The Advisory Council for Science, Technology, and Innovation (AWTI) releases a concrete guide for transformation-oriented policy

The AWTI, the sister advisory council of VARIO in the Netherlands, has released "In dienst van de toekomst – een handreiking voor transformatiegericht beleid". This is a follow-up to the December 2023 published advisory report "In dienst van de toekomst – van optimalisatie naar transformatie", and provides concrete tools for transformation-oriented policy. The guide offers a step-by-step plan to develop an effective transformation-oriented policy mix. This plan aligns with the Policy Compass of the Dutch government and uses the TransMissie model as a tool for identifying bottlenecks and success factors in the transformation process.

Part of the step-by-step plan is a policy matrix that provides insight into which policy instruments can help in the transformation at different stages. The guide also introduces a governance framework to develop a transformation-oriented policy mix through a learning-by-doing approach and close interaction with the field. Additionally, the AWTI has elaborated on two cases for inspiration and illustration of what a transformation-oriented policy mix can look like: protein transition and climate-neutral greenhouse horticulture.

For the governance framework, AWTI used the participatory model developed by VARIO in its Advisory report 35 (see also VARIO Advice 39, Recommendation 5). This governance framework connects the different phases in the policy cycle (Agenda Setting, Policy Formulation through Policy Learning) with various practical activities within an experimental space. Previously, VARIO collaborated with AWTI on a country study on Transformation-Oriented Innovation Policy (Sweden, Switzerland, and Austria), which was published in 2023.

AWTI Advies In dienst van de toekomst- Een handreiking voor transformatiegericht beleid (2025)

Cases

AWTI Advies In dienst van de toekomst – Van optimalisatie naar transformatie (2023)

Gezamenlijke AWTI-VARIO Landenstudie Transformatiegericht Innovatiebeleid (2023)

VARIO Advies 35 en Achtergrondrapport Transformatiegericht Innovatiebeleid (2024)

VARIO Advies 39 De dynamiek van creatieve destructie als hefboom voor internationaal ambitieus ondernemen (2025)