Latin America faces significant environmental and socio-economic challenges due to its predominant "extract, transform, and dispose" economic model. The Circular Economy (CE) offers a crucial alternative by focusing on sustainability through rethinking and redesigning production processes to minimize waste and maximize resource efficiency. Within this framework, Circular Innovations (CIs) play a vital role in promoting sustainable practices. This research seeks to adapt the Technological Innovation Systems (TIS) framework to better identify and overcome barriers to CIs in Latin America. The study began with a comprehensive literature review, which provided a foundation for adapting the TIS framework to both the principles of circularity and the specific context of Latin America. This adapted framework was then applied through case studies in the region, offering a practical examination of the challenges and opportunities for CE in Latin America. The research synthesized insights from literature, case studies, and expert interviews to develop definitions of CE and CIs that are tailored to the Latin American context. The Circular Economy in Latin America is defined as the process of rethinking and redesigning production and consumption systems to minimize waste and maximize resource efficiency. This approach emphasizes waste management, recycling, and the transformation of waste into valuable resources throughout the entire lifecycle of products and services, aiming to achieve sustainability through regulatory alignment, technological innovation, and societal engagement. Circular Innovations are defined as innovations that align with these principles, focusing on waste minimization, resource efficiency, and sustainability. The application of the adapted TIS framework revealed several significant barriers to the diffusion of CIs in Latin America. These include challenges in scaling up circular production processes efficiently, inefficiencies in transportation and distribution networks, and a significant lack of customer awareness and understanding of circular economy products. Additionally, there is a low willingness to pay for sustainable products, exacerbated by the lack of alignment in regulatory frameworks and inconsistent environmental laws. The framework also highlighted issues such as unclear and overly stringent regulatory requirements, the absence of standardized norms, competitive pricing challenges, and a lack of supportive infrastructure and incentives for circular economy initiatives. To address these barriers, the research developed a series of niche strategies tailored to the specific challenges identified in the Latin American context. These strategies include the Demo, Experiment, and Develop Niche Strategy, which focuses on creating experimental spaces for innovation; the Subsidized Niche Strategy, aimed at providing financial support to emerging circular innovations; and the Geographic Niche Strategy, which targets specific regions with unique challenges and opportunities. Other strategies include the Educate Niche Strategy, which emphasizes the importance of raising awareness and knowledge among consumers and policymakers; the Top Niche Strategy, which focuses on leveraging high-impact innovations; and the Policy Advocacy Strategy, which involves engaging with regulatory bodies to align policies with circular economy goals. These strategies were derived from the adapted TIS framework by systematically analyzing how various influencing conditions affect the framework’s building blocks. The connection between these influencing conditions and the identified barriers provided a clear pathway for developing strategies that are both targeted and effective. The study highlights the critical role of niche strategies in promoting circularity in Latin America, ensuring that circular innovations can achieve large-scale impact and contribute significantly to sustainable development in the region.

