Science-policy Interface

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  • Item
    Energy storage strategy analysis based on the Choquet multi-criteria preference aggregation model: The Portuguese case
    (Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, 2023) Pereira, A, ; Pereira, M.
    With the increase in renewable energy generation and its problems related to output instability, storage systems must be implemented in parallel to account for this effect. Therefore, it is valuable to deepen the study of these technologies’ performances in their several application tiers, thus understanding the potential of each alternative, both per tier and as a whole. For this reason, a collaborative multi-criteria decision-aiding framework is proposed to rank the various available options in several layers of the energy storage market, constructed alongside experts and policy-makers from each tier that serve as actors of the decision-making process and using Portugal as a case study. Based on the Choquet multi-criteria preference aggregation model, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this framework is an unprecedented application in the energy sector. Beyond a critical review of the results, a scenario analysis was performed to explore interesting future possibilities that may aid governments to make decisions in the search for an energy sustainable development. Chemical storage solutions, such as Hydrogen and Methane, as well as several electrochemical batteries, especially Lithium- and Nickel-based ones, were the standout energy storage solutions. Chemical storage was shown to have the desired characteristics for the Long-term grid tier. Meanwhile, batteries, including Redox Flow in the first case, have overperformed in the Microgrid and Mobility tiers. No standout solutions appeared in the Short-term grid tier. Unsurprisingly, the aforementioned chemical storage systems, batteries, and Hot Water have presented themselves as the most politically interesting technologies, due to their multipurpose uses and intrinsic characteristics.
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    Talent management practices in startups and their effects in innovation, intrapreneurship, and internationalisation
    (Journal International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, 2023) Almeida, F. ; Oliveira, J.M.
    This study explores the role of talent in the processes of innovation, intrapreneurship, and internationalisation of startups. For this purpose, an empirical study was conducted with 226 Portuguese startups, and the impact of these components was analysed using the structural equation model. The findings indicate that talent attraction, development, and retention practices have a positive impact on innovation. However, the same correlation was not verified for intrapreneurship practices. Furthermore, both innovation and intrapreneurship are two determining elements in startups' internationalisation activities. This study offers pertinent contributions to the establishment of policies to support the internationalisation processes of startups, in which talent management emerges as a determining factor for its sustainable growth.
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    A Review of Use Cases of Gamification in Mobility Systems and Services
    (Smart Energy for Smart Transport, 2023) Barreto, L. ; Amaral. A. ; Pereira, T. ; Paiva, S.
    Nowadays, Mobility, in all its dimensions (transport mobility, sustainable mobility, active mobility, and Mobility as a Service (MaaS)), is an essential dimension in sustainable development goals, allowing to increase in the quality of life, the health, the social inclusion and to reduce climate action in any society. To increase the citizens’ awareness and promote a true behavioral change, the citizens need to feel part of the process. Gamification has proved to be effective in raising citizens’ awareness, encouraging their participation, and promoting a gradual but profound behavior change in various areas such as participatory governance, tourism, culture, education, etc. Gamification can also propel a Smart Living Society 5.0 among the younger groups of the society, especially in the context of academic communities that are more knowledgeable and eager to foster a healthier, more sustainable, and more inclusive society. Smart Living Society 5.0 is an activity in the scope of the TECH - Tecnologia, Ambiente, Criatividade e Saúde - a project of NORTE 2020, focusing on creating an Academic MaaS (AMaaS). At this stage, it is essential to know about gamification use cases related to new mobility solutions and practices. The paper presents successful cases of mobility systems and services that consider gamification to promote and incentivize their use concerning active mobility and sustainable mobility; it discusses the potential of gamified systems to achieve a gamification proposal approach to implement in the AMaaS under development.
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    Responsible innovation assessment tools: a systematic review and research agenda
    (Technological Sustainability, 2023) Guimarães, C. ; Amorim, V. ; Almeida, F.
    Responsible innovation assessment tools (RIATs) are key instruments that can help organizations, associations and individuals measure responsible innovation. Accordingly, this study aims to review the current status of research on responsible innovation and, in particular, of studies that either present the relevance of RIATs or provide empirical evidence of their adoption. A systematic literature review is conducted to identify and review how RIATs are being addressed in academic research and the applications that are proposed. A systematic process is implemented using the Web of Science and Scopus bibliographic databases, aiming not only to summarize existing studies, but also to include a perspective on gaps and future research. A total of 119 publications were identified and included in the review process. The study identifies that RIATs have attracted growing interest from the scientific community, with a greater predominance of studies involving qualitative and mixed methods. A well-balanced mix of conceptual and exploratory studies is also registered, with a greater predominance of analysis of RIATs application domains in the past years, with greater incidence in the finance, water, energy, construction, manufacturing and health sectors. This study is pioneering in identifying 16 dimensions and 60 sub-dimensions for measuring responsible innovation. It also suggests the need to include multidimensional perspectives and individuals with interdisciplinary competencies in this process.
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    Facilitating innovation in FinTech: a review and research agenda
    (Journal Review of Managerial Science, 2023) Alaassar, A. ; Mention. A. ; Aas, T.
    The purpose of this paper is to carry out content analyses on the existing literature to investigate the knowledge state of innovation facilitators adopted to promote financial innovation. In total, 56 papers were analysed using the NVivo software package. Three categories of innovation facilitators emerged from the literature capturing the perspective of regulators, incumbents and new entrants. Each identified instrument is defined and its processes and implications described. Many initiatives were led by regulators, revealing a regulatory strategy change from risk-based to opportunity-based regulation, with regulatory sandboxes being the most commonly adopted instrument. Incumbent-led innovation facilitators were also identified and typically took the form of corporate incubation models, co-working spaces, venture funds and innovation platforms to support financial institutions with partnerships, acquisitions or self-development. Lastly, the literature review revealed innovator-led instruments to support start-ups with raising capital. Based on our results, we discuss several important observations and propose avenues for future research capturing each of the identified perspectives. This paper contributes to incubation research and the financial innovation and FinTech literature streams.
