The 2025 Innovation Research Day at Lund University resulted in a forward-looking research agenda at the intersection of innovation studies and sustainability research.

“We need a research approach that not only generates knowledge, but also creates real impact in society. A green and inclusive future will not emerge from technology alone – it requires systemic shifts across multiple areas,” says Pauline Mattsson.

The agenda is grounded in interdisciplinary discussions held during the event. Participants identified urgent new themes for exploration, highlighted ongoing research areas that could benefit from reframing, and suggested phasing out topics with diminishing relevance.

Innovation, once primarily technology-driven, has evolved into a much broader field.

“With democracy under pressure, trust in research declining, and global crises escalating, innovation can play a vital role in enabling systemic change,” says Pauline Mattsson.

Through co-creation across disciplines and perspectives, the participants outlined an agenda designed to tackle the most pressing challenges of our time.

Read the full research agenda.

Organisations represented at the Innovation Research Day 2025: CIRCLE (Centre for Innovation Research), IIIEE (International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics), LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies), the Sten K. Johnson Centre for Entrepreneurship, Sustainability Forum, the Urban Arena