Rompre avec le pass

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Blueprints forRegional Foresight Actionsin the
Regions - rationale, activities some lessons
learnt
Dr. Christian Svanfeldt European
Commission Research DG - Unit K2 christian.svanfel
dt_at_cec.eu.int
Prof. Dr. Peter Heydebreck inno
group p.heydebreck_at_inno-group.com
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Blueprints for Foresight Actionsin the Regions
expert group why?

• Need for practical tools to complement the
  Country Specific Practical Guides to Regional
  Foresight
• Need for action oriented initiative to complement
  previous expert group Mobilising regional
  Foresight actors for an enlarged EU
• The 3 action plan
• Establish a mutual learning platform to help
  regions in the further development of their
  research strategies, taking into account their
  specific situation and needs. Building on
  existing activities, the platform will be
  supported notably by the development of a
  typology of regions, a methodology for the
  comparative assessment of regional performance,
  and specific actions to promote the use of
  science and technology foresight at regional
  level
• Investing in research an action plan for
  Europe Communication from the Commission
  (COM(2003) 226, 30.4.2003).

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What are the challenges of learning?

• Overflow of things which could be learned.

• Lack of knowledge on what must be learned.

• Necessary knowledge is partly not existing,
• partly difficult to locate and access.

• No time to learn.

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How does regional Foresightpromote learning?
Foresight is a powerful tool to

• prioritise
• thus fighting information overload.
• generate transparency on who holds critical
  knowledge
• thus decreasing transaction costs.
• create a climate supporting mutual learning
  processes
• thus helping actors to access external knowledge
  and to engage in jointly generating new
  knowledge.
• implement actions based upon knowledge
• thus giving sense to learning.
• integrate learning into business
• thus securing time efficient sustainable
  learning.

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Blueprints for Foresight Actionsin the Regions
expert group how?

• Creating mutual learning partnerships
• between regions
• between old and new Member States, Candidate
  Countries New Neighbours
• Identifications of key questions and issues that
  foresight can influence
• Mobilisation of key stakeholders (and stakeholder
  groups)
• Developing concrete suggestions for regional,
  trans-regional, or horizontal actions

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Blueprints for Foresight Actionsin the Regions
expert group whom?

• Core group experts on foresight processes
• Regional partners with capacity to initiate
  actions influence policymaking, i.e., regional
  stakeholders
• Invited external partners to increase
• input and feedback from the regions
• input and feedback from other foresight experts
• dissemination and awareness

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FOR-RIS

• Building foresight on the results of a RIS/RITTS
  exercise
• OR
• Planning for RIS/RITTS and foresight in parallel
  profiting from direct synergy effects

RITTS/RIS projects
FOR-RIS
Time horizon
Foresight
contacts klusacek_at_tc.cas.cz marja.toivonen_at_te-kes
kus.fi
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UPGRADE

• Towards more knowledge based regional economies
  strategic up-grading of regions dominated by
  traditional industrial sectors in decline

contact gordon.ollivere_at_rtcnorth.co.uk
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TECHTRANS

• Open method of co-ordination (OMC) put in
  practice - structural foresight aiming at
  building the regional base of the European
  Research and Innovation Area

contacts henning.banthien_at_ifok.de,
rmuguere_at_cfnavarra.es
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TRANSVISION

• Neighbouring,historically and culturally close,
  regions divided by national borders building
  common visions of the future

contact destatte.ph_at_destree.org
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AGRIBLUE

• Foresight for sustainable rural economies

contact Patrick.Crehan_at_cka.be
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20 key questions (UPGRADE)
Source Gordon Ollivere, UPGRADE blueprint,
Brussels, 23/9, 2004
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Some key success criteria

• Do it professionally (experienced coaches).

• Foster continuous exchange of experiences.

• Run with the fastest, but allow newcomers in.

• Focus on getting things started / mobilisation.

• Provide seed money.

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Most important tools (UPGRADE)
Source Gordon Ollivere, UPGRADE blueprint,
Brussels, 23/9, 2004
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Estimated annual budget for(real) foresight
focal points (UPGRADE)
Source Gordon Ollivere, UPGRADE blueprint,
Brussels, 23/9, 2004
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Some lessons from TRANSVISION

• Foresight training needed methodological
  quality success of spreading foresight in the
  regions linked to learning of foresight values
  methods
• The TRANSVISION working group highlighted a
  common confusion between
• the  ultimate aims  (sustainability, social
  cohesion, welfare of the citizens, etc.)
• the  strategy  (to become the more competitive
  region, the 3 action plan, the ERA, etc.).
• The links between companies, research and
  territories are extremely important in a
  transition to a knowledge-based economy
• Investments and support of EC in the process of
  restructuring RD in transition countries is
  crucial
• Need for permanent drivers to develop continous
  foresight process in transborder areas specific
  teams, agencies, networks of existing
  organizations (administrations, think-tanks,
  etc.)

Source Philippe Destatte, TRANSVISION blueprint
Brussels 23/9 2004
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The model region Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

• Shared dedication of key players to act.
• Definition of focus in field of strength and
  future potential (preventive medicine).
• Champions of power and expertise.
• Specificity focus groups on community medicine,
  regenerative medicine, integrative preventive
  medicine.
• Professional process coaches.

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Impact in an UPGRADE region

• My work in the UPGRADE-Group was for us the
  basis for our real, structured
  foresight-process. Though we made some attempts
  before, our new approach, making the twenty steps
  of the blueprint, gives us the chance, to improve
  the competitiveness of our region by bundling our
  resources to a critical mass.Then we have a much
  better chance to fight unemployment and
  migration.The discussion in the group made it
  possible for me, to find out my own standpoint
  and develop my own idea of the right, suitable
  foresight approach, to solve our specific
  regional problems. Because we learned a lot from
  best practice examples of regional foresight, we
  are now able to make the next, right steps and to
  save a lot of time and money.The experience of
  seeing a working programme in NE-England
  encouraged us, to start a region-wide
  foresight-process for the whole land of
  Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
• Thilo Streit
• Forschungs- und Technologietransfer
• Kultusministerium
• Zeppelinstr., 19055 Schwerin, Germany

Source Gordon Ollivere, UPGRADE blueprint,
Brussels, 23/9, 2004