I4S is a project funded by the European Union in support of its strategic commitment to ‘smart, sustainable and inclusive growth’. Under the leadership of The Academy of Business in Society (EABIS), eight leading universities and their corporate partners collaborate to study sustainability-driven innovation (SDI) – which is understood as innovation not only directed at economic gains but also at positive ecological and social effects. Preliminary research and prospective studies suggest that SDI involves management competences and organisational capabilities rarely found in traditional business-led, technology-driven innovation. The project’s primary aim is thus to research how companies manage the transformation of business processes and business models related to SDI as a multi-actor process. These management practices will be studied by individual researchers embedded with associated partners engaged in SDI.
The I4S project is funded by the EU’s 7th Framework Programme (subject to awarding of the EU) under the “Marie Curie Action: Initial Training Networks” scheme aimed at both increasing attractiveness of research careers for early stage researchers and adding to their employability through exposure to both academia and enterprises. The research program is accompanied by network training events and site visits at various partner locations during the whole project, allowing to develop more generic knowledge about the barriers and obstacles to innovation across sectors.