Blockchain consortia uphold value-addition through collaboration between organizations, by exploring, prototyping and innovating together. Blockchain technology presented itself as a new solution to the sharing of data proofs since 2008, with certain components such as smart contracts and privacy-enhancing components currently at different maturity levels. Blockchain consortia do not only navigate these technical factors, but also non-technical factors of decision-criteria are employed, and if development of a blockchain-based application fails, alternative data sharing technologies are explored. With the main research question ‘which guidelines can aid consortium managers in their decision-making process of developing blockchain-based applications?’, this study had the goal of contributing guidelines of decision-making processes, for aiding in the development of blockchain-applications in a rigorous manner. In order to tackle this problem, this research project performed case studies.
This study makes use of a combined analytical framework, by merging the Resource-based View and Consortium Capabilities frameworks, the latter being a blockchain-specific framework. A multiple-case study approach is followed, by which four most-different cases of Dutch blockchain consortia are analysed. This is done by firstly scoping the consortium with desk research, followed by interviewing consortium managers, with interview questions based on the combined analytical framework. Thereafter, a hybrid coding approach, and thematic analysis are applied to investigate the challenges, potential benefits and risks in the decision-making process. The inductive part of the hybrid coding approach is the exploration of groups and factors of the deductively identified challenges, potential benefits and risks, which led to the creation of the Blockchain Consortia Guidelines, that presents guidelines on the inductively identified factors: Knowledge Transfer, Technology and use-case, Security, Funding and Economic Considerations, Organization and Vision. The guidelines were validated by interviewing managers of two additional blockchain cases, yielding a high level of recognition of the guidelines provided. Adaptation of certain guidelines was necessary, and implemented with the critique provided from partial recognition and non-recognition of guideline elements. This increased the external validity of the observed factors and decision-making guidelines. The scientific contribution of this research lies in providing top-level factors, the corresponding groups on the middle level, and guidelines on the bottom-level. The resulting factors and groups when compared to the existing literature (Consortium Capabilities framework), show that Knowledge Transfer, Funding and Economic Considerations, and Organizational, are additional aspects on the factor level that are given insufficient attention in the Consortium Capabilities framework.
A limitation is that the interview data did not allow for yielding a (blockchain consortia-oriented) process-based framework as a final deliverable due to insufficient relationships between decision-making and factors in the combined analytical framework. Nonetheless, the rich qualitative data allowed for practical guidelines to be developed. Another limitation is a skew in the data towards potential benefits mentioned by managers, which is an indication that a self-serving bias, social-desirability bias, or a combination of these is present. Addressing these limitations is proposed when undertaking future research.

If we are to avert Climate Change, the world must reduce its net carbon footprint to zero in the coming decades. This will require an unprecedented shift in the technologies relied on in almost every part of the economy. Venture Capital can play a pivotal role in hastening the adoption of new technologies, but for investors to pursue a technology, certain conditions must be met. This research uses the Technological Innovation Systems (TIS) framework to qualitatively explore the nature of these conditions. It does this through a double case study of two technologies at the forefront of the “Climate Tech” investor movement: Electric Cars and Plant-Based Meat Alternatives. Combining literature research with interviews of both investors and people closely involved with these technologies, the research identifies several key building blocks as likely to affect investor interest. These building blocks include Product Quality (the product needs to be competitive on grounds other than its sustainability), Product Price (the product must be able to be sold at an initially significant premium), Production System (product components or materials as well as production capacity should be commoditized), and Customers (the product must be interesting to the mass-market). In both case studies, the ultimately successful companies showed that the existing niche fundamentally misunderstood the market. Through the lens of the TIS, this could be considered an Accident or Event, where a visionary founder challenges existing Knowledge of Application and Market. There is a significant level of overlap between the case studies, suggesting that this might be a key strategy to developing sustainable B2C innovations.

