Niche innovations for sustainability transitions: Creating and capturing multiple values

Our study explores the transformative role of innovations developed in fieldlabs in fostering sustainability transitions through the creation and capture of multiple values. Fieldlabs are collaborative platforms that have recently emerged in the Netherlands, serving as protected niches where transformative innovations are developed, tested, and scaled up. However, there is a gap in understanding how these innovations create, deliver, and capture multiple values, thereby contributing to sustainability transitions. To address this gap, we use a content analysis of over 450 fieldlab projects in the construction, energy, and health sectors. Using a theory elaboration approach, we examine the creation, capture, and assessment of multiple values, and we outline the business models that underpin these collaborative fieldlab innovations. The result of this analysis is the "Niche Innovations Impact Matrix" (NIIM), a framework to assess the multidimensional value contributions of these projects. This matrix, grounded in empirical evidence, serves as a tool to understand the impact of sustainable business models on addressing societal challenges, especially in the context of collaborative niches. Our findings highlight the potential of fieldlab innovations to catalyze the creation and capture of multiple values, providing actionable insights for policy makers, practitioners, and entrepreneurs. The research highlights the importance of reconceptualizing value in business models to drive sustainability transitions. It provides a nuanced understanding that challenges traditional frameworks and informs future strategies to address societal challenges.