Not all technologies are meant to last: Research brings a new perspective on technological sovereignty

The study, published in the journal Research Policy, investigates how technologies emerge to maintain technological sovereignty when unexpected external shocks hit. Technological sovereignty refers to the ability of a nation to ensure access to technologies that are critical to its independent functioning. The study draws on historical data on the emergence of a domestic substitute lubricating oil industry during World War II, when oil imports were cut off.

“The history of tar oil is fascinating, as an entire industry was built from scratch for producing the oil for just a few years. The difficult oil import situation in the wartime also provides an interesting context from the viewpoint of the current geopolitical climate, in which concerns regarding access to critical technologies have intensified,” the researchers note.

Maintaining technological sovereignty is not just long-term capacity building

Discussions on technological sovereignty have largely focused on identifying critical technologies and determining how to build the capacity to support sovereignty over the long term.

This study indicates that the ability to leverage existing capacity, such as expertise and raw materials, becomes crucial in the face of unexpected external shocks. In the case of tar oil, for instance, this existing capacity came in the form of the forest industry’s know-how, existing industrial infrastructure, and the oil distribution networks of oil-importing companies. Consequently, a key question during crises is which areas of expertise can provide immediate solutions.

“In particular, the interplay between building long-term capacity around critical technologies and rapidly leveraging existing capacity to respond to shocks warrants also further research,” the research team points out.

A short lifespan of a technology does not equal failure

Another key finding of the study relates to the utilization of temporary technologies. From the outset, tar oil was recognized as a temporary solution, and it was produced for only a few years around the end of the Second World War. Despite its short lifespan, tar oil was not a failure. It succeeded in its objective of maintaining access to critical lubricating oil during the oil import crisis. At the same time, viewing tar oil as a temporary technology prevented technological development from becoming locked into an inefficient alternative in the long run.

According to the researchers, such temporary technologies may be increasingly important today: “In a world of polycrisis, where crises are no longer isolated and distinct events but occur frequently and are interconnected, it is particularly important to be able to manage immediate problems without altering the desired long-term development trajectory. Temporary technologies can offer a solution to this.”

The research was funded by the Research Council of Finland and the Emil Aaltonen Foundation. The article is available as an open-access publication.

Publication information:

Mansikkamäki, S., Sihvonen, A., Peltoniemi, M., & Pajunen, K. (2026). Temporary technology and the maintenance of technological sovereignty. Research Policy, 55(8), 105577. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2026.105577

More information from the researchers:

• Susanna Mansikkamäki, Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics, susanna.r.e.mansikkamaki@jyu.fi
• Antti Sihvonen, University of Helsinki, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, antti.sihvonen@helsinki.fi
• Mirva Peltoniemi, Tampere University, Faculty of Management and Business, mirva.peltoniemi@tuni.fi
• Kalle Pajunen, Tampere University, Faculty of Management and Business, kalle.pajunen@tuni.fi