European Commission

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European Commission
Third Conference of the Innovating Regions in
Europe Stratford-upon-Avon, 17-18 June
2002Future activities of Regional Innovation
actions under the 6th Framework Program for
Research and Technological DevelopmentDr.
Michael Busch DG Enterprise
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Role of DG ENTERPRISE

• All activities to be carried out in co-operation
  and complementarity with DG REGIONAL POLICIES and
  DG RESEARCH
• Role of DG ENTERPRISE
• network all Commission-stimulated regional
  innovation actions
• introduce the RIS methodology in the Newly
  Associated Countries in a way that they become
  regional mainstream policies

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• be the promoter of new, i.e. pioneer regional
  innovation policy schemes which can become
  mainstream actions of the Commission and the
  regions at a later, post-testing stage.

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Target groups

• Decision makers of the innovation policies in the
  regions (movers and shakers of innovation)
• regional administrative and political
  authorities
• regional (economic, structural) development
  agencies/organisations, regional innovation
  support agencies/organisations

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• any other organisation charged by
  publicauthorities with regional development
  matters
• in a second line regional actors linked to
  innovation items will be involved
• final beneficiaries of these policies are the
  enterprises, notably SMEs

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General Objectives

• Stimulate systematic regional policy-making in
  all European regions
• create/strengthen regional environment conducive
  to innovation
• offer European platform for the exchange of
  experience between regional movers and shakers
  and dissemination of good practices
• serve as a seedbed for regional innovation
  strategies, i.e. provide regional actors with new
  ideas and concepts in order to stimulate and
  improve their home strategies

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• promote analysis and benchmarking of regional
  innovation performances and policies
• stimulate competition between the regions
• enhance trans-regional co-operation
• foster regional and economic cohesion prepare
  accession candidates

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Actions - Strand 1

• Strand 1 networking of regions and dissemination
  of the RIS methodology
• Innovating regions in Europe network
• The network will continue to operate on two
  levels.
• 1st level Global network run by IRE secretariat
  
• common and horizontal tasks (e.g. channelling of
  information, dissemination of results, plenary
  network conferences, common methodological tools)

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• European help-desk for regional innovation
  policies
• Study-visits
• Linking of thematic networks activities
• 2nd level Thematic Networks, RIS-NAC, ERDF /
  Innovative Actions program regions, INTERREG III,
  PAXIS

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Actions - Strand 2

• Strand 2 Pioneer regional innovation policy
  schemes new ways in regional innovation
  policies
• Many of those RITTS and RIS 100 regions have
  built long-lasting regional innovation processes.
  Innovative Actions program and Structural Funds
  operations help to make the RITTS/RIS
  achievements to become regional mainstream
  policies.
• However, at this stage, no project framework is
  offered to deepen or extend the post-RITTS/RIS
  processes on the basis of common objectives or
  methodologies.

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Project 1 Knowledge-RIS

• Promotion of the Knowledge-based Regional
  Innovation Society" (Knowledge-RIS)
• Aims at strengthening those activities in the
  regions which constitute the infrastructure of
  a knowledge-driven economy and which stimulate
  and give support to innovation processes. This is
  in line with the conclusions of the Lisbon
  Council and the communication on Innovation in a
  knowledge-driven economy.

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• Some issues to be dealt with
• develop regional knowledge infrastructure, mainly
  by multi-actor knowledge and innovation networks
  (e.g. technology-specific competence networks)
  or clusters (virtual or technology valleys)
• via these networks establish/extend regional
  innovation society which comprises a high number
  of actors (multi-actor approach) dealing actively
  with RTD Innovation processes. Each actor to
  find himself in his prime multi-actor knowledge
  and innovation network

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• develop innovation and technology observatories
  and information services, technology foresight
  services. Linked up to the multi-actor knowledge
  and innovation networks
• (further) networking and partnership building
  between research institutions and the business
  world
• stimulate private (company-driven) research and
  marketing of this research potential to third
  companies, establish research clusters

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• co-ordinate regional, national and international
  RDT Innovation policies better, create
  integrated, packaged approaches within the
  region and diffuse them within targeted
  multi-actor knowledge and innovation networks
• strengthen role of regional government as
  promoter of the regional innovation system and as
  co-ordinator of stimulating actions

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• integrate various, related policy fields within
  the regions better, i.e. RDT and Innovation
  policies, ICT, spatial, environmental,
  (sustainable) development and educational
  regional policies
• stimulate co-operation/co-ordination of
  innovation support services (complementarity of
  services, common service standards, common
  databases and web services, signposting
  arrangements)

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• create / extend knowledge and support
  infrastructures for start-ups
• link regional networks with national and
  international networks
• prepare region better for optimised use of
  structural funds

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Project 2 Trans Regional Innovation Project for
a European Research and Innovation Area
(TRIP-ERA)

• Following the Lisbon Council conclusions and the
  Communication Towards a European Research Area
  groups of two or more regions should be enhanced
  to open their RTD and Innovation services to one
  another. This would be based on certain criteria,
  e.g. generating a real added value for the
  participating regions, complementarity, creating
  synergies etc.

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• Examples
• An enterprise coming from region A and dedicated
  to microrobotics would like to benefit from a
  university research voucher program in region B.
  Bs university is strong in microrobotics, As is
  not.
• Regional placement-in-business programs for young
  graduates (business, sciences) are linked on
  trans-regional level. Scholarships funded by
  regions A and B are opened for graduates of both
  regions.

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• Region A offers a marketing support program for
  its SMEs. A region B enterprise would like to
  benefit from it in order to develop a sales
  strategy in region B.
• Regions A and B intend to stimulate research and
  public-private partnerships in biotechnologies
  with large regional programs. They decide to do
  it jointly and offer all subsidies to
  organisations coming from both regions.

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Project 3 RIS follow-up for regions from Newly
Associated Countries

• Objective
• Methodological / expertise support to post-RIS
  phase in all those regions which have started
  RIS-NAC projects in 2002
• Implementation
• Offer the regions expert support on specific
  actions which have been introduced into their
  RIS-NAC action plans. Expert(s) would come from a
  region (normally ex-RITTS/RIS) which has
  successfully implemented such an
  innovation-related measure.

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• Examples
• NAC region A wants to create a cluster in the
  agro-food sector. Expert support could be given
  on methodology for assessing the potential of the
  enterprises and organisations to create a
  cluster, on the way of creating and running this
  cluster etc.

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• NAC region C plans to enhance joint projects
  between the academic and business world and to
  create a corresponding business support
  infrastructure, e.g. university technology
  transfer offices. Which are the schemes which
  work successfully in other regions and how can
  they be introduced?
• NAC region B intends to create innovation funding
  schemes. Which scheme would be the most
  appropriate one?