Working Paper: The role of innovation for sustainable future. itdUPM meeting. 14 April 2015. Industrial Technical School, Technical University of Madrid (UPM). 13:30 - 15:30h

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Working paper. ​Release 2.1
The role of innovation for sustainable future
itdUPM meeting. 14 April 2015. Industrial Technical School, Technical University of Madrid (UPM). 13:30 ­ 15:30h
itdUPM is a centre included in the Polytechnic University of Madrid that promotes and participates in the
design, validation and implementation of innovative projects. itdUPM provides education in human
development and sustainability. Due to the practical experience gained together with its partner
organizations, itdUPM is called to generate thoughts and attitudes on key issues on the global agenda of
sustainability.
During 2015, itdUPM will develop a series of starting-point papers that will contribute to stimulate the
debate on several key issues in this agenda. Each document will be the working basis of each block of the
conference of "Innovation for Development" that will be held in June.
This is the first of those documents, which is based on the participation of itdUPM in several projects, as
well as in previous documents that have been produced by different researchers and alumni of the Master
in Technology for Human Development, and the contrast meeting with various groups of interest.
Science, technology and innovation for transformation.
1.- Science, Technology and Innovation play a key role in the transformation towards sustainability. There
are several "theories of change" on how this transformation must occur, which are coexisting at the
moment.
2.- The transformation towards sustainability will occur through the interaction of complex processes of
various kinds; it is neither purely scientific nor technological, neither exclusively social nor political.
3.- This requires better understanding of the options and directions of development of Science, Technology
and Innovation (hereinafter: ITC), which are not random, nor inexorable. It is required an open-minded
way of considering options, values and visions, through participatory 2 processes and extensive
deliberation. These considerations should take place beyond the domain of experts and should involve
the different players (civil society, NGOs, Public Administration, Business ...).
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Mechanisms to facilitate the access to sustainable technologies
4.- The role of states and public organizations (including universities) is essential in guiding the CTI towards
sustainability. Specifically, states in industrialized countries, do not only correct market imperfections,
they also invest, take risks and make priorities.
5.- With the launch of the new Agenda Post2015 we can be on track to develop new mechanisms that will
contribute to efficiently transfer knowledge and technology in order to achieve the sustainability of
social and productive systems. This fact will require new forms of collaboration, guidance and
management in the generation and access to knowledge.
6.- It is essential to invest in the strengthening of local ability for assimilation, adaptation and co-creation
of sustainable technologies, promoting more horizontal networks of knowledge and practice, in
particular in the most vulnerable regions and / or collectives
Needs of new design principles to address complex problems
7.- Sustainability issues in a complex society require a new logic of design. The needed logic is different
from those derived from conventional patterns of industrial society. We should consider some aspects
in a critical review, such as control, the notion of efficiency, achievements, processes, management
practices and conventional organization.
8.- We are witnessing the arising of more decentralized and distributed responses that fail to incorporate
different values and practices that dominate the traditional social and technical systems.
Social innovation and "niche" experimentation
9.- The companies or communities have capabilities of spontaneous response, which are increased by the
hyper-connectivity. This fact is creating new "niche" in which solutions (wit) are appearing at the same
time that they are causing behavioural changes ("sense making").
10.- One of the most important consequences of these "niches" is the dominance of logical collaboration
that exploit the potential of co-creation of communities, against the logic of centralized and hierarchical
design that dominate the development of STI.
11.- The potential for these "niches" to proliferate so they can lead to solutions with real transformative
capacity, depends on cultural, organizational and institutional factors.
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Needs of spaces and facilitators or mediators institutions. Which could be the role
of itdUPM and UPM?
12.- There is a need of spaces, as well as facilitating and mediating of processes institutions, where
conventional systems can merge with the "new intelligence". The role of facilitators is key for the
convergence of analysis, policies and practices of various actors in an appropriate and realistic way,
which will be able to understand the needed stimuli to disseminate innovative initiatives, identifying
those who have a solid background.
13.- The University has a privileged role as a space to establish links between people and "improbable"
opportunities. It is a welcoming place to think.
(IN SPANISH) ​Cuestiones de interés (en proceso…)
1. Sobre la orientación de la tecnología y la innovación:
○ La tecnología y la innovación tienen un papel fundamental en el proceso de transformación hacia la
sostenibilidad, pero es necesaria su interacción con procesos de distinta naturaleza, no sólo científicos y
tecnológicos, ni exclusivamente sociales y políticos. ¿Cómo puede producirse esa interacción?
