Strengthening sustainable innovation policy with CASI tools: Insights from and for Austria

Sustainable innovation forms the basis for the new solutions of and opportunities for the future although it has not yet achieved an established programmatic policy position. The CASI project has developed a set of tools, which can strengthen the development of sustainable innovation policy. This set of tools includes a data bank, a citizen engagement methodology, citizen agendas and a framework for sustainable innovation. This policy brief reviews and showcases how these SI tools can be used when strengthening sustainable innovation policy.

In Austria, the identified policy need is how to secure confidence in public participation processes and their effectiveness. It consists of three sub-challenges: stimulating public institutions and processes of public participation, developing critical awareness of public participation and a sound understanding of innovation processes and securing effectiveness of public participation processes by choosing a transdisciplinary approach among policy fields. The citizen engagement methodology, the CASI-F framework and the CASIPEDIA show most promise when addressing this multitude of stakeholder groups.