Title: Process learning in energy transition: Czech Technical University – University of Manchester
Overview
Tomáš Vácha collaborated with professor J. Evans on the topic of process learning and innovation management in urban innovation and energy transition in the context of Positive Energy District projects. The key focus was put on the role of experiments, and demonstrations in generating social and organizational learning and driving urban transformation and the role of PEDs in generating this type of learning. The work consisted of collaborative workshops, interviews, literature review and secondary document analysis (deliverables of SCC1 projects, interviews with city representatives etc.). The goal was to analyse previous and ongoing projects in the area of Urban innovation and energy transformation and provide generalised insights and recommendations for PED community that would help driving local transformation, scale up solutions and replicate success from one PED to the others. The work was continuation of previous collaboration in the COST action in which the materials (including interviews with city representatives) were conducted. This together with follow-up interviews and analysis provided a great source of materials that allowed the team to compare official deliverables of analysed projects with personal experience and learning reported by the actors directly involved in them. The area of social and organizational learning is understudied, and many key concepts related to PEDs are not well defined, including the definition and use of term “urban innovation”. This proved to be key issue limiting the progress in analysing the position social and organizational learning in urban innovation projects. This sub-topic of conceptualising the concept “Urban Innovation” was added to the work, resulting in outline of framework for driving urban innovations in PEDs trough process (social & organizational) learning.
Grantee Name: Tomáš Vácha
Institution: Czech Technical University in Prague
Country: Czech Republic
Grant Awarded: STSM
Young Researcher/Innovator: Yes
From ITC Country: Yes
Host (STSM): University of Manchester, prof. James Evans
Dates: 26/07/2022 to 30/8/2022
