Knowledge production for sustainable bio-energy: an analysis of UK decision processes and priorities

In the UK policy context, the transition to a low-carbon economy is being envisaged through technological solutions which enhance the commercial use of knowledge in a competitive global market place. For analysing the role of bio-energy, this research project has the following objectives:

To identify the range of potential innovation pathways for bio-energy, as a basis to analyse variation, selection and retention of pathways as research priorities.
To analyse how institutions are linked in selecting bio-energy research priorities.
To develop a theoretical account of bio-energy research policy and its relation to shaping a low-carbon economy in the UK.
To engage with stakeholders involved in shaping research priorities for bio-energy, eg as participants, as critical supporters, and as potential end-users.
The main research question is:

How do discourses, practices and interests of techno-scientific knowledge figure in selecting national research priorities for sustainable bio-energy from a wider range of options?
Possible explanations lie in different actors' models of valuable knowledge, competitiveness, and environmental sustainability. These models will be analysed by combining three related theoretical approaches: Cultural Political Economy, Science and Technology Studies, and Critical Discourse Analysis.