Sustainability transitions is a complex multi-dimensional research field. In this field, different frameworks exist that have grown as separate strands while they actually contain many similarities and in some cases can even complement each other. In general, these frameworks try to present and clarify the processes related to transitions of socio-technical systems and the emergence, diffusion and utilization of technological innovations. To do so, researchers carry out historical event analyses for specific cases. This means that they gather, process and analyse data about events that have happened in the past to build a narrative of how an innovation has developed or a transition took place over time. Although there are guidelines in literature on how this should be done for each framework, the case results as presented in academic papers are often varied and the clarification behind the results and the used data can be unclear.
In this research an attempt has been made to reduce this variance and unclarity by building a tool in which the data gathering, categorizing and processing of sustainability transitions research cases is done structurally and the data itself is systemically presented through visualisations. This tool is a software based digital platform, referred to as the Sustainability Transitions Platform (STP). In the first draft of the platform functionalities have been limited and the sustainability transitions theory has been focused on the Multi-Level Perspective and Technological Innovation Systems. These are two of the most frequently used frameworks in the field and a combination of both is already being experimented with taking advantage of their commonalities and complementarities.
The combined framework contains three elements that are deemed important to build the system of the case. These are i) the environment in which the technological innovation system resides; ii) the actors, networks and institutions of the system; iii) the functions analysis tool to determine how the parts of the system are functioning.
These elements have been translated to the platform as three separate visualization tools, which are:
1. Technology environment, which presents the technology being analysed within a graph together with other technologies relevant for the analysis as comparison and landscape factors that influence the system.
2. Structural components, which presents all the actors, in a structured way through predefined groups, and their networks in the same graph and also present the relevant institutions in an adjacent table.
3. TIS functions analysis, which presents how the system is functioning in a radar chart based on a set of functions and their corresponding indicators.
These visualization tools are intended to present the case data in a structured way in order to help users of the platform better understand the system development process and make it comparable between cases.
The platform template has been tested through a case for offshore wind energy technology in Brazil.
From this case we have seen that i) the data does indeed need to be implemented structurally; ii) the visualization tools in the platform present the system through the three required elements of the framework; and iii) the platform user is able to determine possible bottlenecks for further development of the system. Another advantage gained by carrying out the case in a platform instead of how they currently are in journals, is that the digital aspects of the platform allow users to interact with the visualization tools and the underlying data which can help clarify the reasoning behind the conclusions of analysis. From the case we have also learned that in the current version of the platform i) inputting the data can be very time consuming and should in the future be automated; and ii) some essential aspects of the case are still not presented in the visualization tools, for example, the power or influence specific actors have in a system, which should be taken into account in future versions.
The STP appears to have a positive effect on sustainability transitions case implementation and would be recommended to be further developed. Given its dynamic nature it should also be used as an experimentational tool to merge the strengths of other frameworks in sustainability transitions research to eventually generate a single more complete framework and act as a bridge between theory and practice.

The Port of Rotterdam Authority (PoRA) aims to be CO2 neutral by 2050. To achieve this goal, they have proposed three steps to make an energy transition. The transition focuses on shifting from fossil energy towards renewable energy, like wind energy, hydrogen and geothermal heat. The Port of Rotterdam (PoR) is an important area to make this energy transition in, as it accounts for 20% of the Netherlands’ green house gas emissions...

This exploratory study was performed to improve the understanding of the emerging phenomena of Business Model Innovation (BMI) and Corporate Venture Capital (CVC), in the context of European electric utilities. More specifically, the potential contribution of CVC activities to BMI of European electric utilities was assessed. A thorough literature study and consultation with two external energy industry experts were conducted, complemented by a case study addressing two incumbent European electric utilities. These included Dutch utility Eneco with its CVC unit Eneco Ventures, and French utility ENGIE with its CVC unit ENGIE New Ventures. First, four different business models for electric utilities were identified: Traditional Utility, Green Utility, Cooperative Utility, and Prosumer Utility. The latter three of these all emerged during the past decade as (partly) response to six main developments that are changing the energy sector. These include the ‘Three D’s’ (Decarbonization, Decentralization, Digitalization), as well as Electrification of end-use sectors, Energy system flexibility, and Energy efficiency at demand-side. It turned out that traditional (incumbent) utilities are currently insufficiently aligned with the six developments, and their viability is challenged by innovative newcomers in the industry. As a result, they are in need for fundamental business model innovation. However, this is a highly complex process, subject to many potential barriers. Of a first set of 31 mutually exclusive potential barriers to BMI of traditional utilities, 28 were found to be relevant. These included both generic barriers hindering all BMI in general (despite sector or company differences), and specific barriers hindering BMI of incumbent utilities in specific domains related to the six energy sector developments. Subsequently, the CVC domain was assessed. A first set of 21 mutually exclusive potential benefits of CVC activities was identified. Besides the fact that CVC can lead to financial gains, in line with its purpose as instrument for stimulating BMI the remaining 20 benefits are strategic. Of these 21 potential benefits, eleven were found to be relevant for traditional utilities, mainly including the most strategic ones. Integration of the two subjects led to a first set of 29 potential relationships between barriers to BMI and benefits of CVC activities of traditional utilities. Of these 29, eighteen were confirmed, affecting seven CVC benefits and eleven BMI barriers. Hence, it was found that CVC activities can deliver a valuable contribution to BMI of traditional utilities by helping them to overcome multiple important barriers, which must ultimately result in better alignment with the energy sector developments. The affected barriers mainly include organizational and company resource barriers, but also one financial and profitability related barrier, one awareness related barrier, and one institutional barrier. Also, CVC can have a general accelerating effect on BMI. However, the contribution of CVC does not extend to most regulatory, technological, and awareness barriers to BMI. All in all, the potential contribution of CVC to BMI of traditional utilities is significant, but other organizational instruments will be required to help traditional utilities tackle their massive challenges.

