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Transformational Innovation

In this thematic cluster, we examine how to orchestrate industrial revitalization and drive organisational transformation. We collaborate with businesses, non-profits, and government agencies, as well as other stakeholders, to accept, exploit, or manage disruptive change. We help with agile management, digital transformation, sustainable innovation, performance, and revitalization for businesses.

We believe that a focus on social sustainability, that is, issues of inclusion, equality, and social justice, would bring about much-needed disruptive changes in the private and public sectors, including businesses, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and government. The aspect of social sustainability is frequently downplayed or ignored in discussions over disruptive technological changes.  InnoLab is committed to filling this lacuna.

Our research projects’ foci vary from regional through national to global. We strive to preserve the vitality and relevance of each perspective. We collaborate locally with small and medium-sized enterprises, the City of Vaasa, other municipalities, the Regional Council of Ostrobothnia, non-governmental organisations, and citizen groups. We also have international industry partners such as Wartsila, ABB, and Danfoss. We are also internationally networked with like-minded research institutions. To give just one example, InnoLab hosts the Globalization’s ethical implications on curricula project: a five-country spanning study, funded by the UK-based Cultural Evolution Society’s Transformation Fund.

From the perspective of transformational innovation, United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) are pertinent to us. They interconnect and provide a holistic framework for addressing requirements for economic, social, and environmental transformation. These SDGs recognise the role of technology, policy, and governance in bringing about transformative change and ensuring a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient future for all.

Selected publications