The Jatropha plant was promoted to farmers in Kenya as a plant which would produce fuel while helping them out of poverty. The promoters of the plant created expectations among farmers and key decision-makers alike that the plant could grow anywhere and needed low maintenance. As farmers took up the crop, it bacame clear that the plant would not perform as expected, and that the expectations created were baseless. This is an exploratory thesis based on a literature review. Part of the Jatropha Value Chain in Kenya is looked at in order to identify and present the different actors and their roles in this technical experiment. A multi-level Strategic Niche analysis is then done to analyze the spread of Jatropha activities in the country, and why a technological niche was not created. This is based mainly on an analysis of the landscape, the regimes, and the so-called three internal niche processes. Three main conclusions are drawn. Firstly, the plant was introduced at a time when there was no legal and institutional ramework to allow the technological niche to develop. Secondly, there was no prior research and development on the plant in Kenya's agro-climatic conditions. Lastly, even if Kenyan Jatropha smallholders were to produce sufficient yields, the Value Chain in Kenya does not contain a well-developed market for their produce.

Aviation biofuel is technically viable and nearing the commercial stage. In the last 5 years aviation biofuel has moved from relative obscurity to become fully certified for commercial use in up to 50% blends with standard jet fuel. There have since been 15 successful commercial flight tests using aviation biofuels including Lufthansa s six month trial operating on a passenger revenue generating route in 2011. Airlines and biofuel companies such as British Airways and Solena are furthermore beginning to form partnerships to finance specialised aviation biofuel production facilities. However, aviation biofuels have yet to become widely commercialised. In fact, there are a series of issues preventing the emergence, development and uptake of aviation biofuels. The main issues are perceived as high costs of manufacture, limited availability of feedstocks, controversy surrounding the effect on food prices and the emissions output from land use change. Furthermore, there is a significant lack of academic peer reviewed literature which investigates these issues or offers solutions to support the development of the technology. This thesis aims to investigate the factors that affect the emergence, development and uptake of aviation biofuels by drawing upon in-depth stakeholder interviews and survey data. Strategic niche management (SNM) theory is used and extended to analyse the contemporary issues and develop recommendations to support the continued emergence, development and uptake of aviation biofuels. It is concluded that the emergence, development and uptake is being driven mainly by rising jet fuel prices, growing concern regarding aviation emissions legislation and fuel (in)security. Airlines, biofuel producers and specialised supply chain companies are driving emergence, development and uptake due to commercial opportunities. Despite these drivers, the emergence, development and uptake is being constrained by a combination of ineffective policy provision, high costs of production, limited feedstocks and uncertainty surrounding sustainability. Ineffective and unsuitable policy is exacerbating the issues of high production costs, limited feedstocks and sustainability. In particular, competition between aviation and road biofuels is limiting aviation biofuel expansion. Recommendations are to develop nurtured niche markets for aviation biofuels using principles from SNM. Within these markets, aviation biofuels are afforded commercial viability in order to learn about supply chain development, longer term infrastructural requirements and technological development. Information should be shared between the niche markets in order to maximise learning by doing and speed up efficiency gains. Once niche markets are established, the incentives and protection should be gradually reduced to allow a competitive aviation biofuel industry to develop.

