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

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 Finland, the identified policy need is how to create experimentation, where users are engaged and can have an influence. It consists of four sub-challenges, which include designing a funding system suitable for experimentation, considering transparency and low bureaucracy, and engaging users in general but also as innovators. The citizen engagement methodology and CASI-F framework show most promise when addressing this specific sustainable innovation policy need identified as important for Finland.