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Tools for Regional Development

Thomas WobbenRepresentation of Saxony-Anhalt to the EU

Boulevard Saint Michel 80B-1040 Brussels

E-mail: thomas.wobben@lv-bruessel.stk.sachsen-anhalt.de

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Saxony-

Anhalt

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Saxony-A

nhalt in the Heart of

Europe

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The Challenge: Human Capital and Innovation

Quelle: Berechnungen isw Institut gGmbH

Sangerhausen

Mansfelder Land

Saalkreis

Halle

Merseburg-Querfurt

Burgen-landkreis

Weißenfels

Bitterfeld

Köthen

Bernburg

DessauWittenberg

Anhalt-Zerbst

Schönebeck

Wernigerode

Halberstadt

Bördekreis

Magdeburg

Ohrekreis

Altmarkkreis Salzwedel Stendal

Jerichower Land

Quedlinburg

Aschersleben-Staßfurt

1,00 bis 1,20

0,80 bis 1,00

Regionalvergleich (Rankingergebnisse)der Indikatorengruppe

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1,20 und m ehr

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Key factors for competitiveness

• SME innovation capacity directly linked to:

– Co-operation with other firms: firms learn best from other firms

– Co-operation with the public sector and the R&TDI intermediaries & Infrastructures: technology centres, universities, polytechnics, business services…

• Translate ‘knowledge’ into GDP:

Innovation Strategies are an efficient instrument to create Regional Innovation Systems = territorial systems that efficiently create, diffuse and exploit knowledge than enhances regional competitiveness

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Regional bottlenecks regarding networking and clustering in Saxony-Anhalt

• destruction of previous (formal and informal) business networks during the process of economic transformation after German unification (typical for this kind of transformation process)

• lack of personal contacts/information about partners/actors in the region

• low willingness for co-operation (no moderators available, lack of mutual trust)

• lack of interregional contacts (low export orientation)• lack of spill-over effects of major regional investment

projects for local businesses

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Challenge of Halle/Leipzig

• around 2.7 Million inhabitants • economic entity overlapping two German Länder

(Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt)• high population density, high economic concentration of

enterprises in the chemical and energy sector• major economic restructuring taking place since 1991:

more than 160 investment projects over 25 MECU each were realised since 1991 amounting to 34 Billion EURO (total amount of investments in the region: 50 Billion EURO)

• new sectors were developed, such as pharmaceuticals or information-technologies and media services

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Tool: Networking for Innovation

• step-by-step confidence building measures in the region (personal contacts)

• integration of leading companies/science institutions in the networking exercise and close interaction between network activities in working groups and a joint steering group

• efficiency orientation in the network actions

• close involvement in the innovation and regional policies of both regional governments/parliaments/monitoring committees

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Chemical Industry in Central Germany:

• 7 chemical sites• highly interlinked• in three German regions

The physical network

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Setting up joint working groups on site development in Central Germany

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Industrial SitesIndustrial Sites

Small & MediumEnterprises

Small & MediumEnterprises

ChemicalIndustriesChemicalIndustries

UniversitiesUniversitiesTraining and Education

Training and Education

Institutes +Organizations

Institutes +Organizations

CzechCzech

Other countriesOther countries Other countriesOther countries

EstoniaEstonia

PolandPoland

SlovakiaSlovakiaChemicalTriangle

East Germany

ChemicalTriangle

East Germany

CeChemNet as a networking example

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…from regional networking

to

interregional co-operation…

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Tool: Regional Management System

Partner:

– City of Halle – 6 counties around Halle

Working Structure:

– Steering Group– Regional Conference (annually)– Regional Association (for co-operation project)– Regional Forum for Central Germany (political platform)– Business Initiaitive Central Germany (business initiavtive)

Regional Management

– Coordinating office (rresponsible for the day to day management)

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Objective of the Regional Management System

Objective:

– Promote regional thinking versus focus on individual interests– Include urban and rural dimension– Define joint priorities and carry out joint planning– Consensus building and joint articulation– Regional Management as an initiator for joint co-operation– Regional Management as a tool for interregional co-operation

Tools:

– Regular Meetings of decision makers– Partnership of local authorities, businesses and civic society– Information and joint campaigns– Regional and interregional Benchmarking

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Business Initiative „Central Germany“

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Conclusions

• Regional co-operation is essential for efficient regional development

• Regional partnerships can have an impact on regional development strategies

• Success orientation and delivery are crucial for sustainability

• Business can play a major role in overcoming local barriers

• There is no golden rule – everybody has to find once own solution

• But there are a lot of experiences to learn from

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Thank you for your attention!