Fraunhofer-Institut für System- und Innovationsforschung ISI

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An update of challenges and possible solutions related to ICT patents: The perspective of European stakeholders

2023 , Blind, Knut

Patents in information and communication technologies (ICTs) are important instruments for protecting companies' inventions and to appropriate the value of the related inventions. However, the increasing dynamics and complexity in ICTs are challenging the effectiveness of patents. Based on a review of the literature and interviews with relevant stakeholders in Europe, we have identified the most relevant challenges for patents in ICT and possible solutions. These insights have been used as input in framing our broad survey among European stakeholders. The results reveal on the one hand the differences between the patent owners and stakeholders owning no patents, in particular with regards to the various challenges the patent system is facing. On the other hand, the differences disappear in the assessment of the effectiveness of the various solutions. Finally, we conclude with a summary of our main findings.

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Standard-relevant publications: evidence, processes and influencing factors

2022 , Blind, Knut , Fenton, Axel

This paper introduces the concept of standard-relevant publications, complementary to standard-essential patents and framed by the concept of knowledge utilization. By analyzing the reference lists of the around 20,000 standards released by ISO, authors of scientific papers cited in standards who are working at German institutions were identified. The institutions include universities, independent research societies, ministerial research institutes and companies. Almost thirty interviews were conducted with the most-cited of these authors. The interviews addressed the processes by which scientific publications come to be referenced in standards, and the motivations, the barriers and the effects of this. The findings demonstrate opportunities for and challenges to establishing standard-relevant publications as a new performance indicator for researchers, funding agencies, standard-setting organizations and ultimately regulators.

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Wie beeinflussen Landscape-Veränderungen die Automobilbranche?

2022 , Pfaff, Matthias , Grimm, Anna , Clausen, Jens

Die Automobilbranche durchläuft aktuell einen fundamentalen Wandel. Etablierte Akteure haben globale Wertschöpfungsnetzwerke rund um die Technologie des Verbrennungsmotors aufgebaut. Diese geraten aufgrund immer ambitionierterer Klimaziele jedoch zunehmend unter Druck. Gleichzeitig schreitet die Digitalisierung mit hoher Geschwindigkeit voran und bietet neue Möglichkeiten hinsichtlich der Gestaltung von Fahrzeugen und Produktionsprozessen. In diesem Bericht werden zuerst die Landscape-Veränderungen im Allgemeinen und dann im Hinblick auf ihre Auswirkungen auf die Automobilindustrie beschrieben und Schlussfolgerungen für künftige Entwicklungspfade der Industrie gezogen.

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Erfolgsfaktoren für einen effektiven Klimaschutz im Straßengüterverkehr

2022 , Helms, Hinrich

Durch das neue Ziel der Treibhausgasneutralität bis zum Jahr 2045 und den aktuell rasanten Verbrauch des verbleibenden CO2-Budgets für die Einhaltung des Pariser Klimaziels entsteht akuter Handlungsdruck in allen Lebensbereichen. Es ist also bereits kurzfristig eine deutliche Minderung der Emissionen auch im wachsenden Güterverkehr dringend notwendig. Dies kann nur gelingen, wenn Maßnahmen in allen relevanten Handlungsfeldern zügig ergriffen werden, auch im Straßengüterverkehr.

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The role of industrial actors in the circular economy for critical raw materials: A framework with case studies across a range of industries

2023 , Cimprich, Alexander , Young, Steven B. , Schrijvers, Dieuwertje , Ku, Anthony Y. , Hagelüken, Christian , Christmann, Patrice , Eggert, Roderick , Habib, Komal , Hirohata, Atsufumi , Hurd, Alan J. , Lee, Min-Ha , Peck, David , Petavratzi, Evi , Tercero Espinoza, Luis A. , Wäger, Patrick , Hool, Alessandra

In this article, we explore concrete examples of circularity strategies for critical raw materials (CRMs) in commercial settings. We propose a company-level framework for systematically evaluating circularity strategies (e.g., material recycling, product reuse, and product or component lifetime extension) in specific applications of CRMs from the perspectives of specific industrial actors. This framework is applied in qualitative analyses - informed by relevant literature and expert consultation - of five case studies across a range of industries: (1) rhenium in high-pressure turbine components, (2) platinum group metals in industrial catalysts for chemical processing and oil refining, (3) rare earth permanent magnets in computer hard disk drives, (4) various CRMs in consumer electronics, and (5) helium in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines. Drawing from these case studies, three broader observations can be made about company circularity strategies for CRMs. Firstly, there are multiple, partly competing motivations that influence the adoption of circularity strategies, including cost savings, supply security, and external stakeholder pressure. Secondly, business models and value-chain structure play a major role in the implementation of circularity strategies; business-to-business models appear to be more conducive to circularity than business-to-consumer models. Finally, it is important to distinguish between closed-loop circularity, in which material flows are contained within the ""focal"" actor's system boundary, and open-loop circularity, in which material flows cross the system boundary, as the latter has limited potential for mitigating material criticality from the perspective of the focal actor.

