research and Education towards joint position papers and recommendations.

Together with the other scientists appointed to the Council, Professor Jakob Edler will share recommendations for the Federal Government and the governments of the Federal States on the development of the content and structure of the German science system and thus contribute to the international competitiveness and embedding of German science.

Jakobā€™s term began at a formal reception with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the end of January and will run until January 2026.

Are you an early career researcher in the field of Strategy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and International Business?

The Early Career Researchers Conference ā€“ SIIB2023 is the perfect opportunity for you to showcase your scientific work, receive valuable feedback from academic experts, gain insight into academic life, and develop effective publication strategies.

is partnering with the , The , and the , to deliver the below one-day event for PhD students and early career researchers.

Our conference is open to submissions in a wide range of topics within the SIIB field and encourages both theoretical and empirical submissions across various methodological perspectives that offer new insights and contributions to the existing literature. 

By participating in our conference, you will have the chance to network with other researchers in your scientific field and gain valuable experience in presenting your study to a professional audience. Additionally, the conference will provide an opportunity for early career researchers to learn about the latest research developments and trends within the SIIB field, as well as to engage in discussions with other scholars on future research directions.

We invite you to submit your work and join us for a valuable and enriching experience at SIIB2023!

Further information:

Conference date: 11 April 2023 
Deadline for Abstract Submission: 1 March 2023 
Deadline for Acceptance Decisions: 8 March 2023 

Venue: In-person, with a hybrid option for non-UK participants* 
Location: Alliance 91Ö±²„ Business School 
                  University of Manchester 
                  Booth Street West, 91Ö±²„, M15 6PB, UK. 

Conference fee: Participation in the conference is free 
Registration: Please use this to register your attendance 

* We would be delighted to have early career researchers who are based in the UK join us in person at our event venue in 91Ö±²„ to present their research. For those who are based outside of the UK, or for whom attending in person may be a challenge, we may consider an online participation option. Please note that access to parallel sessions may be limited with this option.

While the existing literature makes important analyses of the technical and economic dimensions of decarbonisation pathways, it gives less attention to real-world implementation processes by the large energy intensive industries (LEIIs), such as steelmaking, who will actually have to make the investment decisions about the deployment of the low-carbon technologies. 

This is particularly pertinent, as these same industries are facing challenging economic conditions because they operate within a global industries where the emergence of new firms has substantially increased competitive pressures on the UKā€™s established actors, leading to their declining output and increasing losses. This represents a gap in the decarbonisation analysis which requires appreciation.

For the UKā€™s steel industry therefore, we assessed the speed and directionality of its low-carbon transition, by applying a longitudinal analysis of changing external pressures and company response strategies over the last 34 years. Applying the Triple Embeddedness Framework and a five-phase model of reorientation, our study finds that the steel industryā€™s low-carbon reorientation strategies moved from inaction (phase 1 in our model) and incremental change (phase 2) in the 1988ā€“1997 period, to hedging and exploration of technical alternatives (phase 3) in the 1997ā€“2007 period, back to incremental change in the 2007ā€“2015 period (phase 2), and then forward again to hedging and exploration of technical alternatives (phase 3) in the 2015ā€“2022 period. 

The reason for this oscillation pattern is that economic decline and successive retrenchment strategies reduced managerial attention and organizational resources for low-carbon orientation, especially after the 2007/8 financial crisis which led to a survival-focus. In recent years, UK steelmakers have started to explore three decarbonisation pathways (carbon-capture-and-storage, electric arc furnaces using scrap feedstock, and electric arc furnaces using hydrogen direct reduced feedstock) but have not yet committed to their deployment, which is why reorientation speed is limited. 

New economic headwinds in 2021/2 threaten the implementation of low-carbon visions and roadmaps, leading steelmakers to ask for more government support. Future shifts to phase 4 (deployment and diversification) and phase 5 (full reorientation) in our conceptual model will depend on the outcome of currently ongoing political negotiations.

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This work was supported by the UKRI ISCF Industrial Challenge within the (IDRIC). Find out more about the IDRIC Project 7.6 on .

The study was completed on behalf of the Greater 91Ö±²„ Combined Authority (GMCA) and was funded by Research England. The objective was to contribute to an evidence base for an update of the Greater 91Ö±²„ Local Industrial Strategy (GM LIS).

The researches how reconfiguring consumption and production systems can contribute to less resource-intensive ways of life. Its projects explore the social relationships that hinder change, as well as those that might enable the transition to greater sustainability.

The analyses the dynamics and impacts of science, technology and innovation and the role of management, policy and societal behaviour more generally and how these contribute to the economy and human well-being.

Published originally in 2019, the GM LIS was one of the UKā€™s first modern local industrial strategies. It advocated a clean growth mission to achieve net-zero by 2038 and brought attention to the importance of both everyday ā€˜foundationalā€™ sectors, and high-technology ā€˜frontierā€™ sectors, for regional economic progress. By 2022, however, local policymakers stated that the GM LIS required an update in order to better address emerging environmental, social and economic pressures, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To support the policy refresh, the MIOIR and SCI published that analysed best practice of sustainability initiatives involving the foundational economy. These practices were identified in three international case studies, of Amsterdam (the Netherlands), the Basque Country (Spain), and Washington, D.C. (USA), with a fourth case involving Greater 91Ö±²„. The report found that foundational sectors must be included in regional economic policies, because they can yield profound impacts on both climate and society. 

Moreover, sustainability innovation in foundational sectors can be a valuable source of climate mitigation, improvements in social equity, and improvements in economic outcomes such as productivity. Innovation in foundational sectors, therefore, can support green and just objectives in city-regions, offering multiple forms of value creation for climate, society, and economy.

Academics from the 91Ö±²„ Institute of Innovation Research (MIoIR) based at AMBS have begun a major three-year study into how personalised treatments can help better tackle cardiovascular diseases.

The project, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, is a collaboration between The University of Manchester and The University of Liverpool and aims to identify the critical factors affecting the use of genetic and genomic information in such treatments.

Research Associate in Health innovation: Translational Research Management and Policy

Applications are invited for the post of Post-Doctoral Research Associate working in the field of Health Innovation, Translational Research Management and Policy or other related fields. This is an exciting opportunity to work on a funded project with experienced researchers at the 91Ö±²„ Institute of Innovation Research (MIoIR) within the Alliance 91Ö±²„ Business School, aiming to provide insights into multidisciplinary research contributing to advancing our understanding of general principles to implementing PGt/x in cardiology with a socio-technical focus on the necessary technologies, institutional and behavioural changes within the organisation.

The appointed Post-Doctoral Research Associate will work closely with Dr and Dr on the ESRC ā€“ UKRI project: The Organisation and Diffusion of Translational Research: Can Cardiovascular Medicine learn from Oncology? Case Studies of Pharmacogenomics in the NHS.

The deadline for PDRA applications is Wednesday 25th January 2023.

To apply and for more details please follow the link below: