Walz, RainerRainerWalz2023-07-202023-07-202023https://publica.fraunhofer.de/handle/publica/445811This paper discusses what we know after 20 years of research on environmental sustainability and innovations, and what further room for improvement emerges to improve our knowledge. This two-step approach is performed for three key topics of Globelics research on environmental sustainability and innovations: first, the development of sustainability capabilities in countries of the South; second, methodological issues on the heuristics to be used to analyse case studies; third, the specific role of the state to achieve the envisaged changes. Key results are that the South has been increasing its capabilities from “catch-up” towards leapfrogging. New data sources and new forms of innovation will be important new topics. The widely used heuristics of technological innovations systems and MLP have to be enlarged and embedded within other subsystems to analyse sustainability transformations. Fostering environmental sustainability innovations require additional governmental activities compared to “normal” innovation systems. The roles of the state will be further increased and become more differentiated with the move from fostering technical innovations towards transformation of systems. In addition, the focus on renewable energy and climate mitigation will broaden towards climate adaptation and the interplay of climate technologies and with circular economy. Increasingly, different perspectives and research approaches need to be combined and integrated. This requires true interdisciplinary research and reflection processes about the normative assumptions.enEnvironmental sustainability innovationsCapabilitiesHeuristics of innovation system analysisRole of the statepresentation