Excellence in the transfer and adaptation of innovation policies: EmiliaRomagna

1
Excellence in the transfer and adaptation of
innovation policies Emilia-Romagna

• Valeria Bandini
• ASTER Scienza Tecnologia Impresa

4th Innovating Region in Europe (IRE) Plenary
Conference 7-8 June 2005, Ljubljana - Slovenia
2

• Excellence in Emilia-Romagna is ..
• .. the food industry
• Parmesan cheese

• Parma ham
• Wines, vegetables

3

• .. and the motor industry

4
Aim and content of the presentation

• The aimTo present Emilia-Romagna experience
  within the KREO Network

• The contentWhat is KREO networkHow KREO network
  worksConcrete achievements some
  examplesLessons learnt

5

• About KREO Network
• KREO Karlsruhe, Rhône-Alpes, Emilia-Romagna and
  Oxfordshire Thematic Network for the Support of
  Innovative Companies
• Four Regions of Excellence
• Emilia-Romagna Italy, represented by ASTER
  (co-ordinator)
• Karlsruhe-Pforzheim Germany, represented by
  KEIM
• Oxfordshire United Kingdom, represented by
  Oxford Innovation
• Grenoble-Lyon France, represented by Ville de
  Grenoble

6

• Objectives
• The Network is aimed at providing a permanent
  framework for the analysis, exchange and transfer
  of successful practices supporting the creation
  and development of innovative firms, with a
  particular focus on research spin offs
• To contribute to the improvement of support
  schemes for innovative firms
• To promote transnational co-operation for the
  identification and improvement of favourable
  framework conditions
• To secure the dissemination of information, both
  within and outside the network, including the
  political level

7

• Operational tools and organisation (1)
• A common framework for the analysis of each
  region, giving a picture, quantitative and
  especially qualitative, of the regional system as
  a whole, including
• collection and elaboration of indicators as well
  as information on industrial context, higher
  education and research, innovation support
  structures, policy and legal framework, finance,
  etc.
• A questionnaire for the analysis of the single
  good practices, aimed at understanding the
  functioning of the practice, but also its
  inter-relation with the specific regional
  innovation system

8

• Operational tools and organisation (2)
• The organisation of study visits, allowing
• Inter-regional networking of local key players,
  facilitated by KREO partners
• Comparison of experiences and real knowledge
  exchange
• Emergence of further elements on existing
  conditions enabling replicability of experiences,
  as well as ideas for the development of common
  projects
• The direct involvement of local key actors
  through the creation of local networks according
  to specific investigation fields
• New approaches to the creation of innovative
  firms science-industry technology platforms
  (WP3)
• Research centres universities spin-offs
  supporting mechanisms (WP4)
• Real and virtual networks for supporting
  innovative companies (WP5)
• Learning programmes for entrepreneurship (WP6)

9

• Activities carried out
• Defined methodological tools for analysis and
  exchange
• A set of more than 100 practices available
• About 140 local key players identified and
  involved
• 4 study visits carried out, 2 more planned until
  the end of the project
• Initiation of several collaborations and
  transfers among the regions all 4 partner
  regions were among the 6 winners of the Award of
  Excellence in 'Innovation Transfer that was
  delivered in Stuttgart in December 2004

10

• General remarks
• Excellence in regional systems can be regarded as
  haute cuisine dishes, of which innovation
  policies and practices are the ingredients
• Each regional innovation system has a distinctive
  flavour and no recipe is valid for all regions
• To achieve the result of excellent regional
  performance, there is the need of best quality
  ingredients, but also of their accurate
  combination, tailored on needs and specific
  regional conditions

11
Emilia-Romagna region
Bologna
ITALY
12
EMILIA-ROMAGNA A REGIONAL OVERVIEW THE REGIONAL
MAIN FIGURES/1
Some figures

• Surface 22,124 km²
• Inhabitants 4 million (6.9 of Italy)
• GDP per capita index 136,3
• (EU 25 average equal to 100)
• 8,5 of national GDP
• 63 of GDP in the service sector (services for
  enterprises)
• 33 of GDP in the industrial sector
• 4 of GDP in the agricultural sector
• Unemployment 4 (Italy 10.2, EU 9.2)
• Over 400,000 enterprises
• over 80,000 are manufacturing enterprises
• over 130,000 microenterprises
• some 3,000 cooperatives
• 97 with less than 20 employees (average 5.2 per
  enterprise)
• 2002 data

13

• The regional sectors
• Traditional sectors
• Agricultural food
• Motor industry
• Industrial mechanics
• Building construction
• Fashion (clothing, shoes, leather)
• Furniture
• Emerging sectors
• Health Industry
• ICT
• Bio-technologies and genomics
• Nanotechnologies

