Mapping the Innovation Ecosystems for the Deployment of Small Modular Reactors in Canada and Mexico. An Innovation Policy approach through Strategic Niche Management and Social Network Analysis

Abstract

The challenges that Small Modular Reactors (SMR) face for timely deployment delay their environmental and societal benefits. From a Public Policy perspective, the Strategic Niche Management (SNM) framework proposes interventions with protected spaces to determine the optimal conditions needed for successful deployment and creating policy accordingly while simultaneously consolidating a community of early adopters. To do so, policymakers need to 1) Identify potential niche sites considering their specific needs and match them with the type of SMR available to allocate resources strategically and modularly, and 2) be aware of the current status of their SMR Innovation Ecosystem, as to how the institutions driving the promotion of SMRs are structured define a country’s readiness for deployment. Social Network Analysis (SNA) is a robust methodology as this research project aims to analyze how these SMR Innovation Ecosystems are conformed in Mexico and Canada. The relations are represented in the form of undirected and unweighted ties for comparative analysis.