Copyright

Francesco Pasimeni; Willem Klok; Floor Alkemade

Published On

2025-12-08

Page Range

pp. 125–142

Language

  • English

Print Length

18 pages

8. Research and Innovation Policy for the Energy Transition in the EU

Chapter of: More with More: Investing in the Energy Transition: 2025 European Public Investment Outlook(pp. 125–142)
The European Union’s energy transition has entered a new phase, where the focus of research and innovation (R&I) policy must shift from advancing individual renewable technologies to enabling their systemic integration. This chapter draws on sustainability transitions literature to analyze the evolving demands on the EU’s energy innovation system, emphasizing the need for coordinated governance, societal engagement, and institutional reform. A systems-based R&I approach is essential to address the complexity of integrating renewables, managing sociotechnical change, and ensuring economic and social sustainability. Special attention is given to the role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), energy communities, and sustainable finance mechanisms as critical drivers of bottom-up innovation and structural transformation. The chapter also engages with recent EU-level strategic reflections, including competitiveness and innovation agendas, to highlight how climate objectives, economic resilience, and social cohesion are increasingly interconnected. It offers recommendations for policymakers seeking to realign R&I strategies in support of a transformative, inclusive, and competitive European energy transition.

Contributors

Francesco Pasimeni

(author)
Assistant Professor in Economics of Technological Change at Eindhoven University of Technology
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4255-2180

Francesco Pasimeni is Assistant Professor in Economics of Technological Change at Eindhoven University of Technology. His research focuses on the economics of green innovation and modelling agent behaviour toward sustainable consumption solutions. Previously, he worked as an Associate Programme Officer at IRENA, a Scientific Policy Analyst at the JRC European Commission, and held positions in the private sector. He holds a BSc and MSc in Industrial Engineering from the University of Salento (Italy), as well as an MSc and PhD in Science and Technology from SPRU, University of Sussex (UK).

Willem Klok

(author)
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1317-4547

Willem Klok is a Doctoral Candidate in Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences at Eindhoven University of Technology, in the Technology, Innovation, and Society group. His research examines how the financial system can transform to support sustainability, rather than undermine it. Taking a transitions perspective, he explores what kind of systemic change is needed to move beyond short-term, profitdriven incentives and toward a more resilient and responsible alternative. His work combines conceptual analysis with computational modelling to better understand pathways for aligning finance with long-term social and ecological goals.

Floor Alkemade

(author)
Full Professor of Economics and Governance of Technological Innovation at Eindhoven University of Technology
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2231-1913

Floor Alkemade is a Full Professor of Economics and Governance of Technological Innovation at Eindhoven University of Technology. Her key areas of expertise include innovation, clean tech, and sustainability. She received an ERC Consolidator grant (2022), a Vidi grant (2014), and a Veni grant (2008) to work on research projects on innovation for sustainability. Floor received her PhD in Agent Based Evolutionary Economics, from TU/e in 2004. Her PhD work was done at the Dutch National Centre for Mathematics and Computer Science (CWI). She holds an MSc in Artificial Intelligence from VU University Amsterdam. Floor is Associate Editor of the Journal of Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions.