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Title:
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Experiences with Socrobust at ECN. Micro combined heat and power generators and fuel cell vehicles
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Author(s):
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Published by:
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Publication date:
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ECN
Policy Studies
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1-3-2003
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ECN report number:
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Document type:
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ECN-C--03-023
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ECN publication
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Number of pages:
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Full text:
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47
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Download PDF
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Abstract:
The Socrobust methodology has been designed in the European Socrobustproject to assess the potential for socio economic success of a particular
set of projects defined as radical or architec-tural innovations involving
technological discontinuities and breakthrough products or services.
This type of innovation can in general not be managed as continuous
?conventional? innova-tions. In evaluation literature e.g. (Cooper,
2000) three core principles for the management of architectural innovations
are highlighted. These core principles are the need for anticipating
the future world, the need for consistency with the present situation
as so to define a development path and the requirement of dynamic adaptation.
From these core principles Socrobust has been derived. This study reports
the experiences with the application of Socrobust to two possible breakthrough
innovations of the ECN unit Clean Fossil Fuels: micro combined heat
and power generators (micro-CHPs) and fuel cell vehicles.
The following
aspects of the development of the micro combined heat and power generator
and fuel cell vehicles R&D programmes have been assessed by means
of the Socrobust methodology:
- The developments in and around the R&D programme in the past
and in the present situation.
- The position of the critical actors for the present situation.
- The image of the future world on which technology development is
based: what does the world look like when technology to be developed
has been implemented on a large scale?
- The key changes that are needed to bring about this desired future
world.
- The position of the R&D programme related to the position of
possible alternatives.
- Actions that can be undertaken to strengthen the position of the
R&D programme.
- Possible niches that could lead to the breakthrough of the innovation.
The project had a double objective. The first objective was to assess
the technology development in order to increase the chance of success
of micro-CHPs and fuel cell vehicles while the second objective was
to improve and adapt the Socrobust methodology to the needs of the ECN
unit Policy Studies. This unit wants to use Socrobust as a tool to effectively
assess and to improve the chance for technological breakthrough of radical
innovations.
Both technologies have undergone the Socrobust process
twice. The outcomes of the first round have been evaluated and the Socrobust
methodology has been slightly adapted for the second Socrobust round.
The second round has been introduced to improve and adapt the Socrobust
methodology. The methodology applied in the two Socrobust rounds and,
to some extent, merely with the aim to improve the methodology, the
outcomes of these rounds are described in this report. The detailed
outcomes of the methodology are described in two separate internal ECN
reports. The study ends with conclusions and learning points concerning
the double application of Socrobust to both R&D programmes.
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