Climate change is a major global problem which is related to the increase in greenhouse gasses (GHG) emissions according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a potential solution to this problem. However, the implementation of CCS seems to be challenging. The port of Rotterdam also intended to reduce its CO2 emission with the implementation of CCS. However, the first two CCS projects were not successful. When making investment decisions on innovative technological projects the TRL scale invented by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) can be useful to compare the maturity of technologies. However, for technologies in sociotechnical systems, such as the implementation of CCS, it might be useful to also consider the maturity of the institutional network. Hence, a NRL scale was proposed by Krijger (2016) and Groenendaal (2018). However, before the NRL scale can be widely used it needs first more validation. Furthermore, it is not known how the information obtained from the NRL/TRL matrix can be used to formulated strategy to stimulate the successful implementation of an infrastructural innovation. To research these two aspects a historical case study on the implementation of CCS in the port of Rotterdam was combined with extensive literature research and expert interviews. Three factors that prevented the increase of the NRL of CCS in the port of Rotterdam were identified: public debate, economic aspects and regulatory processes. In order for the actors of the institutional network to manage these exogenous factors effectively it was suggested to formulate and align nonmarket strategies regarding CCS. Furthermore, the research showed that the NRL/TRL matrix could be improved on completeness and unambiguousness.

Radical innovation is widely acknowledged as important for companies aiming to contribute to sustainable development while maintaining and improving their competitive advantage. However, the diffusion and development process of radical innovations is described as uncertain and long-winded due to barriers raised within the socio-technical system. This system is a linked network of technological aspects, actors and institutions in which the process of development and diffusion of the radical innovation evolves. In order to overcome barriers within this system, companies can adopt a niche strategy, which enables the creation of a market despite these barriers. In these niche markets the radical innovation is able to develop until it reaches maturity and can survive in the mainstream market. Ortt & Kamp (2019) developed a barrier framework including seven core factors and seven influential factors representing the components of the social-technical system of a radical innovation. The core factors represent the market characteristics; it is assumed that if one of these core factors is absent, large-scale diffusion is obstructed. The influencing factors describe the underlying problems causing the absence. The first objective of this is research was to link niche strategies to barriers comprised of one influencing and one core factor as described in the barrier framework. The second objective of this research was to develop evaluation criteria that companies can use to define the most suitable niche strategy for their particular situation. In order to reach these objectives, a multi-method approach was taken in which three different methods were applied in three different research steps. In the first research step a conceptual model including the linkages between niche strategies and barriers was developed by means of logical reasoning. Furthermore, a list of evaluation criteria was proposed. The credibility of the proposed conceptual model and the proposed evaluation criteria was subsequently assessed in the second research step, a literature review, and the third research step, two primary case studies. The aim of these steps was to improve and refine the conceptual model and evaluation criteria using pattern matching and cross-case analysis. If proposed relationships could be confirmed by literature and/or empirical evidence, the relationships were found appropriate. This thesis research made a first attempt to link niche strategies formally to the barrier framework developed by Ortt & Kamp (2019). In total, 157 linkages were found. Furthermore, the research adds a list of 28 niche strategies that extend the currently described amount of niche strategies in literature, including both the innovation phase and market adaptation phase; it adds a categorisation of the niche strategies; and it adds a list of evaluation criteria. The outcome of the research can help companies to develop a comprehensive decision-making process focused on defining a suitable strategy to overcome the experienced barrier, or the model can be used to define a niche strategy. The evaluation criteria can be used to assess the suitability of strategies in its’ particular situation.

