Sustainability Research, Scientific Excellence and Innovation in the Netherlands

1
Sustainability Research, Scientific Excellence
and Innovation in the Netherlands
Advisory council for Research on Spatial
Planning, Nature and the Environment

• Drs Bert de Wit
• Programme Manager RMNO

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Dutch Sustainability Research and Education

• Request of Minister for the Environment to RMNO
  Council to report about Research on Sustainable
  Development in the Netherlands (2007)
• . Scientific excellence (food, water, energy)
• . Societal valorisation of SD research
• . Sustainability Research and Innovation
• . Integration of Knowledge in SD Research
• . Anchoring of SD in University Curricula

Advisory council for Research on Spatial
Planning, Nature and the Environment
3
What is Research on Sustainable Development?

• ICSU criteria for effective research on
  sustainable development. The knowledge generated
  must be
• credible so as to act accordingly
• salient with respect to the needs of decision
  makers
• legitimate with respect to the choice of
  subjects, the expertise involved, and the
  participants in the research process.

Advisory council for Research on Spatial
Planning, Nature and the Environment
4
What is Research on Sustainable Development?
(continuation)

• The ICSU criteria are interdependent. Involvement
  of stakeholders is very important with regard to
  salience and legitimacy
• How are the three Ps (people, planet, profit)
  adressed by research? Is there any connection
  between these aspects?
• Boundary management functions such as
  communication, translation and mediation should
  be accomplished well.

Advisory council for Research on Spatial
Planning, Nature and the Environment
5
A Research ProfileNo sharp definition

• The Research Profile demarcates the search area
• Existing methods for determining the scientific
  excellence, the societal relevance and the
  innovative character of research can be employed.
  A critical review of the results is needed as
  these methods have their limitations
• Most important limitation they do not address
  the integration of knowledge needed for SD
  perspectives

Advisory council for Research on Spatial
Planning, Nature and the Environment
6
Top Research on SD in The Netherlands?

• CWTS ranking method based on citations in the Web
  of Science Selection of Journals let the
  journals speak
• Entries sustainab and Mind maps constructed
  for food, energy and water sectors
• Comparison of number of publications, citation
  scores, crown indicators, etc.
• Results for NL compared to the rest of the world
  and other EU countries, for Dutch universities
  and for authors

Advisory council for Research on Spatial
Planning, Nature and the Environment
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Performance of The Netherlands
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Performance of Dutch Research Institutes
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Results of the analysis (1)

• Food Sector (2001-2006)
• Dutch publications 370
• 3rd place world wide
• Crown indicator 1,8
• Wageningen University in NL has a leading
  international position (177 publications, crown
  indicator 2.1)

Advisory council for Research on Spatial
Planning, Nature and the Environment
10
Results of the analysis (2)

• Energy Sector (2001-2007)
• Dutch publications 229 crown indicator 1.38
• Denmark on top in EU 66 publications and crown
  indicator 1,9
• NL Twente University and Utrecht University come
  out best
• Considerable differences between individual
  researchers

Advisory council for Research on Spatial
Planning, Nature and the Environment
11
Results of the analysis (3)

• Water Sector (2001-2007)
• Dutch publications 132 crown indicator 0.96
• Norway on top 31 publications and crown
  indicator 1,5
• In NL IHE/UNESCO and Wageningen University come
  out best
• The results cannot be extrapolated to the whole
  of the research area in NL
• For detailed results see http//studies.cwts.nl/p
  rojects/rmno-sustainability

Advisory council for Research on Spatial
Planning, Nature and the Environment
12
Societal Relevance of Research

• . Several methods are available, but none
• is quick
• . SD and Innovation
• Separate analyses of the
• food innovation system,
• energy innovation system
• and the water innovation system

Advisory council for Research on Spatial
Planning, Nature and the Environment
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Analysis of Innovation Systems

• . For companies innovation means renewal of the
  business model
• . Innovation cannot be planned, the conditions
  for innovation can be optimised
• . Innovation policy should make room for dynamic
  entrepreneurs, challengers, room for surprises,
  follies and instructive failures (WRR) (remove
  institutional barriers)

Advisory council for Research on Spatial
Planning, Nature and the Environment
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Analysis of Innovation Systems from a SD
perspective

• What are important elements for a good innovation
  climate in a particular sector?
• 3 Ps to what extent is there a connection
  between technological, environmental, economic
  and social research? (integrated or add ons?)
• To what extent are stakeholders involved in
  research for innovation?
• What is the niche of innovative research?

Advisory council for Research on Spatial
Planning, Nature and the Environment
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Analysis of Innovation Systems from a SD
perspective (1)

• Food
• NL RSI index high (strong research position)
• Innovative research closely linked to
  (production) chains and vertical cooperation
  lines
• Innovative research linked with strong market
  orientation, vision on how to create new values
• Innovation for a large part determined by
  environmental and sustainability goals
• Stakeholder involvement in research consumers,
  sometimes NGOs too
• Public-private constructions, specific programmes
  and subsidies to boost innovation

Advisory council for Research on Spatial
Planning, Nature and the Environment
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Analysis of Innovation Systems from a SD
perspective (2)

• Energy
• NL RSI index average, not high
• Government policy is an important driver
• Predictability and consistency of government
  policy for the long term is most important.
  German Electricity Feed-In Law versus alternating
  Dutch policy arrangements in the past
• Innovation for a large part determined by the
  supply side (energy providers)
• Dutch government innovation policy focuses on
  technological innovation paths local initiatives
  take a broader view
• Involvement in research of stakeholders from the
  demand side such as consumers, non-energy
  companies and NGOs is almost absent
• Public-private constructions, specific programmes
  and subsidies to boost innovation

Advisory council for Research on Spatial
Planning, Nature and the Environment
17
Analysis of Innovation Systems from a SD
perspective (3)

• Water
• NL RSI index not high
• Government policy (also local and EU) is an
  important driver
• Innovative research closely linked to chains and
  new combinations
• Innovation for a large part determined by
  environmental goals
• Fixation on technology and efficiency
  institutional and societal context receives
  little attention
• Stakeholder involvement in research very limited
  (more in developing countries)
• Public-private constructions, specific programmes
  and subsidies to boost innovation

Advisory council for Research on Spatial
Planning, Nature and the Environment
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Additional Activities

• Ministers reaction
• Some examples of SD research and resulting
  innovations (pearls)
• Further substantiate the findings
• Link between research, education and knowledge
  needs of professionals
• Detailed reports in Dutch see www.rmno.nl

Advisory council for Research on Spatial
Planning, Nature and the Environment
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Abbreviations

• P number of publications
• Cx number of citations, excluding self
  citations
• Cz number of self citations
• CPP number of citations per publication
• CPP/FCSm
• CPP divided by the field average FCSm
• Crown Indicator

Advisory council for Research on Spatial
Planning, Nature and the Environment