O mercado internacional de biocombustíveis tem se expandido muito rapidamente devido às questões e preocupações ambientais, econômicas e geopolíticas. O negócio de biocombustíveis pode oferecer oportunidades para os países em desenvolvimento de modo que eles possam produzir o seu próprio combustível de transporte, reduzir os seus gastos energéticos, criar novos empregos para suas economias rurais e por último desenvolver os seus mercados externos. Atualmente já existem muitas fontes de biocombustíveis sendo exploradas/utilizadas. Mas o interesse pelas culturas energéticas não-alimentares tem crescido bastante e dentro destas a Jatropha curcas tem sido realçada como uma possível fonte de biodiesel por causa das suas características de crescer em terras pobres, degradadas sobre condições extremas, de requerer pouca umidade e resultar em colheitas produtivas. Devido ao fato da J. curcas ser bem adaptável a condição árida e semi-aridas de muitos paises em desenvolvimento, e diante do promissor mercado internacional de biocombustivel, vários paises Africanos e Asiáticos tem aproveitado oportunidades do comercio de biodiesel através da exploração dos benefícios da produção e comercio da Jatropha em larga escala. Embora ela já tenha sido amplamente cultivada como cerca viva, pouco se sabe sobre seus aspectos agronômicos para a produção de biocombustivel. Acrescentando, muitas das espécies da Jatropha são conhecidas como altamente plantas tóxicas e o seu cultivo pode ser a causa de muitas preocupações em relação à segurança alimentar e saúde publica. Este estudo pretendeu analisar os desafios e as oportunidades do cultivo da Jatropha em larga escala em paises em desenvolvidos para produção de biodiesel orientada para exportação, respondendo assim as seguintes perguntas: como o biodiesel da Jatropha produzido em paises em desenvolvimento pode ser aceite pelo potencial mercado internacional e se existe qualquer preocupação quanto a sua produção em larga extensão. Aplicou-se o referencial teórico da Strategic Niche Management (SNM) para analisar as experiências sócio-tecnologicas da produção de biodiesel na Índia, sendo esta escolhida como estudo de caso devido ao fato de ela ser atualmente a líder mundial no cultivo da Jatropha em escala industrial. Os projetos Indianos avaliados/analisados foram selecionados de base de dados eletrônica on-line e através de relatórios de pesquisa publicados. Eles foram descritos e analisados de acordo com os processos de criação de nicho quanto a praticas agronômicas para avaliar o estado atual do cultivo da Jatropha dentro da sua cadeia produtiva. Constatou-se que as espécies da Jatropha oferecem oportunidades reais para os prospectivos paises exportadores de biocombustiveis. Mas antes de se engrenar na produção da Jatropha em larga escala, experiências plausíveis tem de ser realizadas com a participação de todos agentes interessados. Eles devem estar envolvidos na formação de rede de agentes, nos processos de aprendizagem através de tentativas e erro, e especialmente as suas expectativas devem ser construídas/baseadas em cima de dados realmente científicos e não em previsões/projeções meramente comerciais. Alem disso, deve-se considerar que o acesso aos mercados desenvolvidos esta crescentemente dependente de sistemas de certificações que levam em conta certas condições especificas sociais e ambientais da produção agrícola na qual todos os paises produtores de biocombustiveis deverão cumprir. / The international biofuel market has been expanding rapidly due to environmental, economic and geopolitical concerns and issues. The biofuel business can offer opportunities for developing countries to produce their own domestic transportation fuels, cut their energy costs, create new jobs in their rural economies, and ultimately build their export markets. There are many biofuel feedstocks being exploited. The interest on non-food energy crops is increasing, and among these Jatropha curcas has been highlighted as a possible source of biodiesel due to its characteristics of growing on barren, eroded lands under harsh climatic conditions, demanding low moisture and in resulting productive harvests. Because J. curcas is well adapted to the arid land and semi-arid conditions of many developing countries, and in face of the promising international biofuel market, several African and Asian countries are seizing biodiesel trade opportunities through exploitation of the benefits of large-scale production and trade of Jatropha. Though it has been widely cultivated in the tropics as a living fence, little is known about the agronomics of this crop for biofuel production. In addition, many Jatropha species are known as highly toxic plants and its cultivation might be a cause of some concerns, regarding food safety and public health. This study is aimed at analyzing the challenges and opportunities of large-scale Jatropha cultivation in developing countries for biodiesel export by addressing the questions how can Jatropha biodiesel be accepted by the potential international market and whether there should be any concerns about cultivating it in large extension. The Strategic Niche Management (SNM) framework was applied to analyze sociotechnological experiments of Jatropha biodiesel production in India, as a case study because this country is currently the world leader in when it comes to cultivate Jatropha on industrial scale. The analyzed Indian projects were selected from on-line electronic data basis and from published research reports. They were described and analyzed according to the niche creation process in relation to agronomic practices to assess the current state of Jatropha cultivation in its production chain. It was found out that Jatropha species offer real opportunities for prospective biofuel-export countries. However, before engaging into large-scale cultivation of Jatropha in developing countries considerable experiments ought to be made with the participation of all stakeholders. They ought to be involved in actor network, learning process trough trial and error, and especially, their expectations should be built on real scientific data and not merely on commercial forecasts. Furthermore, it is to be considered that the access to developed markets is increasingly dependent upon certification systems which take into account certain specific environmental and social, agricultural production conditions which all the biofuel producing countries would be required to fulfil.

