DIME International Conference
11-13 September 2008
GREThA (UMR CNRS 5113), University of Bordeaux (France)
Call for Papers
Deadline for extended abstracts submission: June 20, 2008

Update : conference website

Solving national and global ecological problems has become a major social and political challenge of societies worldwide. Often, conflicting goals have to be reconciled. In this respect, great expectations hinge upon environmental innovations as a delivery mechanism for economic welfare, competitiveness, as well as environmental benefits. While there is an increasing political interest in the topic, it is still a fairly recent area of research which needs to be further developed. Promising approaches lie in the closer integration of economics of innovation and environmental research.

This conference is part of the DIME Working Package 2.5 on “Environmental innovation: indicators, stylised facts and analyses” (3rd Dime Workplan, http://www.dime-eu.org/wp25). It aims at extending collaborations and interactions among researchers active in this field. The objective of the conference is to exchange theoretical and empirical knowledge on environmental innovations, more precisely on their drivers, their impacts on the competitiveness of countries and industries, and their role in the transition towards sustainable systems of production and consumption. The role of public policy, as well as the question of the integration and coordination between the various policy fields (environmental regulation, innovation policy, energy policy…) will also be addressed.

Parallel sessions will be organized on the following sub-themes (this list is not exhaustive):

• Economic impacts and environmental benefits of policies and strategies promoting environmental innovations (GDP, employment, productivity, reduction in emissions and resource use…)
• Environment, innovation and competitiveness of countries
• Environmental innovation and industrial dynamics
• Innovation and sustainability in infrastructure sectors (energy, water and transportation)
• Innovation and sustainability in the automotive industry (in addition to a scientific session, a roundtable with industrial stakeholders will be organized on this topic)
• Innovations in sustainable business models and product-service systems
• The role of demand and the greening of consumption
• The effects of policy instruments on innovation and sustainability
• The coordination of environment, energy and innovation policy
• The role and the development of environmental innovations in emerging economies

Proposals for theoretical, empirical and policy contributions to these topics are now invited. All paper presentations will be followed by feedback from a discussant.

Date and location

The conference will take place on September 11-13, 2008 at GREThA, University Bordeaux IV, France.

Guidelines for submission

Contributors wishing to present papers to this conference should submit an extended abstract of around 1000 words. The abstract must include information on the relevant theories being tested, methodology, data and (expected) results. Extended abstracts must provide a concise title, author details, mailing address, telephone numbers and e-mail address. All extended abstracts will be subjected to a review process.

Emails marked ‘DIME’ with the abstract and contact details in an attached file should be sent to
Vanessa OLTRA: dime-confbdx08@u-bordeaux4.fr

Timetable

• Deadline for extended abstracts submission: May 30, 2008 (extended to June 20, 2008)
• Decision of paper acceptance: June 30, 2008
• Full papers sent: August 20, 2008

Workshop registration

Registration fee including gala dinner: 100 Euros (no fee for DIME members)

Invited speakers and DIME members presenting a paper can apply to cover their travel and registration costs according to the standard DIME rules (up to 700 Euros).

There will also be between 5-10 fully funded (including travel and accommodation) places available for PhD students. Please apply and specify your budget.

Conference organizer

Vanessa Oltra, GREThA, University Montesquieu Bordeaux IV
Contact e-mail: dime-confbdx08@u-bordeaux4.fr

Scientific Committe

• Koen Frenken, Urban and Regional Research Center, Utrecht University
• Marko Hekkert, Department of Innovation Studies, Copernicus Institute, Utrecht University
• René Kemp, UNU-MERIT, University of Maastricht
• Vanessa Oltra, GREThA, University Montesquieu Bordeaux IV
• Katrin Ostertag, Fraunhofer ISI, Karlsruhe
• Maider Saint Jean, GREThA, University Montesquieu Bordeaux IV
• Marcus Wagner, BETA, University Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg
• Rainer Walz, Fraunhofer ISI, Karlsruhe