Zentrum für Innovation und Technik in NRW Structural change, cluster policy and the role of...

Zentrum für Innovation und Technik in NRW

Structural change, cluster policy

and the role of foresight

Michael Guth

ZENIT GmbH, Germany

mg@zenit.de

STRATIN.C.

Zentrum für Innovation und Technik in NRW

Structural change, cluster policy and the role of foresight

1. Why do we do Foresight? What do we mean by FS?

2. Towards a new regional innovation policy in Nordrhein-Westfalen: the role of FS

Zentrum für Innovation und Technik in NRW

“Foresight is a systematic, participatory, future intelligence gathering and medium to long long term vision building process aimed at present day decision and mobilising joint actions.”

IPTS (2001), A practical guide to regional foresight (http://foren.jrc.es)

A Definition

ForesightForesight

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FS Learning Innovation

Why Foresight?Why Foresight?

process orientation

Networking

Participation

FS System enhancing effects

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Can FS be a useful tool to develop and to conduct a competence field orientated regional policy in NRW ?

What steps have been taken so far?

The role of foresight in CFs

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Competence Fields + Foresight = Prosperity ?

ChallengesChallenges

FS exercises help industrial regions to build up new structures for communication and interaction amongst the actors

FS thus directly contributes to the emergence of regional innovation and learning systems (RILS); regional learning and innovation is the basis for future prosperity and growth

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What has been done in NRW so far?

Concrete StepsConcrete Steps

Identification of competence fields (or potential CFs)-> 12 CFs for the Ruhr area

Currently: analysis of CFs in the whole Land Pilot Project “Foresight in metal cluster Duisburg” Participation at the European “Blueprints for FS”

initiative 2005: series of scenario workshops in 3-5 CFs

(planned)

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Objectives of the FS project in the metal cluster

Metal cluster DuisburgMetal cluster Duisburg

Identification of future trends Fostering the network dynamics at local level Improving the links between policy, industry and

university (three helix, systemic approach)

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Main steps

Metal cluster DuisburgMetal cluster Duisburg

04/01 study on competence fields in the Ruhr area (including: innovative materials)

11/01 city of Duisburg: study about innovative materials as competitive factor

05/02 start of the foresight project

11/02 - 03/03 FS workshops

Since 03/03 3 Main working groups

08/04 Vision building workshops

12/04 Project ends

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Preliminary results

Metal cluster DuisburgMetal cluster Duisburg

Identification and description of key competences and deficits (bottle-necks)

Identification of major trends with significant impact to Duisburg

Formulation of concrete measures (better information flows, industry university cooperation in apprenticeship)

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Findings

Metal cluster DuisburgMetal cluster Duisburg

FS can strengthen network building (but basis should be there)

Need for a “driver” of the process Sustainability questionable! Management of the FS process needs additional

resources (man-power, money); not top on normal work FS build trust and social capital (difficult to start from the

scratch need for pre-FS process)

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Foresight, Competence fields and Innovation

A new policy visionA new policy vision

Individual Learning

Inter-InstitutionalLearning

InstitutionalLearning

InstitutionalLearning

triggers

Com

pete

nce

Fie

lds

Regional Innovation S

ystem

Foresight

Zentrum für Innovation und Technik in NRW

Some general considerations (1/2)

ChallengesChallenges

Old industrial regions generally suffer from a decline in previously pre-dominant economic activities in the region

Need to identify alternative income and employment opportunities as a policy challenge

In the Knowledge economy innovation performance and economic prosperity increasingly depend on the regions' capacity to successfully organise learning processes

Zentrum für Innovation und Technik in NRW

Some general considerations (2/2)

ChallengesChallenges

The interaction induced by FS exercises is very similar to both learning and innovation processes

FS fertilises learning and innovation and vice versa Policy should thus increasingly exploit synergies

between regional innovation systems and FS FS drives cluster building! BUT: FS is not a panacea!

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Thank you very much for your attention!

Michael Guth

ZENIT GmbH

mg@zenit.de

STRATIN.C.