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    Digitalization in decarbonizing electricity systems – Phenomena, regional aspects, stakeholders, use cases, challenges and policy options
    (energies, 2023) Heymann, F. ; Milojevic, T. ; Covatariu, U. ; Verma, P.
    Digitalization is a megatrend that affects and transforms societal, economic, and environmental processes on a global scale. Driven by a combination of technological advances as well as shifting societal demands, digitalization also affects the operation and planning of the electricity sector. This paper uses megatrend analysis framework to analyze digitalization phenomena, its regional differences, technologies, use cases and challenges. It highlights potential system-level benefits (e.g., increased efficiency, transparency, consumer participation) and challenges (e.g., electricity demand growth, autonomy loss, increasing cyber risks) currently reported in the literature. Eventually, building on the thorough analysis, we present a menu of policy options to exploit its full potential of digitalized electricity systems while mitigating adverse effects on decarbonization goals and consumers.
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    Using Reinforcement Learning to Reduce Energy Consumption of Ultra-Dense Networks With 5G Use Cases Requirements
    (IEEE Access, 2023) Malta, S. ; Pinto, P. ; Fernandez-Veiga, M.
    In mobile networks, 5G Ultra-Dense Networks (UDNs) have emerged as they effectively increase the network capacity due to cell splitting and densification. A Base Station (BS) is a fixed transceiver that is the main communication point for one or more wireless mobile client devices. As UDNs are densely deployed, the number of BSs and communication links is dense, raising concerns about resource management with regard to energy efficiency, since BSs consume much of the total cost of energy in a cellular network. It is expected that 6G next-generation mobile networks will include technologies such as artificial intelligence as a service and focus on energy efficiency. Using machine learning it is possible to optimize energy consumption with cognitive management of dormant, inactive and active states of network elements. Reinforcement learning enables policies that allow sleep mode techniques to gradually deactivate or activate components of BSs and decrease BS energy consumption. In this work, a sleep mode management based on State Action Reward State Action (SARSA) is proposed, which allows the use of specific metrics to find the best tradeoff between energy reduction and Quality of Service (QoS) constraints. The results of the simulations show that, depending on the target of the 5G use case, in low traffic load scenarios and when a reduction in energy consumption is preferred over QoS, it is possible to achieve energy savings up to 80% with 50 ms latency, 75% with 20 ms and 10 ms latencies and 20% with 1 ms latency. If the QoS is preferred, then the energy savings reach a maximum of 5% with minimal impact in terms of latency.
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    Big data analytics on patents for innovation public policies
    (Expert Systems, 2023-01) Sousa, M. J.; George, J.; Walter, C.; Au-Yong, M.; Moreira, F.
    This study seeks to answer the following research question: “What factors can explain the number of patent filing requests made by residents in Brazil at patent offices in Brazil, the United States, Europe, and triadic patent families?”. The methods used in this research are quantitative, using big data from private and public investments in Science and Technology, and about patent deposit numbers in Brazil from 2000 to 2017. A model of linear regression was performed and explains how these investments in Science and Technology influence patent deposit numbers. The results of this research study point towards the importance of universities, up and beyond the traditional training and education aspect of university activity. The importance of public and private innovation investments is also shown to be important. This study shows that the patent registrations in the different regions under analysis are affected by different factors. There is thus no single formula towards the creation of innovation output and governments would do well to continue to invest in higher education while also investing in public research and development activities. Additionally, and not least important, private entities should be continually encouraged to make innovation investments and favourable government policies need to thus exist for this to happen. Finally, the low numbers regarding patent filings in Brazil may be linked to institutional deficiencies in the country. Patent breaches may be difficult to punish, and the judicial system may be slow and untrustworthy, compared to the United States and to Europe—leading to diminished patent registrations in Brazil. A set of implications and recommendations for policy derived from this study and will be strategic for policymakers.
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    Design of an Energy Policy for the Decabornisation of Residential and Service Buildings in Northern Portugal
    (energies, 2023-02-03) Capelo, S.; Soares, T.; Azevedo, I.; Fonseca, W.; Matos, M.
    The decarbonisation of the building sector is crucial for Portugal’s goal of achieving economy-wide carbon neutrality by 2050. To mobilize communities towards energy efficiency measures, it is important to understand the primary drivers and barriers that must be overcome through policymaking. This paper aims to review existing Energy Policies and Actions (EPA) in Portugal and assess their effectiveness in improving Energy Efficiency (EE) and reducing CO2 emissions in the building sector. The Local Energy Planning Assistant (LEPA) tool was used to model, test, validate and compare the implementation of current and alternative EPAs in the North of Portugal, including the national EE plan. The results indicate that electrification of heating and cooling, EE measures, and the proliferation of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) are crucial for achieving climate neutrality. The study found that the modelling of alternative EPAs can be improved to reduce investment costs and increase Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reduction. Among the alternatives assessed, the proposed one (Alternative 4) presents the best returns on investment in terms of cost savings and emissions reduction. It allows for 52% investment cost savings in the residential sector and 13% in the service sector when compared to the current national roadmap to carbon neutrality (Alternative 2). The estimated emission reduction in 2050 for Alternative 4 is 0.64% for the residential sector and 3.2% for the service sector when compared to Alternative 2.