14
Emilia-Romagna clusters
Modena Reggio Emilia Agricultural machinery
Piacenza machine tools
Carpi Textile
Mirandola Biomedical equipment and disposables
Bologna Packaging Motorcycles
Fusignano S.MauroPascoli
Footwear
Parma Food industry (eg Barilla)
Rimini Woodworking machinery
Sassuolo Castellarano Ceramic tyles (world
leaders)
Forlì furniture
15
Education and research system
16

• Regional innovation policy
• With the aim of
• Strengthening a knowledge based regional economy,
  innovation trends and quality standards
• Keeping a widespread and networked regional
  development pattern
• Reinforcing the regional position in the global
  market Motor industry
• Main objectives (of the Regional Innovation Law
  n.7/02) are
• to strengthen the links between the regional
  productive system and the research system,
  facilitating enterprises direct participation
  (SMEs in particular) to industrial and strategic
  research projects
• to support specific training of human resources
  in Universities, Research Centres and Enterprises
  in the fields of industrial research, innovation
  and technology transfer
• to develop a network of initiatives, activities
  and structures for industrial research,
  innovation, technology transfer and knowledge
  diffusion.

17

• The areas of relevant regional interest
• They have been obtained combining the thematic
  priorities of the 6th RD FP and the National
  Plan for Research, with the most relevant sectors
  of the regional economy
• Advanced mechanics and mechatronic
• Development of knowledge and applications
  relating to the information society (Regional
  Telematic Plan)
• Development of advanced materials application
• Food processing
• Genomics e biotechnologies
• Sustainable development and global change
• Energy (Regional Energetic Plan)
• Organisational systems, quality and labour
  valorisation (horizontal topic)

18
PRRIITT structure

• Measure 1Actions for the development of the
  Regional Productive System toward industrial and
  Strategic Research
• A. Industrial research and pre-competitive
  development projects
• B. Industrial laboratories development

Measure 2Creation of New Entrepreneurial and
Professional Activities with a Highly
Technological Content A. Programmes for the
creation of new professional and entrepreneurial
activities B. Financial support to start up of
entrepreneurial initiatives
Measure 4Development of Networks A. Research and
Technology Transfer Laboratories B. Innovation
Centres C. Services for the Development of a
Research Network D. Monitoring and Evaluation
Measure 3Actions for the Transfer of Knowledge
and of Technological Competencies
19
The investment
130 M

• Industrial Research
• Industrial Laboratories for SMEs
• Spin offs
• Reasearch Laboratories and Innovation Centres
• ICT Research Laboratories
• Innovative Actions Programme Health and Life
  Sciences
• Innovation Parks
• Venture capital Fund for innovative start ups

65,3 M 3 M 2 M 28,7 M 8
M 5,2 M 7,6 M 10 M
20
First results

• 182 proposals funded in the first call
• Almost 600 are being evaluated in the second call
• 12 industrial laboratories for SMEs funded
• 26 new founded enterprises basen on research
  acitivites
• 25 Research and technology transfer laboratories
• 24 Innovation Centres
• 6 Innovation Parks
• Almost 1,500 new researchers involved

21
Spinn-offs

• 39 projects submitted
• 26 approved
• 1.77 M investments made available for funding
• 1 M the contribution made by the Regional
  Authority
• 4 enterprises funded based on patents deposited
  following research activities
• 4 enterprises funded based on the use of
  unpatented research results
• 23 enterprises funded based on competences and
  knowledge acquired during research activities
  carried out in universities or research
  institutes.
• In 3 funded businesses institutional investors or
  universities have an interest in company capital
• 10 funded businesses have documented agreements
  with institutional investors or universities that
  will have future interests in company capital

22
The laboratories for industrial and
pre-competitive research and technology transfer

• Newly founded units composed of university or
  research bodies and participated or supported by
  enterprises and other public or private
  organisations
• Aimed at developing research-based activities
  dealing with industry and socio-economic themes
  and based on a specific activity plan
• Aimed at increasing the knowledge-sharing for
  industrial and productive activities and for the
  economy development
• Involving researchers whose expertise is based on
  these new research-based activities and on
  technology transfer. They work in collaboration
  with experts from enterprises.

23
The innovation centres

• Promoted and established by Universities,
  Research bodies, Local bodies, or bodies
  experienced in the field of services to
  enterprises
• Aimed at developing activities of technology
  tranfer, such as updating initiatives and
  professional training for enterprises
• Aimed at improving the knowledge sharing and the
  transfer of technology competences towards the
  production system and the terrritory

24
The regional network of research laboratories
innovation centres

• The Research Innovation regional network is
  composed by
• 26 net-laboratories
• 19 innovation centres
• 6 innovation parks

25

• Schemes and tools supporting innovation and new
  innovatives enterprise creation
• PRRIITT
• SPINNER
• BAN Bologna
• Incubators
• Business plan competitions
• Others (awareness and training activities,
  research centres and university driven
  initiatives, etc.)

