The dynamics of collaborating in the development of technologies such as those related to renewable energy sources

Background
Renewable energy solutions are recognized as needed for a sustainable future. However, novelty implies connecting emerging technologies to untried possibilities. The emergent processes and dynamics of how renewable energy projects, initiatives and technologies are developed have remained veiled.   

Aims
The aim is to explore how the university, industry, government and civil society (the Quadruple helix) interact, relevant to understand their involvement in innovation processes within the renewable energy sector. 

Approaches
An explorative, qualitative study method was selected to understand the micro-processes of change at work involved in the dynamics of collaborating. To date the analysis is based on one empirical case, a regional innovation project (The Flottsundsbron). Thus, I followed the commercialization process of a relative new concept in renewable energy, a marine current power turbine developed at Uppsala University. In addition, the role of civil society and how is invited to participate in the process is also of interest. A processual approach is followed to explore how the actors involved work together and communicate to each other in order to spur new technological solutions and regional development.

Keywords
Collaborating, processes, Quadruple helix, renewable energy 

Research Group

Project leader
Dr. Annika Skoglund

Other project members

PhD student Jessica García Terán

Dept. Industrial Engineering and Management, Uppsala University

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