Several high-tech companies that develop creative new technological products fail to enter the market. For entering the market, some companies aim to use a transition from a customer engineering project to a so-called product platform. A product platform is a technological design that meets the needs of a core group of customers and can be modified by the addition and substitution of features. Scaling to a product platform enables a company to receive a higher profit margin on sold products then possible when performing projects. However, companies that seek to transition from a project to a product platform experience challenges in their decision-making of the functionalities of the product platform. So far, there is no literature on how companies should approach a transition from project to product platform. Furthermore, this research tries to answer a scientific follow-up question of a literature review on technology-push (TP) and demand-pull (DP) mechanisms (Di Stefano et al., 2012, p. 1291): "How can firms capitalize both technology and demand in the process of innovation development and commercialization?" Successfully capturing both demand and state-of-the-art technology in the product platform could enable the company to let the technology diffuse into the market. This research aims to help high-tech companies and contribute to scientific research. Therefore, this explorative research executes a single case study and delivers a framework to communicate the captured knowledge. The formal research objective is: "Design a framework to support companies decide on the minimum functionalities for a product platform when the company wants to transition from project to product platform." This study delivers a framework that helps companies decide on the minimum functionalities for the product platform. The framework structures the process and ensures that all employees can find a balance between knowledge of technology and knowledge of customers. The result can be a product platform that contains unique selling points and meets the shared actual needs of the customers of a so-called unique selling market (USM). In this way, a company can find a balance between TP and DP mechanisms, which enables the company to diffuse its technology into the market. This research was conducted through multi-method research. A single case study at a high-tech company developing an unmanned surface vessel (USV) enabled the research to discover and define the empirical problem. The literature study on TP and DP mechanisms discovered the applicability of the factors ’technology adaption and diffusion’ and ’organizational competences’. Both provided input for a first framework design. Interviews validated the framework 1.0 and a set of functionalities were developed for the product platform of the USV, which enabled the development of framework 2.0. Finally, a workshop delivered the results of the interviews to the employees and validated framework 2.0. The framework provides valuable knowledge to high-tech companies that want to transition from project to product platform. Implementing the decision-making process can enable the company to select the minimum functionalities that capture both technology and demand in the product platform. Framework 2.0 contributes to the scientific literature by elaborating on the discussion how companies can balance both TP and DP mechanisms (Di Stefano et al., 2012; Lubik et al., 2013) by the use of existing literature (Ortt and Schoormans, 2004; Ortt et al., 2013;Moore, 2014; Lubik et al., 2013; Gawer, 2014).

More than ever, there is a growing importance of renewable energy technology (RET) as a part of the global energy source. With the increasing need of a cleaner energy and abundance incentives from the government, the evolution of innovating firms who are developing radical innovations related to RET products has been expanding, especially in the Netherlands. However, there is usually a long time frame in the innovation phase in which the innovative technological principle is translated into a viably commercialised product. This is due to the occurrence of certain barriers that may hamper the development of the product and thus, innovative products may fail even before entering the market.

In this research, we aim to identify the barriers that can occur and inhibit the innovation phase and analyse the strategies that can be implemented in order to remove or circumvent these barriers, which will lead to an initial framework of barriers and strategies for the innovation phase. In order to reach this objective, a three-stage methodological approach has been followed, consisting of literature review, conceptual framework development, and case studies. From this research, we have developed an adapted framework of barriers and strategies for the development of a new, high-tech product in the innovation phase. It was found that there are barriers that can persist in the innovation phase from the product perspective as well as infrastructure perspective and there are strategies that are found to be implemented in the innovation phase to remove or circumvent these barriers. This research has contributed to more knowledge and insights in terms of the nature of the innovation phase, the complex dynamic between the barriers and strategies, and the influence of these barriers on the time frame and processes of said phase.