O mercado internacional de biocombustíveis tem se expandido muito rapidamente devido às questões e preocupações ambientais, econômicas e geopolíticas. O negócio de biocombustíveis pode oferecer oportunidades para os países em desenvolvimento de modo que eles possam produzir o seu próprio combustível de transporte, reduzir os seus gastos energéticos, criar novos empregos para suas economias rurais e por último desenvolver os seus mercados externos. Atualmente já existem muitas fontes de biocombustíveis sendo exploradas/utilizadas. Mas o interesse pelas culturas energéticas não-alimentares tem crescido bastante e dentro destas a Jatropha curcas tem sido realçada como uma possível fonte de biodiesel por causa das suas características de crescer em terras pobres, degradadas sobre condições extremas, de requerer pouca umidade e resultar em colheitas produtivas. Devido ao fato da J. curcas ser bem adaptável a condição árida e semi-aridas de muitos paises em desenvolvimento, e diante do promissor mercado internacional de biocombustivel, vários paises Africanos e Asiáticos tem aproveitado oportunidades do comercio de biodiesel através da exploração dos benefícios da produção e comercio da Jatropha em larga escala. Embora ela já tenha sido amplamente cultivada como cerca viva, pouco se sabe sobre seus aspectos agronômicos para a produção de biocombustivel. Acrescentando, muitas das espécies da Jatropha são conhecidas como altamente plantas tóxicas e o seu cultivo pode ser a causa de muitas preocupações em relação à segurança alimentar e saúde publica. Este estudo pretendeu analisar os desafios e as oportunidades do cultivo da Jatropha em larga escala em paises em desenvolvidos para produção de biodiesel orientada para exportação, respondendo assim as seguintes perguntas: como o biodiesel da Jatropha produzido em paises em desenvolvimento pode ser aceite pelo potencial mercado internacional e se existe qualquer preocupação quanto a sua produção em larga extensão. Aplicou-se o referencial teórico da Strategic Niche Management (SNM) para analisar as experiências sócio-tecnologicas da produção de biodiesel na Índia, sendo esta escolhida como estudo de caso devido ao fato de ela ser atualmente a líder mundial no cultivo da Jatropha em escala industrial. Os projetos Indianos avaliados/analisados foram selecionados de base de dados eletrônica on-line e através de relatórios de pesquisa publicados. Eles foram descritos e analisados de acordo com os processos de criação de nicho quanto a praticas agronômicas para avaliar o estado atual do cultivo da Jatropha dentro da sua cadeia produtiva. Constatou-se que as espécies da Jatropha oferecem oportunidades reais para os prospectivos paises exportadores de biocombustiveis. Mas antes de se engrenar na produção da Jatropha em larga escala, experiências plausíveis tem de ser realizadas com a participação de todos agentes interessados. Eles devem estar envolvidos na formação de rede de agentes, nos processos de aprendizagem através de tentativas e erro, e especialmente as suas expectativas devem ser construídas/baseadas em cima de dados realmente científicos e não em previsões/projeções meramente comerciais. Alem disso, deve-se considerar que o acesso aos mercados desenvolvidos esta crescentemente dependente de sistemas de certificações que levam em conta certas condições especificas sociais e ambientais da produção agrícola na qual todos os paises produtores de biocombustiveis deverão cumprir. / The international biofuel market has been expanding rapidly due to environmental, economic and geopolitical concerns and issues. The biofuel business can offer opportunities for developing countries to produce their own domestic transportation fuels, cut their energy costs, create new jobs in their rural economies, and ultimately build their export markets. There are many biofuel feedstocks being exploited. The interest on non-food energy crops is increasing, and among these Jatropha curcas has been highlighted as a possible source of biodiesel due to its characteristics of growing on barren, eroded lands under harsh climatic conditions, demanding low moisture and in resulting productive harvests. Because J. curcas is well adapted to the arid land and semi-arid conditions of many developing countries, and in face of the promising international biofuel market, several African and Asian countries are seizing biodiesel trade opportunities through exploitation of the benefits of large-scale production and trade of Jatropha. Though it has been widely cultivated in the tropics as a living fence, little is known about the agronomics of this crop for biofuel production. In addition, many Jatropha species are known as highly toxic plants and its cultivation might be a cause of some concerns, regarding food safety and public health. This study is aimed at analyzing the challenges and opportunities of large-scale Jatropha cultivation in developing countries for biodiesel export by addressing the questions how can Jatropha biodiesel be accepted by the potential international market and whether there should be any concerns about cultivating it in large extension. The Strategic Niche Management (SNM) framework was applied to analyze sociotechnological experiments of Jatropha biodiesel production in India, as a case study because this country is currently the world leader in when it comes to cultivate Jatropha on industrial scale. The analyzed Indian projects were selected from on-line electronic data basis and from published research reports. They were described and analyzed according to the niche creation process in relation to agronomic practices to assess the current state of Jatropha cultivation in its production chain. It was found out that Jatropha species offer real opportunities for prospective biofuel-export countries. However, before engaging into large-scale cultivation of Jatropha in developing countries considerable experiments ought to be made with the participation of all stakeholders. They ought to be involved in actor network, learning process trough trial and error, and especially, their expectations should be built on real scientific data and not merely on commercial forecasts. Furthermore, it is to be considered that the access to developed markets is increasingly dependent upon certification systems which take into account certain specific environmental and social, agricultural production conditions which all the biofuel producing countries would be required to fulfil.

