Prof. Dr. Nicola Ursina Blum

Project Lead in Applied Research and Innovation Projects Project lead for diverse research initiatives, with a particular focus on Innosuisse-funded projects and collaborative innovation formats. Current activities include leading contributions to the Future Urban Society Innovation Booster and the Innosuisse Flagship Project SWIRCULAR, which advances digital approaches for circular construction.

Lecturer in Social Innovation, Social Entrepreneurship, and the Circular Economy Development and leadership of multiple undergraduate and graduate-level courses at the intersection of social innovation, social entrepreneurship, and circular economy. Teaching focuses on equipping students with conceptual frameworks, applied methods, and critical perspectives to design, evaluate, and scale solutions for complex societal and environmental challenges.

Circular economy

Social entrepreneurship including start-up coaching

Diffusion of social and technological innovations

Master Circular Innovation and Sustainability

Bachelor Business Administration

Social innovation & entrepreneurship

Social innovation & entrepreneurship

Kreislaufwirtschaft im Bausektor

Kreislaufwirtschaft im Bausektor

Social Innovation: How can social innovations be more widely embedded to support the sustainability transformation in the economy, society, and politics?
Ongoing Project Activities: Core team of the Future Urban Society Innovation Booster (see below)

Circular Economy: How Can We Facilitate the Transformation? With a Special Focus on Monetary Aspects.
Ongoing Project Activities: Co-lead of Subproject 7 of the Innosuisse Flagship SWIRCULAR (see below)

Future Urban Society Innovation Booster

Desing, H., & Blum, N. U. (2023). On Circularity, Complexity and (Elements of) Hope. In Journal of Circular Economy (Vol. 1, Issue 1). https://doi.org/10.24451/arbor.21767

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Blum, N. U., Haupt, M., & Bening, C. R. (2020). Why “Circular” doesn’t always mean “Sustainable.” In Resources, Conservation and Recycling (Vol. 162). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.24451/arbor.21769

Blum, N. U., Bening, C. R., & Schmidt, T. S. (2015). An analysis of remote electric mini-grids in Laos using the Technological Innovation Systems approach. In Technological Forecasting and Social Change (Vol. 95). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.24451/arbor.21770

Bening, C. R., Pruess, J. T., & Blum, N. U. (2021). Towards a circular plastics economy: Interacting barriers and contested solutions for flexible packaging recycling. In Journal of Cleaner Production (Vol. 302). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.24451/arbor.21768

Schmidt, T. S., Blum, N. U., & Sryantoro Wakeling, R. (2013). Attracting private investments into rural electrification — A case study on renewable energy based village grids in Indonesia. In Energy for Sustainable Development (Vol. 17, Issue 6). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.24451/arbor.21772

Bening, C. R., Blum, N. U., & Schmidt, T. S. (2015). The need to increase the policy relevance of the functional approach to Technological Innovation Systems (TIS). In Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions (Vol. 16). https://doi.org/10.24451/arbor.21771

Kulakovskaya, A., Knoeri, C., Radke, F., & Blum, N. U. (2023). Measuring the Economic Impacts of a Circular Economy: an Evaluation of Indicators. In Circular Economy and Sustainability (Vol. 3, Issue 2). https://doi.org/10.24451/arbor.21766

Blum, N. U., Sryantoro Wakeling, R., & Schmidt, T. S. (2013). Rural electrification through village grids: Assessing the cost competitiveness of isolated renewable energy technologies in Indonesia. In Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (Vol. 22). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.24451/arbor.21774

Blum, N. U., Müller, B., Sägesser, A., & Dey, P. (2024). Towards a systemic ecosystem perspective on the mainstreaming of innovative eco-social practices. 16th International Social Innovation Research Conference (ISIRC). https://doi.org/10.24451/arbor.22177

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Member of scaling4good, a Swiss charitable think-and-do tank dedicated to accelerating societal transformation and scaling initiatives that contribute to human flourishing within planetary boundaries.

Board member of Foundation for the Third Millennium, contributing to the strategic development of a Swiss foundation. The foundation is committed to holistic sustainability, social justice, environmental protection, health, and economic independence.

Board member of Suivi, the alumni association of the Swiss Study Foundation, contributing to alumni engagement, event coordination, and the continued development of a cross-disciplinary network of former foundation scholars.