Public Innovation as a Research Topic
After several years of experience, our approaches have begun to attract the attention of researchers. Between 2014 and 2017, design-based public innovation methods were the focus of a fundamental research project called FIP-EXPLO (external link), coordinated by Frédérique Pallez, bringing together Nadia Arab, Emmanuel Coblence, Olivier Hirt, Philippe Lefebvre, Apolline Le Gall, Anna Lochard, Burcu Ozdirlik, Elsa Vivant, and Jean-Marc Weller. Institutional partners included Mines ParisTech, the University of Paris Est Marne-la-Vallée, the École Nationale Supérieure de la Création Industrielle, and the 27e Région. This research aimed to better understand new forms of public innovation and to identify their benefits and limitations.
Shortly thereafter, specialized chairs were established to explore these issues in greater depth: the Chair in Public Innovation (external link)in Paris and the Chair in Transformations of Public Action (external link) at Sciences Po Lyon. Ten years later, we continue to explore public innovation with academics, such as Mathias Bejean of UPEC as part of the Les Labonautes program (external link), and Canadian researcher Lindsay Cole of the University of Vancouver through the research program “Pushing the Boundaries of Public Innovation. (external link)”
Toward participatory forms of research
Through programs like La Transfo (external link), we’ve come to realize that our added value lies in bringing together groups of officials—and even elected officials—from different local governments around initiatives that combine the co-production of knowledge with efforts toward transformation. The model that inspires us is that of participatory action research (PAR). Researchers are now involved in nearly all of our programs, such as Rebonds (with Magali Talandier), as well as Juristes embarqués, Nouvelles Mesures (with the Chair of Ecological Accounting), and Nouveaux Accords (with consultant-researchers Manon Loisel and Nicolas Rio). We regularly contribute to the publication of research articles and scholarly journals (design sciences, the French Evaluation Society, etc.), and we aim to contribute even more in the future.
Greater cooperation between research and local governments
Now that we have a better grasp of the dynamics of how these projects are put together, our goal is to promote these “hybrid” forms of research—participatory action research, as well as social R&D as promoted by our friends at Ellyx—among local governments and researchers. Things are changing on the local government side: they are seeking to bring expertise back in-house amid budgetary pressures and to reduce their dependence on large consulting firms. That is why many are trying to bring in young researchers and, in the case of the largest local governments, to collaborate with universities and research laboratories on increasingly complex challenges—particularly those related to the ecological transition—as is the case with the IRIS-E program (external link) in Rennes, the Urban Environmental Workshop Zones (external link)(ZAEU) in the Eurometropolis of Strasbourg, as well as in Nantes, Grenoble, Nancy, and in dozens of university living labs, science shops, and so on.
So now, how do we move forward?
The will is there, but fostering genuine cooperation between research institutions and local governments is no easy task. Much remains to be done to change perceptions, make research more accessible (especially to small communities), clear up misunderstandings, and create a shared culture between the research community and public sector stakeholders. What role could we play in this regard, here at the 27th Region? We’ve begun laying the groundwork for this effort by publishing an article in the new journal *Interlignes*, (external link) as well as by collaborating with some thirty researchers and public officials to draft an initial list of recommendations for local governments (external link)—and soon, a second list aimed at researchers.
To support this movement, we must strengthen our own ties to the research community in several ways.
Gaining a better understanding of the research ecosystem
Today, when we work with researchers, it’s most often outside the context of their laboratories. We still have a lot to learn about research institutions and how they operate, especially in the fields of participatory science and action research. We can do this by building relationships with organizations that share our approach (POPSU, GIP EPAU, etc.), or with local GIECS. In return, we can help them further integrate issues of public transformation into their research programs, as we are currently doing with the Resyst program.
At the European level, we must build closer ties with the Europe and Partnerships departments of major local governments (metropolitan areas, regions) to gain better access to European programs—including Horizon Europe and its “Science and Society” component—and explore how we can participate early on in the development of projects submitted for European funding.
How to better anticipate future research programs ?
We are increasingly being asked to provide ad hoc input on the “public transformation” component of research programs (for example, by INRAE and its Becreative (external link) program on reducing phosphate use, or by the University of Rennes and IRIS-E on transition policies). The challenge for us is to be involved earlier in the process, when these programs are still under discussion and we can still influence the selection of objectives and the program’s implementation details.
To achieve this, we need to build relationships with the right contacts within research institutes (such as INRAE for the PEPR Forest program in the case of Tronc Commun) and universities, identify research laboratories likely to lead programs that interest us, select specific research chairs, and also engage with the higher education departments of major local governments.
Gaining a better access to research funding
Even though the teams in charge of citizen science at the National Research Agency view us as potential partners, participatory research remains marginal and receives little support within the institution. Furthermore, since we are not classified as a research organization, we have limited direct access to research funding, unlike certain “research” calls for proposals from other government agencies (ADEME, ANCT, etc.). Nevertheless, we must strive to better understand the mechanics of all these funding mechanisms. Finally, in the much longer term, we must continue to pursue the idea of the CIR Social, championed by Ellyx, whose objective would be to fund the applied research efforts of nonprofit organizations such as the 27th Region.
What do you think? We need your advice, contacts, and ideas!
Here are a few of our resources for further reading:
7 Tips for Local Governments to Make Better Use of Research (external link)
A Call for cooperation between researchers and local governments for the journal *Interlignes* (external link)
Interview with researcher Lucie Laluque: gaining a better understanding of action research (external link)
Event organized by the DITP: “Research for Public Action: How Can Science and Experimentation Improve Public Services?” (external link)
Report on a “Researchers and Action” event held at the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme (external link)
A Hybrid Form of Research: Social R&D (external link) and here (external link)
How Can We Continue to Conduct Research During Lockdown? (external link) and here (external link)