O mercado internacional de biocombustíveis tem se expandido muito rapidamente devido às questões e preocupações ambientais, econômicas e geopolíticas. O negócio de biocombustíveis pode oferecer oportunidades para os países em desenvolvimento de modo que eles possam produzir o seu próprio combustível de transporte, reduzir os seus gastos energéticos, criar novos empregos para suas economias rurais e por último desenvolver os seus mercados externos. Atualmente já existem muitas fontes de biocombustíveis sendo exploradas/utilizadas. Mas o interesse pelas culturas energéticas não-alimentares tem crescido bastante e dentro destas a Jatropha curcas tem sido realçada como uma possível fonte de biodiesel por causa das suas características de crescer em terras pobres, degradadas sobre condições extremas, de requerer pouca umidade e resultar em colheitas produtivas. Devido ao fato da J. curcas ser bem adaptável a condição árida e semi-aridas de muitos paises em desenvolvimento, e diante do promissor mercado internacional de biocombustivel, vários paises Africanos e Asiáticos tem aproveitado oportunidades do comercio de biodiesel através da exploração dos benefícios da produção e comercio da Jatropha em larga escala. Embora ela já tenha sido amplamente cultivada como cerca viva, pouco se sabe sobre seus aspectos agronômicos para a produção de biocombustivel. Acrescentando, muitas das espécies da Jatropha são conhecidas como altamente plantas tóxicas e o seu cultivo pode ser a causa de muitas preocupações em relação à segurança alimentar e saúde publica. Este estudo pretendeu analisar os desafios e as oportunidades do cultivo da Jatropha em larga escala em paises em desenvolvidos para produção de biodiesel orientada para exportação, respondendo assim as seguintes perguntas: como o biodiesel da Jatropha produzido em paises em desenvolvimento pode ser aceite pelo potencial mercado internacional e se existe qualquer preocupação quanto a sua produção em larga extensão. Aplicou-se o referencial teórico da Strategic Niche Management (SNM) para analisar as experiências sócio-tecnologicas da produção de biodiesel na Índia, sendo esta escolhida como estudo de caso devido ao fato de ela ser atualmente a líder mundial no cultivo da Jatropha em escala industrial. Os projetos Indianos avaliados/analisados foram selecionados de base de dados eletrônica on-line e através de relatórios de pesquisa publicados. Eles foram descritos e analisados de acordo com os processos de criação de nicho quanto a praticas agronômicas para avaliar o estado atual do cultivo da Jatropha dentro da sua cadeia produtiva. Constatou-se que as espécies da Jatropha oferecem oportunidades reais para os prospectivos paises exportadores de biocombustiveis. Mas antes de se engrenar na produção da Jatropha em larga escala, experiências plausíveis tem de ser realizadas com a participação de todos agentes interessados. Eles devem estar envolvidos na formação de rede de agentes, nos processos de aprendizagem através de tentativas e erro, e especialmente as suas expectativas devem ser construídas/baseadas em cima de dados realmente científicos e não em previsões/projeções meramente comerciais. Alem disso, deve-se considerar que o acesso aos mercados desenvolvidos esta crescentemente dependente de sistemas de certificações que levam em conta certas condições especificas sociais e ambientais da produção agrícola na qual todos os paises produtores de biocombustiveis deverão cumprir. / The international biofuel market has been expanding rapidly due to environmental, economic and geopolitical concerns and issues. The biofuel business can offer opportunities for developing countries to produce their own domestic transportation fuels, cut their energy costs, create new jobs in their rural economies, and ultimately build their export markets. There are many biofuel feedstocks being exploited. The interest on non-food energy crops is increasing, and among these Jatropha curcas has been highlighted as a possible source of biodiesel due to its characteristics of growing on barren, eroded lands under harsh climatic conditions, demanding low moisture and in resulting productive harvests. Because J. curcas is well adapted to the arid land and semi-arid conditions of many developing countries, and in face of the promising international biofuel market, several African and Asian countries are seizing biodiesel trade opportunities through exploitation of the benefits of large-scale production and trade of Jatropha. Though it has been widely cultivated in the tropics as a living fence, little is known about the