In collaboration with the Deep Transitions Lab and Eu-SPRI, the Transformative Innovation Policy Consortium (TIPC) gathered 150 policymakers, private investors, and academics for an Engagement Week in Barcelona earlier this month. Hosted by the Government of Catalonia, the event focused on forging partnerships and creating strategies to drive investments in long-term systemic transformation. 

Accelerating change through collaboration 

The event, which brought together experts from over 30 countries, centred around the theme ‘Scaling Experimentation: A Catalyst for Transformative System Change,’ offering a unique platform for dynamic exchange between public and private actors, emphasising the vital role investors play in addressing global challenges.  

Through thought-provoking learning workshops, expert panels, insights and experiences from various regions of the world, including Africa, Latin America, Asia, Australia and Europe, public and private actors worked side-by-side to uncover roadblocks, unpack learnings and explore novel strategies for long-term solutions. 

Professor Johan Schot, TIPC co-founder and academic lead, emphasised the power of such collaborations.

• ‘Public and private actors may operate under different financial models, but both sectors are driven by a shared commitment to create meaningful change. The realisation that business as usual is neither feasible nor profitable is gaining traction, and this event enables us to leverage our unique strengths to accelerate transformation.’  

Rethinking finance for systemic change  

Keynote speaker Hans Stegeman, chief economist at Triodos Bank, highlighted the importance of transformative finance, urging participants to go beyond conventional ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and impact investing models. ‘Transformative finance means directing capital towards initiatives that aim to reshape entire systems. Collaborating with academia allows us to deepen our understanding of how to invest in ways that drive faster, more profound transformations,’ Stegeman remarked. 

The event also explored the role of universities in supporting transformative investments, stressing the need for them to act as key partners in this endeavour through their knowledge and capacity-building efforts. 

Scaling experimentation for global impact  

A major theme of the event was scaling experimentation and tackling the issue of transformational failure, with participants reflecting on case studies from Catalonia, Colombia, Panama, South Africa, Sweden, etc. These examples revealed the necessity of context-specific strategies, especially in the Global South, where challenges like inequality require tailored approaches. Better coordination, access to funding, and alternative investment models were identified as critical factors for scaling successful experiments. 

Intergovernmental organisations such as the OECD, UNECE, and the European Commission played a vital role in discussions, offering insights on balancing top-down and bottom-up approaches to transformation. Additionally, the importance of citizen engagement and community-led initiatives was recognised, though participants acknowledged that these efforts need stronger support networks to achieve meaningful scale. 

Launch of the European TIP Hub 

A key highlight of the event was the launch of the European TIP Hub (TRIP-EuHub), a joint initiative between TIPC and Eu-SPRI. The TRIP-EuHub is designed to facilitate new approaches to research, evaluation, and capacity building by creating partnerships between research organisations and governments across Europe. 

These collaborations will enable transformative innovation policy experiments at local, national, and global levels, with members such as Ingenio, the Government of Catalonia, and Vinnova leading the way. The hub aligns with TIPC’s vision of fostering global learning through localised hubs, while avoiding a Europe-centric focus. 

As is the case with the work of TIPC’s existing Latin American hub and Transformative Innovation Africa Hub (TIAH), the results of experimentation and learnings arising from the TRIP-EuHub will be shared with the wider TIP community through the TIPC Resource Lab and our upcoming Open Learning Series events. 

Building new ambitions and alliances  

As the event concluded, policy and finance leaders from Austria, Panama, Sweden, South Africa, and the UK set new goals for advancing systemic change through their programs and investments. These new alliances will continue their work through TIPC and the Deep Transitions Lab, with concrete actions set to unfold in the coming months. 

In the weeks ahead, TIPC will share key insights and outcomes from the Engagement Week event. Subscribe to our Digital Digest and connect with us on LinkedIn to stay informed.