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Com (553) ‘Regional Policy contributing Com (553) ‘Regional Policy contributing to smart growth in Europe 2020’to smart growth in Europe 2020’

Open Days, Oristano

26 November 2010

Luisa Sanchespolicy analyst, innovation

European Commission, DG REGIO D.2.Thematic Coordination and Innovation

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The Communication in a nutshellThe Communication in a nutshell

Regional Policy at the heart of delivering the smart growth in Europe 2020: a major potential means of implementing strategy on the ground across the EU – improved governance.

Guidance to Managing Authorities in Member States and regions on how to optimise the impact of Cohesion Policy funding allocated to innovation

Regional dimension to the Innovation Union by mobilising all regions to design 'smart specialisation strategies‘ and helping to unlock growth.

It aims at a more effective use of public funds (ERDF, FP7, CIP, as well as national and regional funds) and at making better use of financial engineering.

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Objectives: aligning Cohesion Policy Objectives: aligning Cohesion Policy with Europe 2020with Europe 2020

A paradigm-shift in Cohesion Policy 2007-2013: 86 billion of which 65 billion are from the ERDF.

Improve framework conditions for R&I by aligning ERDF support with EU 2020 National Reform Plans.

Optimise impact of the amounts still available for innovation (almost 2/3): increase synergies in the use of EU funds, national and regional investments and more trans-national cooperation.

Avoid duplication and imitation. Promote efficient regional innovation systems and open

innovation: increase R&I capacities in regions, businesses in particular, and strengthening links to Universities and R&D.

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Cohesion Cohesion Policy Policy

Funding Funding for RTD for RTD

and and innovation innovation 2007-2013 2007-2013

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Regional Innovation Scoreboard - 2009See: http://www.proinno-europe.eu/page/regional-innovation-scoreboard

The diversity of regions

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Main messagesMain messages

All regions can and must contribute to achieving Europe 2020 objectives if goals are to be met – exploit EU dimension to its full.

Regional Policy can unlock the growth potential of the EU by promoting innovation in all regions.

Innovation is as relevant for lagging regions as for advanced regions close to technology frontier.

No “one size fits all”: policy mixes need to recognise regional diversity, to be in line with innovation capacity of regions and directed towards meeting their needs.

Combine R&D excellence (FPVII and CIP) and Regional Innovation (ERP), with a special focus on SMEs.

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Smart specialisationSmart specialisation strategies Encourage national and regional governments to design 'smart

specialisation strategies’ – “innovation can not be dictated but it can be cultivated” (Sallet et al 09’).

Identify factors of competitiveness (critical masses), bottlenecks and concentrate resources on key priorities with the right policy mix to unleash smart growth.

S³: an (entrepreneurial) dynamic process of innovation, based on strategic intelligence, interaction and learning.

Not a grand plan dictated from above but a bottom-up partnership approach involving experts but also businesses, research centres, universities and other important stakeholders.

Leading edge R&D or intelligent diffusion/adaptation of generic technologies in internationally competitive (mature or not) sectors?

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Smart specialisationSmart specialisation strategies

S³ is about making (hard) choices and defining a regional vision: where it wants to go in terms of competitiveness through innovation.

It is about focusing minds, efforts and (scarce) public resources on the development of a limited number of thematic or (cross) sectoral R&I priorities in each region.

It is not about picking winners from above but about making sure efforts are not wasted being too dispersed and opening up opportunities for all.

Some are already developing S³. Others may wish to adjust and up-date their strategies in this direction.

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Smart Specialisation PlatformSmart Specialisation Platform

The European Commission will set up a ‘Smart Specialisation Platform’ (S3)bringing together all the necessary expertise, including from Commission Services, to assist Member States and regions in developing and reviewing smart specialisation strategies

For discovery For evaluation/assessment For the development of expertise and experts (academia,

businesses, public bodies, consultants)

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Smart Specialisation Platform

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What is new versus Regional innovation What is new versus Regional innovation strategies?strategies?

Did the region assess its productive system well? Did it envisage its position in the future with reality? Did it look for new markets and its trends?

Did it look at possibilities of reinforcing its businesses and research with others?

Is the strategy a ‘menu a la carte’ (copy and paste)?

Why, when and with whom was the strategy designed?

Does it have political commitment? Is it being implemented ?

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http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docoffic/working/sf2000_en.htm

Working togetherWorking together

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Regional Innovation MonitorRegional Innovation Monitor

To describe and analyse innovation policy trends across EU regions;

RIM analysis is based on methodologies developed in the context of the INNO-Policy Trendchart which covers innovation policies at national level as part of the PRO INNO Europe initiative;

http://www.rim-europa.eu/

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Evaluation DG REGIOEvaluation DG REGIO

EXPERT EVALUATION NETWORK DELIVERING POLICY ANALYSIS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF COHESION POLICY

2007-2013

Task 1: POLICY PAPERS ON INNOVATION

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/evaluation/evaluation_en.htm

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Actions to continue in S³Actions to continue in S³

Clusters for regional growth: ecologies to drive innovation Innovation-friendly business environments for SMEs: good jobs in

internationally competitive firms Stronger focus on financial engineering: not only grants Lifelong Learning in research and innovation: support knowledge

triangle and university-enterprise cooperation Research infrastructure/centres of competence: support to ESFRI

and EU wide diffusion of leading edge R&D results and partners Creativity and cultural industries: innovation beyond technology Digital agenda: enabling knowledge flows throughout Public Procurement for market pull: pre-competitive PP to open

new innovation friendly market niches European Innovation Partnerships: innovation through

cooperation

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Some examples in SWDSome examples in SWD

Medicon Valley Cluster – Oeresund Science Region, DK Incubator Technology Center – Lower Silesia, PL Innovation Voucher Grants – Estonia Support for IPR – Portugal Prince of Wales Innovation Scholarships (POWIS) UK Design support for SMEs – East Midlands, UK High Speed Broadband – Auvergne, FR

Regions for Economic Change Policy Learning Database

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/ecochange/index_en.cfm

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Further recommendationsFurther recommendations

Make more extensive use of financial engineering instruments, i.e. loans, guarantees and venture capital, including from the European Investment Bank (EIB); use JEREMIE and JESSICA

Increase use of ERDF on inter-regional cooperation (Art. 37) in research and innovation to enhance access to international research and innovation networks; use technical assistance for national networks for good practice exchange

Reinforcing ERDF support for education, research and innovation and drawing on complementary support from the EU’s Research Framework Programme (FP7) and the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP); use EEN

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Further recommendationsFurther recommendations Make better use of public-procurement to increase the

innovation content of products, processes and services with the public sector taking on the role of lead customer to stimulate research and innovation;

Use peer review by independent experts to enhance the effectiveness of R&I support in OPs and S³ proposals;

Use ERDF to fund shortlisted FP7 and CIP projects that were not be financed due to the high number of quality project applications and the shortage of funds;

Make better use of the possibilities of policy learning offered by learning platforms and networks funded through FP7, CIP and INTERREG IVC, including the ‘Regions of Economic Change’ initiative.

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Thank you for your attention