The role of municipal governments in the sustainability transition – research and experimentation

The study analyzed 452 grants awarded to nine Swedish cities, finding an exponential increase in municipal participation in research projects over the last decade. While cities are engaging across a wider variety of sectors—most notably climate and resource efficiency—and themes like digitalization, they are less frequently in leading roles compared to 2011. The research highlights a persistent underrepresentation of civil society in these consortia, which remain dominated by industry, government, and academia.

• Between 2011 and 2020, there was an exponential increase in the number of research projects involving the nine sampled Swedish municipal governments, growing from 13 projects in 2011 to 57 new projects awarded in 2020.
• Municipal governments are taking a leading role in fewer projects over time; in 2011, 31% of projects were led by municipalities, but by 2020, this figure dropped to 19%.
• The 'climate and resource efficiency' sector is the primary focus of these projects, accounting for 86 of the 452 projects and receiving the highest funding at 417 million SEK.
• Digitalization is the most frequent theme across projects, appearing in 120 of 452 projects and receiving the highest thematic funding of 445 million SEK.
• Project consortia have become more complex and larger, increasing from an average of 7 organizations in 2011 to 8 in 2020, while average funding per project and per partner has decreased substantially.
• Civil society is consistently underrepresented in research consortia, remaining a marginal participant (averaging 1 to 3% in Swedish Innovation Agency projects) and showing particular absence in sectors like 'care, education and wellbeing' and themes like 'inclusion and citizen participation'.

APA

F., V., & J., J. (2021). The role of municipal governments in the sustainability transition – research and experimentation. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/conference-paper-cities-and-experimentation-innovate4cities-final.pdf

Chicago

F., Vanhuyse,, and Jokiaho, J. The role of municipal governments in the sustainability transition – research and experimentation. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2021. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/conference-paper-cities-and-experimentation-innovate4cities-final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=F. |first1=Vanhuyse, |last2=J. |first2=Jokiaho, |title=The role of municipal governments in the sustainability transition – research and experimentation |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2021 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/conference-paper-cities-and-experimentation-innovate4cities-final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{f2021role, author = {F., Vanhuyse, and J., Jokiaho,}, title = {{The role of municipal governments in the sustainability transition – research and experimentation}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/conference-paper-cities-and-experimentation-innovate4cities-final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }