Peer review on the innovation governance for Elväg highway

On 29 and 30 January 2019, the Policy Learning Platform organised a peer review in Gävleborg, Sweden. The peer review revolved around the innovation governance for the Elväg - E16 project. During this two-day meeting, the challenges of leadership and governance of regional innovation processes were discussed. The policy challenges were pointed out, peer analyses were performed and joint brainstorming sessions for solutions helped to prepare concrete policy recommendations for follow-up actions.

Access the summary report here. 

Peers from across Europe

Alongside out thematic experts for research and innovation, brilliant peers were invited and participated to the peer review:

• Carmen Sanchez, Fundation FUNDECYT – Parque Cientifico y Tecnologico de Extremadura, partner in Beyond EDP Interreg Europe project, Extremadura (Spain)
• Nicolle Lambrechts, project leader Energy Storage Alliance at Region Noord-Brabant (The Netherlands)
• Ric Vergeer, project manager sustainable infrastructure innovations at Region Noord-Brabant (The Netherlands)
• Hans de Neve, TNO, Solar Energy Application Centre, Lead Partner of the EMR Interreg project “Rolling Solar”, Region Noord-Brabant (The Netherlands)

The project

The Elväg E16 project is one of two projects awarded national - and European Regional Development Fund, the inauguration of the e-highway in Sandviken took place in June 2016. Since then, two heavy trucks in test and commercial traffic have been used. The tests are productive, approximately 2,200 visitors from 30 countries have visited us since 2016 and almost everybody has travelled with one of the electric trucks. Hence, building on the successful realisation of this innovation-driven pilot-initiative, the next steps towards a full-scale deployment are now approaching, and some major issues are to be addressed, in order to turn the envisaged deployment and end-user benefits into reality.

The ability to:

• Combine technology in tailor made solutions, over time: There will never be 'the' solution. Rather is the 'solution' based on the ability to, case-by-case, with a profitable business model, tailored for customers specific usage, design transport systems as we move on.
• Foster and empower a collaborative leadership to guarantee enough momentum for deployment of solutions, on a national and European level, in order to realise end-user benefits.
• Ensure deployment: Considerable funding goes into research and development of fossil free road transportation today, but equal funding is not available for deployment of solutions and, combined with legal and traditional authority logic increasing risk for investors, industry and end-users, the risk is big that good solutions never will be put in use. The operation was a success, nobody made any mistakes, but the patient died. 

Access the summary report here. 

Image credit: Photo by Spencer Selover from Pexels