All welcome to join this open event, which has been organised by TIPC as a side event for the UNECE RFSD 2025, through the Consortium's collaboration with the UN-ECE Transformative Innovation Network, and in partnership with the JRC European Commission, Government of Catalonia, University of Sussex and INGENIO (CSIC-UPV).

Transformative Innovation Policy (TIP) tackles complex challenges like climate change and inequality by driving deep structural change. It emphasises directionality, systemic transformation, learning, and inclusive governance, promoting local experimentation, cross-sector coordination, and capacity-building.

This side event, designed for newcomers to TIP, introduces the approach and how it can be used to shift entire socio-technical systems—such as energy, transport, healthcare, or food—toward more sustainable and equitable futures.

Participants will gain insights into the theoretical foundations of TIP and its practical application at the regional level. Through real-world examples from Catalonia and other regions, we will examine how TIP can be used to address local sustainability challenges and improve citizens' lives.

Session content

1. Introducing TIPC and Transformative Innovation Policy: Principles and features
2. Participant perspectives on regional sustainability challenges
3. Application of Transformative Innovation Policy to regional transformation
- Joint Research Centre: Innovation for place-based transformations – Regional examples on Climate Adaptation
- Government of Catalonia case studies: Depopulation of rural areas; resilient landscapes and culture and rural revitalisation
4. Panel discussion and Q&A session
5. Learning more: Open-access tools and resources

Contributors

- Míriam Acebillo-Baqué, Researcher, INGENIO (CSIC-UPV) and Transformative Innovation Policy Consortium
- Ferran Dalmau, Methodologies Specialist, Government of Catalonia
- Chaimae Essousi, Policy officer/ Transformative Innovation area, Government of Catalonia
- Anders Jönsson, Chief of the Innovation Policy Development Section, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
- Cristian Matti, Senior Researcher, European Commission Joint Research Centre
- Victoria Shaw, Programme Director, University of Sussex and Transformative Innovation Policy Consortium

UNECE RFSD side event: Transformative innovation for regional challenges