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Innovation Policy Orchestra

Innovation Policy Orchestra – Choice, Co-ordination and adjustment of instruments for socio-technical change (IPO)

  • Project description

    Innovation policy creates framework conditions and incentives for innovation processes. As a cross-cutting policy, it has a wide range of instruments at its disposal – from economic, research and education policy to health, environmental or digital policy. Often, innovation policy needs to orchestrate several instruments in order to support innovation activities, in general, or specific socio-technical transformations. Like an orchestra, innovation policy can be considered as an ensemble of instruments in which the mastery of one's instrument is a necessary but not sufficient condition for success. Success only unfolds in the harmonious interplay of all chosen instruments. The responsible departments in ministries, subordinate authorities or project executing agencies play the instruments. Political decision-makers who ideally coordinate their efforts conduct the orchestra to harmoniously address companies, researchers, consumers or other innovation system actors. 

    How can innovation policy instruments be orchestrated according to their specific goals and addressees? The project "Innovation Policy Orchestra" (IPO) aims to answer this research question. Through structured research and interviews with innovation policy actors, innovation policy instruments are collected, systematised and evaluated. The process will record possible target groups, preconditions for use, design options, and coordination possibilities. The project aims to develop a practice-oriented creative method for selecting and designing innovation policy instruments. Case studies on the promotion of research and production of the lithium-ion battery, m-RNA technology, as well as a case study on regional innovation policy in Germany practically apply this creative method and result in the development of a policy guideline. This guideline intends to support the ongoing coordination of the innovation policy orchestra to transfer the dynamics of specific innovation processes into the play of instruments and to facilitate new innovation dynamics via innovation policy.