The journey toward a climate-neutral Europe is no longer just a green ambition; it is a digital transformation. On February 4, 2026, the TWINRD project hosted its first online workshop, Policy and Technological Innovation Landscape, bringing together leading economists and policy experts to reveal how data-driven modelling is redefining the “Twin Transition“.
The event featured a deep dive into the project’s foundational research. The workshop opened with Ioannis Charalampidis (E3-Modelling), who outlined TWINRD’s ambition to rethink macroeconomic modelling for a rapidly evolving world. Bart Verspagen (UNU-MERIT) followed with a compelling analysis of global patent trends, while Carlo Sessa (ISINNOVA) guided participants through an emerging conceptual shift—from sustainability to regeneration.
Major Insights: Beyond Sustainability to Regeneration
A recurring theme throughout the workshop was the limitation of traditional economic models. Too often, green and digital transitions are treated as parallel processes—important, but disconnected. TWINRD challenges this view by introducing the concept of the “Ecodigital” synergy, in which digital innovation acts as the primary catalyst for a Regenerative Economy, one that goes beyond reducing harm toward net-positive environmental and social impacts.
Digital technologies become the driving force behind the Regenerative Economy by actively restoring and enhancing ecological and social systems. This shift marks a departure from incremental thinking. It calls for a redefinition of progress itself.
The DNA of Innovation: Patent Data Trends
One of the workshop’s most striking insights came from the analysis of global patent activity. Drawing on 6.7 million patent families’ records, researchers traced how innovation is evolving at the intersection of green and digital technologies.
The numbers tell a clear story. Since 2015, New Digital Technologies—such as AI, Big Data, and Cloud Computing—have grown at an average annual rate of 43%. Green patents, while expanding more steadily, still show strong growth at 10.8% per year.
More importantly, the overlap between these two domains is accelerating. Although only 2.3% of patents currently qualify as both green and digital, this niche is expanding rapidly. The fastest-growing segment—where advanced digital technologies are embedded into green innovations—is increasing at an extraordinary 60.5% annually.
This trend is not incidental. It reflects a deeper transformation in how innovation happens: knowledge flows across sectors, technologies converge, and boundaries dissolve. Patent citations, often used to track these knowledge flows, reveal how ideas spread and evolve across industries and borders.
The Shift to “Sustainability 2.0”
A central theme emerging from the TWINRD foresight framework was the progression across three distinct transition pathways. The first stage—Sustainability 1.0—focuses on reducing environmental impact. It is the logic of efficiency and mitigation: doing less harm. The second stage moves toward restoration, aiming for net-zero outcomes by actively repairing damaged systems. But the most transformative vision lies in the third stage: regeneration. Here, economic activity becomes a force for renewal. Instead of minimizing damage, it enhances ecosystems, supports social well-being, and even enables positive carbon processes.
This evolution—from reduction to restoration to regeneration—signals a profound change in both policy thinking and economic modelling.
Upgrading the Tools of the Trade
To capture these complexities, TWINRD is upgrading the GEM-E3 and NEMESIS models and developing a new TWIN-RD Multi-Regional Input-Output model.
The goal is ambitious: to move beyond simplified representations of productivity and innovation. Future models will incorporate directed R&D investments, knowledge spillovers, and the time lag between invention and real-world impact. These spillovers—frequently measured through patent citations—are essential to understanding how innovation spreads and shapes economies over time. The aim is to ensure that EU policies are backed by tools that reflect the non-linear reality of innovation.
What’s Next?
The findings from this workshop will feed directly into the co-design of transition scenarios. By bridging the gap between patent data and macroeconomic impact, TWINRD is providing the “GPS” Europe needs for an Ecodigital future.
