What is Innovation?

Within the framework of ENVRIs, innovation can be understood as the process of bringing new or significantly improved solutions into existence—whether they are products, services, technologies, methods, business models, or organisational structures. This, involves not just inventing something new but also adopting and applying that innovation in real-world scenarios.  

This approach embraces the EU strategy for Open Innovation, which promotes opening the innovation process to people with experience in fields other than academia and science. It encourages collaboration with external partners—such as other research organizations, the private sector, public sector and the third sector or end-users, and brings fresh perspectives and resources into the innovation process. By sharing knowledge and working together, complex challenges can be tackled more effectively. 

The main innovation focus-areas that are currently relevant to the ENVRI community are: 

  1. Development of new or improved products, technologies, or services along the innovative practices they entail
  2. Knowledge and/or Technology Transfer for required solutions and the provision of services
  3. Collaboration and Engagement with industry and other stakeholders

ENVRI Innovation models

These focus areas can create opportunities within the ENVRI community following the below main innovation models: 

  1. Collaborative Research
    Through joint research and development projects, environmental research infrastructures can collaborate with other research infrastructures, research performing organisations, the private sector or governmental agencies to co-develop technologies and solutions. This research is primarily transdisciplinary. 
  2. Contract Research
    Contract Research involves collaborations between RIs and industry to solve specific challenges through customized research. This collaboration follows a "co-solution" mode of technology transfer, where RIs and industry (either as a user or a supplier) actively work together to meet technological needs. Unlike Service Provision, which occurs in a post-development phase and offers predefined services for a fee, Contract Research allows flexible co-development partnerships and joint IP ownerships. 
  3. Commercialization Pathways
    Delivering services, licensing technologies, or creating spin-offs to ensure research translates into real-world applications, strengthening the societal and economic impact of environmental research. 

[CTA button/link: Find more about the ENVRI innovation activities in the “ENVRI Innovation collaboration model’s matrix” section] 

innovation cycle