What does it actually mean for an innovation to be transformative?
An analysis of 344 EU-funded projects reveals an important gap between ambition and transformation.
More than half of the projects analysed mainly focus on adapting existing systems rather than fundamentally changing them. Biodiversity is addressed in 36.6% of projects, but is often not a central driver of transformation. And while different aspects of equity appear across the projects, distributive equity – the fair distribution of resources, power and benefits – was explicitly addressed by only one project out of 344.
Perhaps most strikingly, only 3.2% of the projects connect all three spheres of transformation: personal, practical and political change.
These findings point towards what we call the transformation gap.
Biodiversity, equity and transformation are all receiving attention – but too often separately. Projects may develop new technologies, build capabilities, influence policy or encourage behavioural change without connecting these interventions into a broader process of systemic transformation.
TRD2 helps initiatives explore where they currently stand across Transformation, Equity and Biodiversity, making strengths and blind spots visible and opening up a conversation about what would be needed to move towards more genuinely transformative change.
Our new infographic visualises the gaps identified across the 344 projects – and why connecting these dimensions matters.
