SMAR3TS project partner University of Cambridge – IfM Engage is seeking innovative approaches to strengthen how public policy, regulation and institutions support the scale-up of sustainable and digital innovation across SMAR3TS sectoral focus areas of food, energy, moobility and housing.
Across Europe, major investments are being made in clean technologies, digitalisation and industrial transformation, yet many promising innovations fail to move beyond pilot stage. In many cases, the main barriers are not technological, but arise from policy design, regulatory frameworks, standards, public procurement rules and investment conditions that were built for older industrial models.
IfM Engage, through its policy links and innovation systems research, works with governments, regulators and industry to understand how national and regional innovation systems can be improved so that scientific and technological advances translate into real-world impact.
Within SMAR3TS, this I3X focuses on creating policy-informed tools, frameworks and learning processes that help governments and agencies accelerate scale-up, digital transformation, and sustainability transitions across energy, mobility, food and housing systems.
The Innovate3X (I3X) challenge, framed as a call to deliver resilience, restoration and regeneration, invites SMAR3TS partners to contribute through secondments that connect research, policy and practice.
In response to this I3X, secondees could work on, for example:
- Analysing how current policies and regulations affect the scale-up of sustainable and digital technologies
- Identifying policy bottlenecks and misalignments that slow down innovation
- Designing policy-informed frameworks, incentives, and standards that support emerging industries
- Developing tools to assess the real-world impact of innovation policy
- Supporting dialogue between policymakers, industry, and research communities
SMAR3TS project partner – University of Cambridge (IfM Engage, Institute for Manufacturing) is looking for innovative approaches to improve how policy, regulation, and public institutions enable the scale-up of clean, digital, and resilient technologies.
For more info: please see the details in the attachments.
Please note: the secondments are open only to SMAR3TS Consortium Partners.
Necessary skills and capabilities across disciplines
This I3X requires knowledge of:
- Innovation systems and industrial policy
- Energy, food, manufacturing, and digital policy
- Economics, regulation, and standards
- Data analysis and policy evaluation
- Stakeholder engagement with governments, agencies, and industry
- Translation of research into policy-informed tools
Examples of challenges that need to be addressed
Innovation failing to scale
Many promising technologies remain stuck in pilot or demonstration phases due to regulatory, financial and institutional barriers.
Misaligned policy and regulation
Policies designed for legacy industries often do not fit emerging digital and low-carbon technologies, slowing adoption.
Weak impact measurement
Governments lack robust methods to assess whether innovation policies deliver economic, environmental and social benefits.
Poor connection between research and policy
Scientific and technological evidence is often not translated into usable, decision-relevant policy guidance.
Examples of questions that can help you clarify the challenges:
- Market & Adoption: Are there gaps in market analysis, business models, or scalability?
- Sustainability & Assessment: What kind of sustainability evaluation is needed?
- Regulation & Policy: What regulatory, legal, or policy issues must be addressed?
- Technology & Methods: What are technical, data, or methodological gaps?
- Ecosystem & Community development: Are there coordination, stakeholder engagement, or ecosystem development challenges?
- Societal & Cultural: What issues e.g., related to social acceptance, need attention?
Impact: Are there difficulties in mapping, monitoring, measuring, or demonstrating impact?I3X at the University of Cambridge – About the initiator
1. Background info
IfM Engage is part of the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM), University of Cambridge, and specialises in translating research into practice through industry, government and societal engagement.
Website: https://engage.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk
2. Research Group/Company Department
IfM Engage facilitates the translation of scientific and technological knowledge into real-world impact through consulting, education, roadmapping and communication, supporting organisations to address sustainability, health and innovation challenges.
Link to the website:https://engage.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk
Contact info: Dr David Lott, Chief Executive Officer, Academic Division: Manufacturing and Management, Telephone: tbc, Email: dl362@cam.ac.uk
See attachment for more info about the I3X initiator and I3X description.
Alignment to Work-Packages (Nutrition, Mobility, Energy, Housing)
This I3X is primarily aligned with the Nutrition domain of SMAR3TS, as packaging is a core component of food systems, food safety, food waste and environmental sustainability. By focusing on digital transformation and sustainability transitions across food, energy, mobility and housing sectors, this I3X challenge relates to all work packages of the SMAR3TS project, by sharing knowledge from the I3X-solutions.
Alignment to Resilience, Restoration, Regeneration (R3)
This I3X contributes to:
- Resilience by enabling innovation systems that adapt to shocks and technological change
- Restoration by supporting policies that drive decarbonisation and sustainability
- Regeneration by helping create new industries, skills and value chains based on clean and digital innovation
Note:
The expression of interest for the secondment at the University of Cambridge (IFM Engage) must be submitted via the platform. Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and you will be contacted as soon as possible. For any questions, please contact: info@smar3ts.eu
SMAR3TS (Staff Mobility to Action Resilient, Restorative, & Regenerative Transitions & Societies) enables secondments (staff exchanges), between 36 partners, across 16 countries (and 4 continents), to undertake cutting-edge research and innovation on resilience, restoration, regeneration (R3) across four sectors: energy, mobility, nutrition and housing, to accelerate pathways to economic, environmental and societal impact.
SMAR3TS is funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Staff Exchange Program Project ID: 101236376.
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