Novel policy tool for sustainable development The governance of socio-technical transitions to sustainability is attracting attention in innovation research. An EU initiative looked into a fresh approach to policy that could help trigger a wide socio-technical transition towards more sustainable development. Industrial Technologies Energy © radoma, Shutterstock Strategic niche management (SNM) is being hailed as a new approach to facilitate the introduction and dissemination of new sustainable technologies. This can be accomplished through technological niches or protected societal experiments in domains such as energy and transportation. The challenge lies in properly building such niches so they can act as building blocks for broader societal changes towards sustainable development. With this in mind, the EU-funded NICHES (Niche management policies for sustainability transitions in socio-technical systems: A simulation-based analysis of complex dynamics) project analysed the appropriate use, implementation and monitoring of SNM schemes. This was done to help develop strategies that facilitate the adoption of sustainability innovations. To achieve their aims, project partners focused on establishing the conceptual and technical basis for their research. A literature review was carried out to study important features of innovations and associated socio-technical systems that greatly influence SNM policy aimed at encouraging broad take-up. Preliminary analysis for basic and standard SNM settings was performed using initial versions of simulation models that were developed and evaluated. The models capture the complexity of the innovation adoption procedure. Participation in several conferences and research meetings led to membership in a vast research consortium on sustainability transitions that is managed by the EU-funded ARTS initiative. ARTS investigates the role and impact of transition initiatives in cities and examines the conditions that can aid in accelerating change towards a sustainable low-carbon society. The team built and exploited potential synergies revolving around the topic of sustainable development. In this context, NICHES worked on turning SNM into a practical tool for managing the development of radical new technologies, ultimately contributing to a broader shift on the way to sustainability innovations. Guidelines for practitioners, which have emerged from the project, will enable key stakeholders to incubate new technologies. Keywords Sustainable development, strategic niche management, NICHES, socio-technical systems, low-carbon society