RIS3 Guide: 6 steps for developing Smart Specialization Strategies - and

how the S3 Platform can help

Xabier Goenaga

HoU JRC IPTS KfG - S3 Platform

Cardiff, 28 June 2012

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What is Smart Specialisation?

Knowledge for Growth Expert Growth: D. Foray, B. van Ark

Europe 2020 and EU budget review

Place based dimension: P. McCann, R. Ortega-Argilés

Proposed reform of Cohesion Policy

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What is a RIS3? (research and innovation strategy for smart specialisation)

Building on the past Widespread experience of national/regional innovation strategies in the

framework of the EU Cohesion Policy Achieved greater co-operation among private and public stakeholders and

better communication between technology providers and clients

Breaking with the past Lack of international and trans-regional perspective Not in tune with the industrial and economic fabric of regions Too narrow vision of innovation Picking the winner syndrome The best performing regions were just copied

Which is the Smart Specialisation Approach?

• It is not a planning doctrine that would require a region to specialize in a particular set of sectors or industries.

• It is an approach to policy that considers whether those activities already strong or showing promise for a region can benefit from R&D and innovation. This is in addition to creating good framework contitions for

business

• Regions cannot do everything in STI so they need to focus on certain domains by developing distinctive and original areas of specialisation.

The entreprenurial Process of discovery

• Smart specialisation is largely about the policy process to select and prioritize fields or areas where a cluster of activities should be developed

• Setting priorities and selecting fields always entails risks for policy makers

• The ‘business as usual’ strategies to prioritize (imitation and dupplication) do not work

• Smart specialisation suggests another strategy: To let entrepreneurs discover the right domains of future

specialisations

Designed to assist regions and Member States in developing RIS3 strategies

Launched in June 2011

Managed by a team established at JRC-IPTS in Seville

Monitored by a Steering Team incl. DG REGIO, RTD, ENTR, EAC, INFSO, SANCO, AGRI, CLIMA

Input from a Mirror Group of European high-level experts and network representatives

http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu

Support to regions in preparing RIS3

Peer Review workshops

Informal assessment of RIS3

Information sessions in Member

States and EU Macro-regions

Website with special access for

regions and interactive tools

RIS3Methodological

Guide

Thematic working groups

and analysis

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Edited by JRC IPTS in association with

DG REGIO and with contributions from:

D. Foray, P. McCann, J. Goddard, K. Morgan, C. Nauwelaers, R. Ortega

Commission officials from various DGs

S3 Platform team

Available on the S3 Platform webpage

(i) - The RIS3 Guide

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(i) – RIS3 guide - Key steps for developing a RIS3

Step 1 – Analysis of regional context/potential

Step 2 – Governance

Step 3 – Vision for the future

Step 4 – Selection of priorities

Step 5 – Policy mix

Step 6 – Monitoring and evaluation

Monitoring

Policy mix

Priorities

Vision

Process

Analysis

RIS3

(ii) - RIS3 Peer Reviews and Mutual Learning

• 4 volunteer regions prepare presentations of their RIS3 based on template with the 6 key elements of the guide;

• Presentations of the 4 volunteer regions are distributed in advance to ‘critical friends’ together with concise background documents (on the regions’ territorial innovation systems and experience);

• Peer discussion at the workshop moderated by the S3Platform. MG members involved as speakers;

• Feedback report prepared by S3Platform and forwarded to reviewed region: ‘feedback from the workshop’;

• Follow-ups in 3 and 6 months after the workshop.

(iii) - Information events

• To be organised in close cooperation with MS and DG REGIO.  Priority to CONVERGENCE countries

• Macro-regional events: Baltic and Danube (May 2012), Outermost regions (June 2012), Atlantic Arc (tentatively scheduled Nov 2012).

(iv) - RIS3 Development vs. RIS3 Assessment

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1

2

3

4

5

Monitoring

Policy mix

Priorities

Vision

Governance

Analysis

RIS3

Elaborated from the original proposal by C.Saublens, EURADA

(v) - Thematic workshops

• New tool for mutual learning – will be launched in autumn 2012

• Gather groups of regions/countries/experts around common subjects linked to the RIS3 approach (the 6 steps of the guide)

• Liaise with other projects/activities ongoing (e.g. OECD)

• Regions agree to develop a common position / brief / document for reflexion or implementation

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(vi) - Last but not least … S3 Platform own research agenda

Analysis of regional economies (step 1 of the RIS3 guide)

Governance and framework conditions (step 2)

Peer review and transnational learning (step 6)

Building on the work of the peer reviews & thematic workshops

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Thank you!

http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu

JRC-IPTS-S3PLATFORM@ec.europa.eu