24/04/2025 12:00

Sala Descubre | Ciudad Politécnica de la Innovación - Edificio 8E Acceso J 4ªPlanta

Abstract: Innovation portfolios have emerged as a critical tool in bridging fundamental research insights with actionable policy measures in today’s complex technological landscape. In this seminar, we chart a journey through three research outputs that have progressively defined the role of innovation portfolios in transformative innovation policy. Our exploration begins with the experience of co-creation for TIP as part of the MOTION project, which laid the groundwork by foregrounding a portfolio-based approach to mobilizing research and guiding early-stage interventions for achieving systemic change. Building upon these foundations, the second study advances the narrative by introducing a framework of systemic intermediation, where diverse research initiatives coalesce into coherent portfolios that facilitate continuous dialogue among academia, industry, and policymakers, thereby enabling robust and adaptive policy strategies. The cumulative knowledge converges in the current work on portfolios applied for Linking Climate Adaptation and Place-Based Transformative Innovation Policy, where we unveil the innovative Navigator—a practical tool designed to operationalize portfolio strategies by mapping interdependencies and offering data-driven guidance for balancing risk and opportunity. This seminar not only synthesizes the evolution from theoretical underpinnings to applied decision support but also stimulates critical reflection: How might innovation portfolios be leveraged to navigate uncertainties and drive policy transformation in a rapidly evolving global landscape? Moreover, this integrated review demonstrates how innovation portfolios not only spark cross-sector collaboration but also cultivate actionable strategies that ultimately enable organizations to navigate emergent challenges while fostering long-term policy resilience.

Bio

I am a sustainability and innovation policy expert, and my chief interest is in science, practice and policy interfaces by looking at governance, innovation and policy processes with a particular interest in sustainability transitions and territorial development. As a policy researcher and a system thinker, I am motivated to enable institutional change through innovation and capacity development processes across cultures and sectors.

As an enabler of science-policy-practice interfaces, I am committed to supporting the design and implementation of territorial development strategies in multi-stakeholder settings. I have 20+ years of relevant professional experience with interventions in more than 18 countries in Europe and South America. I have contributed to research projects on systemic innovation policy, natural resource-based innovation and developing indicators on innovation’s regional and industrial systems. I also have experience as an academic coordinator for professional education and postgraduate courses, as well as a consultant on innovation, regional policy, sustainability and energy efficiency issues for public and private organizations in Europe and South America.

Since March 2022, I have been developing science-policy interfaces at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. I am currently involved in a portfolio of projects covering place-based innovation perspectives on climate adaptation and industrial transformation as well as the development of novel approaches to apply foresight and sustainability transitions in policy making.  As founder and director of the Transitions Hub and Head of Strategic Research at  EIT Climate-KIC from 2015 until 2022, I managed the interplay between science and policy by orchestrating a project portfolio, including initiatives on applied research, learning, and knowledge management activities on sustainability transitions and institutional capacity-building. I have engaged in policy processes at multiple levels by facilitating co-creation for policy processes and enabled institutional change as part of inter-regional collaborations and cross-ministerial working teams as part of the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme, EU projects, contracts and technical assistance activities.

I have a background in economics (Argentina) and studies in Science and Technology for Sustainability at SPRU, University of Sussex (UK). I did my PhD while working as a research associate at the Institute of Innovation and Knowledge Management  INGENIO (CSIC-UPV) under an EU-sponsored project. I have done research stays at the Twente Centre for Studies in Technology and Sustainable Development – University of Twente Enschede (Netherlands) and the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research (MIoIR) – University of Manchester (UK). I have also been a research fellow at the Copernicus Institute for Sustainable Development – Utrecht University.