How can a project manager adapt the project plan for an innovation project to the context? This question leads to other matters, such as why is it important for a project leader to adapt the project plan to the context? Firstly, suppose a firm in a market and the executives of the company plan to grow the organization through innovation projects. Then, the executives need to select the project leader based on the personality of the project manager candidates because the project manager’s personalities influence the project success (Müller & Turner, 2007). This step indicates the necessity of analyzing the personality of the project manager candidates. Subsequently, the project manager must create a project plan. In drafting the project plan, the project manager needs to make several decisions depending upon the context because nowadays, firms need to adjust their business decisions depending on contextual factors (Ortt & Van der Duin, 2008). Thus, this step indicates the importance of adapting the project plan to the context. Nevertheless, those practical problems are not resolved yet because no literature connects between the decisions in making a project plan, the contextual factors, and the project leader’s personalities. Literature reviews and experiments are conducted in this study. Firstly, the literature reviews summarize the theory explaining the decisions in making a project plan, the contextual factors, and the project leader’s personalities as well as generate some hypotheses. Secondly, the experiment, aiming to test the hypotheses, asks the TPM TU Delft student to fill out the questionnaires. Then, the 162 valid data were analyzed to form three groups of variables: (a) project plan variables, comprising 37 variables; (b) contextual factor variables, encompassing 2 variables; and (c) project leader’s personality variables, entailing 29 variables. Furthermore, the relationships between the project plan variables and the contextual factors are investigated using analysis of variances. Next, the relationships between the project plan variables and the project leader’s personalities are examined using regression. Lastly, the relationships between the project plan variables and the contextual factors controlling for the project manager’s personalities are analyzed using analysis of covariances. The results show that two contextual factors have influences on the decisions in making a project plan. Likewise, two out of three project leader’s personality variables have effects on the decisions in creating a project plan and moderate the connection between the contextual factors and the decisions in making a project plan. This study has both scientific relevance and practical relevance. In scientific relevance, this study provides newly developed scale measuring the decisions in making a project plan. Likewise, this research brings up the application of the contextual factors theory to the project management as well as the application of the people’s personality theories to the project management. On the other hand, in managerial practice, this research can be a guidance for the executives to appoint a project manager based on the personalities of the project manager candidates and for the appointed project manager to create a project plan depending on the contextual factors.

300 million people in India do not have access to electricity and are suffering from a multitude of socio-economic problems which include poverty, weak education, poor health and low spending incomes. One of the most efficient and feasible electricity solutions is via solar energy. Multiple companies are offering such off-grid solutions in India and other developing countries. These companies face several barriers during the implementation process which has dampened the diffusion of the products provided by them. The need for a sustainable business model is felt in this sector to scale up the market. The objective of this research is to augment the diffusion of solar home systems for rural electrification in India. This is done by doing an extensive literature study, case study interviews and field study in India on barriers faced and strategies employed in the market and identification of the business model elements. This thesis presents us an enriched list of barriers and strategies and a detailed analysis of the linkage between strategies and the elements of the business model canvas. The BMC is used as an analysis tool to understand the effect of strategies explicitly and is expressed in the form of a matrix where the implications of strategies on the business model canvas are identified for each element.
The contribution of this research to science is the linkage between strategies and the business model canvas elements. The implications of strategies on the business model canvas are identified for each element. Another scientific contribution of this research is the adaptation of Ortt et al. framework which can now be used for the diffusion of solar home systems in a developing country like India whereas the original Ortt et al. framework can be utilized only for dissemination of high-tech products in the developed nations. The future scope of research in this field has multiple dimensions to offer. Firstly, the relationship between barriers, strategies and business model elements can be further explored where the strategy definition can be enriched. Secondly, a qualitative and quantitative analysis can be performed on the strategy-BMC linkage matrix. This will give a richer meaning to the implications. Thirdly, a comprehensive business model can be generated by building the elements based on the strategy-BMC implications.