agronomics of this crop for biofuel production. In addition, many Jatropha species are known as highly toxic plants and its cultivation might be a cause of some concerns, regarding food safety and public health. This study is aimed at analyzing the challenges and opportunities of large-scale Jatropha cultivation in developing countries for biodiesel export by addressing the questions how can Jatropha biodiesel be accepted by the potential international market and whether there should be any concerns about cultivating it in large extension. The Strategic Niche Management (SNM) framework was applied to analyze sociotechnological experiments of Jatropha biodiesel production in India, as a case study because this country is currently the world leader in when it comes to cultivate Jatropha on industrial scale. The analyzed Indian projects were selected from on-line electronic data basis and from published research reports. They were described and analyzed according to the niche creation process in relation to agronomic practices to assess the current state of Jatropha cultivation in its production chain. It was found out that Jatropha species offer real opportunities for prospective biofuel-export countries. However, before engaging into large-scale cultivation of Jatropha in developing countries considerable experiments ought to be made with the participation of all stakeholders. They ought to be involved in actor network, learning process trough trial and error, and especially, their expectations should be built on real scientific data and not merely on commercial forecasts. Furthermore, it is to be considered that the access to developed markets is increasingly dependent upon certification systems which take into account certain specific environmental and social, agricultural production conditions which all the biofuel producing countries would be required to fulfil.

Internet of things (IoT) and smart home are two popular subjects on which both the expectations and uncertainties are high. Regarding the smart home niche in Sweden, the market is not thriving in spite of the continuous development in technology. There is a deficiency on direct input from the actors in IoT and smart home ecosystems in the literature, which creates a gap between academia and practices in the field. The focus of this MSc thesis is to bridge this gap with the aim of exploring the emergence of IoT ecosystem, smart home ecosystem and the smart home niche in Sweden, in terms of actors’ involvement, visions and expected benefits, by using the lens of ecosystem and strategic niche management perspectives. A comprehensive literature review and two in-depth workshops are conducted involving various actors. After synthesizing the results, the conclusions are: neither the values in IoT and smart home ecosystems nor how the value networks are being shaped is clear for most of the actors; hence, they are reluctant to take initiative. End-users’ views on ‘smart home’ alter from one to another; yet, they all need to see smart home solutions meeting with their immediate needs. Today, the smart home niche in Sweden is slowly raising from the ashes of the late 1990s failed attempts, and it is mainly driven by different actors’ involvement in state-funded projects. / Sakernas internet (internet of things – IoT) och smarta hem är två växande ämnen där det både finns höga förväntningar och stor osäkerhet. Trots den tekniska utvecklingen på marknaden verkar denna nisch inte växa i Sverige. Bristen på direkt input från aktörer inom IoT och smarta hem i litteraturen skapar ett gap mellan akademin och praxis i detta område. Detta examensarbete fokuserar på att överbrygga denna klyfta i syfte att utforska framväxten av IoT-ekosystem, smarta hem-ekosystem och den smarta hemnischen i Sverige, när det gäller aktörers engagemang, vision och förväntade fördelar, genom att använda en ekosystemlins och strategiska nischhanteringsperspektiv. En omfattande litteratgenomgång och två fördjupade workshops har genomförts med olika aktörer. Efter att ha sammanställt resultaten är slutsatserna: varken värdena för IoT och smarta hemekosystem eller hur värdenätverket utformas är klart för de flesta aktörer, och därför är de motvilliga att ta initiativ. Konsumenternas bild av ”smarta hem” varierar, men trots det behöver de se smartahemprodukter och tjänster som kan möta deras omedelbara behov. I nuläget växter nischen för smarta hem i Sverige långsamt ur askan från det sena 1990-talets misslyckade försök, och den drivande kraften är framförallt olika aktörers deltagande i statligt finansierade projekt.

