THE CULTURAL DIMENSION OF THE JUST TRANSITION PROCESSES: DEVELOPMENTAL EVALUATION OF THE OPEN INNOVATION PLATFORM IN LADA AND VELILLA DEL RIO CARRION

This article presents the work carried out by Agirre Lehendakaria Center (ALC) in a partnership with the “Innovation and Technology for Development” Center (itdUPM) and Iberdrola, for the implementation and monitoring of the Open Innovation Platform in Lada and Velilla de Río Carrión. The collaboration between the three organizations began in September 2020, one month after Iberdrola received the authorization for the closure of its coal-fired power plants in both territories. The Open Innovation Platform promotes and facilitates collaboration between citizens, public entities and companies, with the aim of fostering a just transition in the territories that are addressing the closure processes of Iberdrola’s coal-fired power plants, and to stimulate a sustainable transformation of the socioeconomic model of both territories. This article describes the approach applied in all its stages and the lessons learned from this collaborative process that can help and support other similar processes to address complex challenges from the developmental evaluation approach (Patton, 2006).