System Innovation Challenges for Climate Adaptation

This paper summarises discoveries in the project “Climate Resilient Railway Infrastructure: A System Innovation Approach, CliMaint2Innovate ( www.ltu.se/climaint2innovate ). The project aimed to develop a system-level innovation roadmap and implementation plan for the CliMaint ( www.ltu.se/climaint ) system innovation. The innovation is a decision support system (DSS) that will target adaptation to climate change for railway infrastructure. To achieve the project aim, barriers and enablers related to five system innovation pillars have been explored, identified, and analysed. A literature review and two interview studies have been performed. In total, 45 experts from a population with knowledge in infrastructure and transportation networks have been selected for the study. The interviews have been analysed and the related barriers and enablers for implementation associated to each system innovation pillar have been identified. It was concluded that when identifying barriers and enablers to introducing new business models, two categories stand out: (1) barriers related to the external environment, e.g., policy and industry and low digitalisation readiness level, and (2) barriers related to the internal environment, e.g., tendering process, business models, and client-supplier relationships. The barriers and enablers regarding policy and regulation concerning the implementation of the CliMaint system innovation for climate change adaptation are related to policy, regulations, process, digitalisation, business models, and finance. The knowledge concerning barriers and enablers will further be used to suggest appropriate measures to accelerate the implementation, upscaling, and dissemination of the CliMaint system innovation.