1. Understanding the challenges of decarbonisation and the innovation needed to address them

INNOPATHS will analyse the insights generated by previous low-carbon scenarios and pathway studies to identify the major challenges to the energy transition and the innovations that will be required to address them.

2. Presenting a detailed assessment of low-carbon technologies, their uncertainties, future prospects and system characteristics

INNOPATHS will undertake a comprehensive assessment of how low-carbon technologies have and may develop, and what role new technologies may play in the low-carbon transition. Results will be presented in an online ‘Technology Matrix’.

3. Proposing policy and innovation system reforms that will help the EU and Member States meet their greenhouse gas emission reduction targets

INNOPATHS will generate an in-depth understanding of how the EU and national innovation systems and policy frameworks influence the decarbonisation of key sectors. This understanding will be incorporated in an online ‘Policy Assessment Framework’.

4. Creating new, co-designed deep decarbonisation pathways with novel representation of policy and innovation process for low-carbon technology development

INNOPATHS will engage with a wide range of stakeholders to ‘co-design’ new low-carbon energy-economy scenarios, aided by an online ‘Decarbonisation Simulator’, to ensure consistency with ‘real-world’ energy system challenges and opportunities. Results will be made accessible through an online, interactive ‘Low-Carbon Pathways Platform’.

5. Making clear the social, economic and environmental dimensions of the low-carbon transition and how they can be managed

INNOPATHS will make explicit the economic, social and environmental impacts of these low-carbon pathways, and propose how innovative solutions in policy, law, regulation and institutional change can overcome the barriers to and maximise the benefits from the low-carbon transition.