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The role of renewable H2 import & storage to scale up the EU deployment of renewable H2

2022 , Breitschopf, Barbara , Zheng, Lin , Plaisir, Marie , Bard, Jochen , Schröer, Ramona , Kawale, Durgesh , Koornneef, Joris , Melese, Yeshambel , Schaaphok, Marianne , Gorenstein Dedecca, João , Bene, Csinszka , Cerny, Ondrej , Gérard, Frank

The European Commission's hydrogen strategy presented in July 2020 outlines, amongst other elements, how to upscale the demand and supply of renewable hydrogen. It has set the strategic objective to install at least 40 GW of renewable hydrogen electrolyser capacity within the EU (producing about 5 Mt of renewable hydrogen) based upon an estimated demand of up to 10 Mt per year of renewable hydrogen in the EU by 2030. To produce 10 Mt of renewable hydrogen, a substantial amount of additional renewable electricity will be needed to produce renewable hydrogen, on top of the large amounts of renewable electricity that will be needed to electrify end-uses that are currently served by other energy carriers. The characteristics of renewable electricity generation, such as its variability and the time needed to realize additional solar and wind parks, the need to minimise the costs of the energy transition, and security of supply considerations require taking an in-depth look into the role of renewable hydrogen import (infrastructure) as well as into the role of hydrogen storage (infrastructure) to decarbonize the EU economy. At the moment, it is not clear whether domestic production of hydrogen will achieve the strategic EU 2030 goal to cover 10 Mt of renewable hydrogen demand, leading to the potential need for imports. Therefore, this research paper intends to assess the supply gaps and possible options for cost-effective renewable hydrogen carriers imports and transport modes, given the broad diversity of potential supply scenarios.

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The diffusion of industrial robots

2022 , Dachs, Bernhard , Fu, Xiaolan , Jäger, Angela

Over the last 20 years, industrial robots have become more flexible, adaptive, and powerful. The worldwide diffusion of industrial robots increased significantly, especially after the global financial crisis of 2008/09. Despite this growth, industrial robots are unevenly distributed across countries, sectors, and firms and still far from being a general-purpose technology. Today, firms in Asian countries install more industrial robots than America, Europe, and Africa combined. China is the largest user of industrial robots. The manufacturing sector is by far the major application domain for robots, in particular the automotive and the electrical/electronics industries. Outside manufacturing, only few robots are installed. Robots are still an exception in small firms and for the production in smaller batches or single units. Evidence for an uneven diffusion of robots can also be found in comparisons of the intensity of robot use across countries which is very much driven by industrial structure.

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Exploring the psychological antecedents of private and public sphere behaviours to reduce household plastic consumption

2023 , Heidbreder, Lea Marie , Tröger, Josephine , Schmitt, Manfred

In the last few years, plastic has become an issue of current interest as tremendous ecological effects from plastic littering have become visible. Taking the role of consumers into account, activities comprising purchasing decisions and political engagement are expected to help prevent plastic pollution. The goal of this study was to examine antecedents of three potential plastic reduction activities: purchasing, activism, and policy support. Based on well-established psychological models of pro-environmental behaviour (i.e. theory of planned behaviour, norm activation model), an online survey (N = 648) was administered and analysed via structural equation modelling. Results revealed that personal norms were a relevant predictor of all three intentions. Whereas sufficiency orientation and collective efficacy predicted only activism intention and policy support intention, perceived behavioural control was the strongest predictor of purchasing intentions. Regarding behaviour, people with high activism intentions and sufficiency orientation were more likely to choose a plastic-free incentive instead of the conventional shopping voucher. This study highlights psychological antecedents of plastic reduction. An integrated model showed that rational cost-benefit considerations as well as morality serve as drivers of reducing plastic consumption. Implications for the promotion of plastic-free consumption are discussed.

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Paving the path: drivers of standardization participation at ISO

2022 , Blind, Knut , Laer, Maximilian von

Several studies investigating the trade effects of standardization have found a positive impact of the number of international standards in a country on its trade volumes. While international standards have so far been considered as exogenous, we investigate what drives countries to take over leading roles, i.e. secretariats, in committees of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) using a panel dataset on the ISO participation of 12 countries. Looking at this phenomenon through the perspective of agenda setting in international institutions we expect ISO participation to be a desirable tool for shaping technological trajectories and substantiating global influence via international technology transfer. We find that, while for most countries no systematic pattern can be observed, both China and the US show a close correlation between R&D and standardization work at ISO. For China, we attribute this finding to having a strategic approach toward standardization participation, for the US to the distinct features of the decentralized US standardization system. Finally, we derive implications of findings for both research and practice.

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Household acceptability of energy efficiency policies in the European Union: Policy characteristics trade-offs and the role of trust in government and environmental identity

2022 , Faure, Corinne , Guetlein, Marie-Charlotte , Schleich, Joachim , Tu, Gengyang , Whitmarsh, Lorraine , Whittle, Colin

This research investigates the acceptability of energy efficiency policies among European households. Based on large-scale surveys in Italy, Poland, Sweden, and the UK, we use a discrete choice experiment to study the tradeoffs made by households between various policy characteristics including policy target level, dependence on energy imports, policy instruments (education and information programmes, standards, taxation, energy consumption limit), costs to the household, and distribution of costs between households and other sectors. In particular, we investigate the role of trust in government and of environmental identity on the acceptability of these policy characteristics. Across the four countries, we find that households prefer effective policies, dislike personal costs, and prefer non-coercive to coercive instruments; further, trust in government helps make coercive policies such as taxes more acceptable, whereas higher environmental identity makes consumption limits more acceptable.

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