Competing Green: An Evidence-to-Action Workshop on Innovation and International Competitiveness

As green policies reshape the competitive landscape for international firms, important questions remain about when regulatory pressure drives commercially valuable innovation and how such innovation can be scaled across international markets. This interactive workshop will bring together members of the academic community with policymakers, researchers and business practitioners to explore these issues. Participants will examine how different combinations of market-based and non-market policy instruments influence innovation; which firm capabilities enable regulatory pressures to be transformed into commercially viable technologies, products and business opportunities; and how standards, finance, investment promotion and industrial policy can support the deployment and commercialisation of green innovation across borders while delivering environmental and social benefits. Drawing on emerging research and participants’ expertise, the workshop will seek to identify priority evidence gaps, practical barriers facing firms, actionable policy insights, and avenues for follow-on research and collaboration. The discussion will also help inform UNCTAD’s ongoing work and the outcomes of WIF26 by advancing evidence-based approaches to green innovation, international competitiveness and sustainable development.