Resource-making in research and development: Governance and Power in designing research for sustainable mineral-material uses

Natural to built environment, mineral resources to high-performance materials: Transformations of matter shape life.

Socio-technical imaginaries direct these transformations: they inform and shape trajectories of research and innovation (R&I).

Research on imaginaries to support socio-economic system transformations towards sustainable mineral uses is timely and important: The conversion of natural resources into commodities originates in imaginaries that need unpacking to address them with next generations in the context of enabling resource efficiency and sustainable raw material uses.

This is the aim of this interdisciplinary project: Funded research projects with innovation goals will be examined by conceptualizing a Global Value Chain (GVC) of R&I drawing on GVC literature, the Science and Technology Studies (STS) concept of socio-technical imaginaries and the Innovation Studies (IS) concept of global pipelines.

The specific objectives are (O1a) to conceptualize the GVC of R&I, (O1b) to map decision-making on research design, and (O1c) to explore imaginaries in decision-making on research design, to then demonstrate (O2a) how imaginaries operate, i.e. with which power in GVC governance, and with which outcome on (O2b) innovations and (O2c) mineral-based material uses.The research methodology uses a GVC framework and addresses state-of-the-art GVC research moving beyond static units of analysis by examining linkages among GVC participants, and exploring power in GVC governance.Empirically, decision-making in designing research will be traced in reverse chronological order: from project implementation to the original project idea.

This will provide data on power in governance structures.

With this knowledge, the EC Ecodesign Directive extension can be informed and the Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) indicator on governance can be adapted for future research design-related decision-making. These are central concerns in my research and career plan.