○ Los patrones convencionales de producción y consumo de la sociedad industrial requieren de nuevas
lógicas de diseño que permitan entender y combinar sistemas de conocimiento distinto, que impliquen
nuevas formas de colaboración interpersonal e interinstitucional. ¿Qué espacios, mecanismos,
procedimientos, incentivos… existen o pueden fomentarse para ello?.
1. Sobre las innovaciones que emergen desde abajo hacia arriba (micro-nivel, “nichos”):
○ ¿Realmente los movimientos desde abajo hacia arriba garantizan la participación?.
○ Los nichos de innovación social están avanzando nuevas respuestas y cambios de comportamiento hacia
la sostenibilidad, pero ¿cómo gestionar las expectativas sobre el potencial transformador de sus
propuestas?.
○ ¿Se pueden identificar elementos o factores clave para la sostenibilidad de iniciativas innovadoras con
potencial transformador?.
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○ Cómo lograr que su impacto provoque un verdadero efecto transformador depende de factores
culturales, organizativos e institucionales. En esta misma línea, ¿qué criterios deben guiar el incremento
de escala de soluciones disruptivas y prometedoras?.
1. Sobre el rol del mediador entre los “nichos” y “regímenes” establecidos:
○ La actuación de los Estados y de las organizaciones públicas, incluidas las Universidades, puede ser
fundamental como espacios facilitadores y mediadores para la convergencia de análisis, políticas y
prácticas. ¿Qué incentivos hay para establecer conexiones hasta ahora “improbables” entre organizaciones
sociales, empresas, gobiernos, academia y comunidades?.
○ El papel del facilitador/medidador de procesos y dinámicas, ¿cómo se materializa? Ejemplos a estudiar.
1. Sobre el lenguaje y la narrativa (macro-nivel, “régimen discursivo”):
○ La gran transformación hacia la sostenibilidad requiere que estimulemos, más que nunca, nuestra gran
capacidad para pensar y actuar juntos, y para ello, necesitamos usar un lenguaje común, inclusivo,
entendible por todos, que facilite el debate y la reflexión colectiva sobre el futuro próximo.
○ Experiencias contemporáneas podrían estar representando nuevos significados, nuevas formas de
transferir conocimiento y de acceder a tecnología. El caso de los FabLab (laboratorios de fabricación
digital) donde se puede experimentar en la construcción colaborativa de una impresora 3D, o el caso de
los huertos urbanos, donde el conocimiento agrícola se intercambia entre los más experimentados y los
curiosos por conocer, ¿podrían ser entendidos como ejemplos prácticos de procesos de transferencia de
conocimiento y vías de acceso a tecnología?.
○ ¿Necesitamos replantear el significado de lo que entendemos por “transferencia de conocimiento” y
“acceso a tecnología” y el marco/enfoque/perspectiva desde el cual lo hacemos?, al menos en la sociedad
occidental.
○ Partiendo de que las propuestas innovadoras están ofreciendo alternativas para la transformación en la
práctica (es decir, haciendo, experimentando, probando...), ¿cómo se podría desarrollar una nueva teoría
desde la práctica?.
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ATENDEES
Yago Torroja UPM Professor. Industrial Technical Institute
Diego Pérez López UPM. itd.UPM member. PhD student at Industrial
Technical Institute
Álvaro Beltrán López itdUPM external consultant
Candela de la Sota Sánchez UPM. itd.UPM member. PhD student at Industrial
Technical lnstitute. Master alumni
Mónica Vásquez del Solar NESST.ORG
Ana Moreno UPM. Itd.UPM member. Professor at UPM
Industrial Technical Institute
Pablo Beirán Amigo UPM. PhD student at Industrial Technical
Institute
Eduardo Sánchez Jacobo ONGAWA
Francesca Olivieri UPM. Arquitect of the new itdUPM building
Carlota Tovar UPM. Researcher and member of itdUPM.
Industrial Technical Institute
Francisco José Guerrero García itdUPM member. Master alumni
LedaStott UPM. itdUPM team
Marina Moreno Sánchez UPM. Researcher and member of itdUPM.
Industrial Technical Institute
Vanessa Carballo García AECID. Business and Development Unit
Paloma Cano del Rincón AECID. Business and Development Unit
Cristina Vela Plaza ONGAWA
Diego Manzana Monzó Master student
Davide Bosetti Master student
Oriol Borrás Gené UPM.GATE
María Suárez UPM. Industrial Technical Institute
Caroline Howe UPM. Exchange
Session drivers. itdUPM team Carlos Mataix, Sara Romero
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itdUPM team Jaime Moreno, Xosé Ramil, Leda Stott
Organisation team - Innovation meeting Blanca Pérez, Inma Borella, Salvador Doncel,
Mónica del Moral
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