How can local governments in the absence of national regulations or incentive schemesmotivate private owners of post-war mass-housing for investments into ambitious retrofittingfor energy efficiency? The million-program houses’ lifecycle currently makes renovationsnecessary and this would be an excellent opportunity to realize an upgrading of their energyefficiencystatus. Private owners do however show no inclination to do so. An intertwinedarray of barriers towards energy-efficient renovation is explored in this study, while it seeks tofind out which new drivers are needed to overcome these barriers and create an intrinsicmotivation for the owners to undertake the anticipated investments. In an exploratory casestudy, these points are investigated in the context of the exemplifying case of the Bygga omDialogen project in Malmö, Sweden.Bygga om Dialogen, is reframing the situation of investments into energy-efficiency in abroader socio-economic context and thrives to create new drivers pushing the owners toundertake the investments via the tools of strategic niche management and reflexivegovernance. This study explores how a strategic niche management and reflexive governancecan be used to motivate a variety of stakeholders to scrutinize and reconsider theirassumptions of the renovation-business-case and how this can stimulate the owners to activelycontribute to the establishment of a new, innovative, cross-sectoral approach seeking torealize energy-efficient investments in the context of holistic sustainable development in theneighborhood of Lindängen. Additionally it is explored how strategic niche management canbe used to deal with the contextual, strategic and institutional uncertainties that the establishednetwork is facing. Ideally the vision of mutually realizing energy-efficient renovations as partof an inclusive socio-economic upgrading of the neighborhood, could act as a building blockand exemplifying case for similar neighborhoods nationwide- or even all over Europe.

This paper presents an analytical framework of governing innovative building practices at a municipal level based on conclusions drawn from the Strategic Niche Management (SNM) approach. The analytical framework viewed the Village House Block demonstration project and EnSURE transnational research collaboration as important facilitators to create the necessary conditions for governing innovation during the renovation of the outdated building stock located in the 3rd District Municipality of Budapest, Hungary. These necessary conditions were articulated in accordance with the three internal processes (the articulation of expectations and visions, the building of social networks and the fostering of learning processes) defined by SNM research. Additionally, the Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) methodology was considered as a viable tool to guide energy efficient urban development in the district. It was found in this research that the Village House Block renovation represented a local technological niche project during which the feasibility of active and passive building technology was tested. This study revealed that the necessary conditions for governing innovation were present in this project. EnSURE was a collaborative research project which did not represent a clear example of technological niche development. It was defined as an important initiative to collect and accumulate knowledge and experiences from local niche projects to create a strategic tool for supporting energy efficient urban development at the municipal level. In this case study, the tool was the Sustainable Energy Action Plan. Overall, it was found that the necessary conditions did not only appear in technological niche projects, such as the Village House Block demonstration project but also in other types of projects, such as EnSURE. Furthermore, it could be argued that the governance of innovative approaches requires an operational framework in which different projects are managed to create these necessary conditions for local technological niche development. At global niche-level, it was revealed that the SEAP or other action plan methodologies could offer a tool to utilise experiences gained from local niches to create an energy efficient urban development strategy. In practice, it was shown that the importance of experimentation with new technologies and the governance of innovation on a strategic way still in its infancy in the 3rd District.

