The research centre performs interdisciplinary research on innovation activity for sustainable transition of industry and society. This addresses through systematic cross-disciplinary research and activities for interaction and co-creation of knowledge and policy involving several regional stakeholders within and outside of academia.
How to understand and respond to sustainability challenges is a key task that the RIST centre addresses through systematic cross-disciplinary research and co-creation with stakeholders within and outside of academia. The figure below illustrates the structure and connection between the research activity and co-creation at the centre.
Themes for research:
1. Innovation systems and innovation management
The research activity on innovation systems and management
will focus on theoretical and empirical studies on innovation-based restructuring of industries and firms and different types of innovation systems and management practices in a sustainable direction. The first part of the theoretical work will develop the concepts of ‘challenge-driven’ regional innovation systems and sustainability-oriented innovation practices. It will also discuss the characteristics of such innovation systems and practices, and how innovation systems and practices can be adapted to tackle grand societal challenges.
2. Workplace innovation and sustainable work
This activity intends to conduct in-depth qualitative research in three types of organisations: public sector, industry and service sector. Research questions relate to how organisations build competences for sustainable work during transformations.
3. Innovation policy development
The research activity will explore the interplay between innovation practices and changing global trends to make practical and contemporary innovation policy for todays society.