Towards implementation: Guidelines on effective development of non-tech solutions finalized for ‘MAGPIE’ project

In Work Package 7, Erasmus UPT has partnered with 11 other organizations to develop 8 non-tech innovations to accelerate the implementation of zero-emission technological and logistical solutions at European ports

This report aims to devise a guideline for the effective operationalization of the nontechnological solutions with respect to green innovation in the port sector. Inspiration was gained from research and discussion within the work package partners. The resulting assessment system offers both an approach to evaluating the effectiveness of the non-technological solutions with respect to green innovation in the port sector, as well as a guideline on how to design and implement these solutions. To this end, the guideline puts forth several steps and questions that should be undertaken at various stages of the design, implementation, and evaluation stages of innovation.

1. Firstly, the objectives of the non-technological solution and barriers encountered should be identified and defined. An explanation should be offered on how, where and for whom it will be implemented. These questions provide a baseline for the case being studied, hence setting the foundation for the design and execution phase.
2. Secondly, questions should be asked on what to monitor and how to bring a non-technological solution further into a well-working environment.
3. Thirdly, the intended and unintended results from the innovation should be reviewed with feedback taken from the stakeholders and the beneficiaries involved. It should be justified whether the chosen non-technological solution makes the best possible use of available resources to achieve the desired results.
4. Fourthly, it would be essential to review why the outcomes of the non-technological solutions are successful or not and to understand the underlying factors causing this effect in the short, medium, and long term. This would help in determining the causal relationship and understanding the direct influence of the measure on the success or failure of the process.
5. Finally, the synthesis of the results from the previous sections should be debated.

The key questions are grouped into eight categories and further classified into five thematic groups. The thematic groups are titled 'Baseline Information', 'Design Phase & Execution Phase', 'Result Evaluation & Feedback', 'Further Insights' and 'Way Forward'. A set of methodological tools is proposed to provide an appropriate means for answering the questions and meeting the objectives of this report. It is worth mentioning that the proposed tools are tentative at this stage and may be replaced by other tools depending on the non-technological solutions.

Download the report below!