Innovation is often assigned an important role in mitigating climate impact and achieving sustainable development. Stockholm city has ambitious sustainability goals and aims to be carbon neutral by 2040. This will require an increased capacity when it comes to promoting and implementing innovative sustainability solutions. Climate friendly innovations need to move from environmental profile projects to the new “business as usual”.  The aim of this study is to contribute with knowledge about innovation processes within sustainable development and how they can be promoted.   Strategic Niche Management (SNM) is a model which was developed to support a transition to sustainable development by promoting sustainability innovations. SNM suggests a number of hypotheses regarding important features of successful innovation niches, factors that will increase the potential of innovations to be developed, implemented and spread. Stockholm Biochar project is an innovative project which has received attention for its success and potential to contribute to sustainable development by reducing the city’s net carbon emissions. A case study of the Stockholm Biochar project has been conducted to identify how the project emerged and the main success factors for its development. The case study was complemented with an interview study with personnel from Vinnova, the Swedish innovation agency, focusing on their experience of success factors for innovation processes. SNM:s hypotheses has then been used to analyze the result of the case study, which was also compared to the result of the Vinnova-study. The analysis to a large extent confirms SNM:s hypotheses, regarding what factors contribute to a successful innovation niche, but also provide some specifications and elaborations on what these hypotheses mean in this specific case. This result is used to suggest possible complements to the SNM hypotheses that can be useful in contexts similar to the one studied. The result also points out important success factors that are not covered by the hypotheses suggested in SNM. Particularly the case study shows the important role of passionate enthusiasts as driving forces for innovation processes which is not pointed out in SNM hypotheses. The identified success factors, in combination with the complemented hypotheses, are used to formulate recommendations for how an organization can promote innovation processes within sustainable development. In short, the study shows that successful innovation processes require assigned resources, commitment and strategic work, e.g. visions with clearly stated sustainability goals, continuous evaluations on how innovations are contributing to these goals, active measures for gaining support for the innovation on multiple levels in society, and financial space for the development of innovations. The study also confirms the function of protected innovation niches and suggests that passionate enthusiasts have a significant role in innovations processes. / Innovation och ny teknik tillskrivs ofta en betydelsefull roll för att minska klimatpåverkan och bidra till hållbar utveckling. Stockholms stad har ambitiösa hållbarhetsmål och staden ska bland annat vara koldioxidneutral år 2040. För att uppnå detta har staden identifierat ett behov av ökad förmåga att främja, tillvarata och sprida innovationer som bidrar till hållbar utveckling. Klimatsmarta innovationer behöver gå från spjutspetsprojekt till att bli det nya ”business as usual”.  Syftet med dennastudie är att bidra med kunskap om hur innovationsprocesser inom hållbar stadsutveckling fungerar och hur dessa kan främjas.   Strategic Niche Mangament (SNM) är en modell som har utvecklats för att stödja en omställning till hållbar utveckling genom att just främja innovationsprocesser. SNM presenterar ett antal hypoteser angående vad som bidrar till framgångsrika innovationsnischer, faktorer som skapar gynnsamma förutsättningar för innovationer att utvecklas, implementeras och spridas. Ett innovationsprojekt som fått stor uppmärksamhet för dess framgång och potential att bidra till hållbar utveckling är Stockholms biokolsprojekt. En fallstudie av Biokolsprojektet har därför genomförts för att identifiera hur projektet uppstod och vad som hittills utgjort viktiga framgångsfaktorer. Detta har kompletterats med en intervjustudie med personal från Vinnova med fokus på deras erfarenhet av framgångsfaktorer för innovationsprocesser. SNM:s hypoteser har sedan använts för att analysera resultatet av fallstudien, som även jämförs med resultatet från Vinnovastudien. Resultatet bekräftar i stor utsträckning SNM:s hypoteser men visar också mer konkret vad hypoteserna inneburit i det specifika fallet. Utifrån detta föreslås en möjlig utveckling av hypoteserna som kan vara användbar i sammanhang som liknar det som studerats. Resultatet pekar också på viktiga framgångsfaktorer som inte omfattas av de hypoteser som föreslås i SNM. Framträdande bland dessa framgångsfaktorer är eldsjälars betydelse för innovationsprocesser vilket inte tas upp i SNM:s hypoteser. De identifierade framgångsfaktorerna och utvecklingen av SNM:s hypoteserhar använts för att formulera rekommendationer för hur en organisation kan främja innovationsprocesser inom hållbar utveckling.   Kortfattat visar studien att innovationsprocesser inom hållbar utveckling behöver avsatta resurser, engagemang och strategiskt arbete, t.ex. i form av visioner med tydliga hållbarhetsmål, uppföljning av hur innovationen bidrar till de målen, aktivt arbete för att skapa förankring för innovationen på olika nivåer i samhället, samt ekonomiskt utrymme för innovationer att utvecklas. Studien bekräftar också funktionen av skyddande innovationsnischer och visar på att eldsjälar har en viktig roll i innovationsprocesser.