26

• Examples of transfer and adaptation (1)
• Science-industry technology platforms
• Rhone-Alpes Genopole was visited in December 2003
  (Grenoble study visit Dec. 03)
• The Rhone-Alpes Genopole model was presented to
  all key research structures and research spin off
  companies working in the field of genomics and
  biotechnology of Emilia-Romagna (Emilia-Romagna
  study visit, March 04).
• The ER GEN-Tech Net-Lab project was designed and
  submitted for funding within the regional
  Innovation Law and was recently approved.

27

• Examples of transfer and adaptation (2)
• Incubation and pre-incubation models
• Analysis of incubation and pre-incubation models
  in the partner regions, also for dissemination
• GRAIN (incubator of Grenoble) start up services
  are interesting for SPINNER and I Tech OFF
  initiatives for the promotion of new research
  spin off enterprises in Emilia-Romagna (Grenoble
  study visit Dec. 03)
• Emilia-Romagna (and Oxford) physical incubator
  can be considered models for GRAIN
  (Emilia-Romagna study visit March 04 - Oxford
  study visit June 04) and Italian incubators
• Coupling incubation and laboratory facilities on
  specific fields (like in the Diagnox example) has
  also been considered an interesting area for
  future investigation (Oxford study visit June
  04).

28

• Examples of transfer and adaptation (3)
• Academia spin-off policies/regulations
• The research base in the different regions show
  different ways of approaching this issue with
  different levels of maturity. Study visits in
  Grenoble (April 04) and Oxford (June 04) have
  arisen interest in the local key actors
• Spin-off regulations in in the partner regions
  are being mapped in order to provide a model and
  the relative regional examples for dissemination
  and knowledge transfer purposes

29

• Examples of transfer and adaptation (4)
• Business Angel Networks
• 4 levels are represented in the KREO network
• Oxford two very good and performing BANs (OION
  and TVIN)
• Karlsruhe Baden Baden BAN created on the model
  of Oxfords ones, very good starting
• Emilia-Romagna BAN Bologna not yet performing as
  expected. Collaboration with Oxford started
• Grenoble no BAN, feasibility study being
  realised
• Existing BANs are being modelled in order to
  extract success factors, highlighting local
  conditions

30

• Examples of transfer and adaptation (5)
• Cross cutting practice the Venture Forums
• Forum 4i in Grenoble, VentureFest in Oxford,
  Newcome in Stuttgart
• Emilia-Romagna has designed an initiative, basing
  especially on the events of Oxford and Grenoble,
  called RI3 (Ricercando lInnovazione gli
  Investitori e le nuove Imprese) that will take
  place in Bologna in 2005
• These initiatives will also be modelled
  especially for dissemination purposes
• Other results and opportunities
• The Engage Model in Karlsruhe
• An integrated model, being developed by adapting
  (parts) of the practices seen in the other KREO
  regions (e.g. Challenge Fund, Isis Innovation
  from Oxfordshire, Emertec from Grenoble and
  Spinner from Emilia-Romagna)
• Seed funds
• Business plans competitions
• Innovation experts think tank

31

• Added value
• For the KREO regions
• Possibility for local key actors to analyse and
  compare good practices on support schemes for the
  creation of innovative enterprises with the
  best in Europe and be able to propose
  improvements to existing practices, import
  successful experiences of the partner regions,
  discuss on the initiation of new schemes with a
  European dimension
• For other regions
• Possibility to have access to the information and
  models being developed and made available
• For the European Commission
• A pool of knowledge useful for defining strategic
  directions and for developing policies

32

• Suggestions
• European networking of innovation players has a
  great potential for supporting the realisation of
  the Lisbon agenda
• From the KREO experience, the following
  recommendations could be formulated
• Specific actions at regional/local level and the
  enhancement of a closer link with local
  innovation stakeholders improves efficiency and
  impact of actions (increased awareness as for
  needs more involvement/participation)
• Identification of specific fields of
  collaboration allows a better focus of activities
• Horizontal focus (e.g. innovative start ups)
• Sectoral perspective if justified by the proposed
  action (e.g. sectoral science-industry platforms)
• Networking activities needs time to be up
  running and are effort-intensive
• Flexibility in defining annual priorities can
  better take into account the emerging needs and
  opportunities
• A platform could be created for the exchange of
  experiences among different projects, based on
  tested successful methods and tools

33

• Thank you very much
• For any additional information
• ASTER Soc. Cons. p.a.
• Via P. Gobetti, 101
• I-40129 Bologna
• Tel [phone]
• e-mail valeria.bandini_at_aster.it
• or kreo_at_aster.it
• ASTER web site www.aster.it