1. Smart Specialisation and
partnerships for economic
transformation
John Edwards
JRC.IPTS
Brussels, 15 October 2013
1

2. Return of the placed based approach:
Political support at EU level for the 'placed based approach', at least in terms
of discourse – though there are many ifs and buts (Mendez 2013)
Smart specialisation is a mix of bottom up and top down:
placed based approach ≠ do what you want and give money to the local
'usual suspects'
Classical R&D policy Smart Specialisation
Target Individual companies and
sectors
Places
Measurement Outputs and aggregate
economic impact (GDP)
Outcome indicators – does
it meet regional needs?
Process Linear Complex
Approach to risk Probability of scientific
success and market take up
Encourages
experimentalism

3. RIS3 is an Economic Transformation Agenda
• RIS3 "Research and innovation strategies for smart specialisation"
• is a dynamic and evolutionary process – "not a
structure"- deeply grounded in an entrepreneurial
discovery process (not a one-off action) where
Governments are rather facilitators…than in a position
of command and control.
• RIS3 is for…
• innovation leaders and for those lagging behind !
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5. A sustainable/inclusive/smart process
• Observing – all the regional niches and potentials should be
scanned (both inward- and outward-looking), so that the priority
setting step would be given the best conditions to make the
appropriate choices for future specialisation.
• Sharing - the smartness of smart specialisation lays precisely in
leaving the stakeholders to ultimately define the optimal
specialisation fields. Ensuring vast involvement of the quadruple
helix stakeholders, the less conflictive should be the priority
setting activity in terms of reaching consensus amongst the
stakeholders on a limited number of priorities to support via
public policy mechanisms.
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6. Some "novelties"
of the RIS3 process
with respect to the past
• Entrepreneurial Process of discovery
• Outward-looking dimension
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7. 7
"The entrepreneurial discovery process is about
developing creative solutions to problems by
combining assets and new partners, taking risks,
experimenting, seeking new ideas along the value
chain or for getting into new value chains"
Panorama magazine, No44, Winter 2012

8. How to start
entrepreneurial
discovery process
Kick-start with consultation in
quadruple helix:
Detect potential boundary-
spanners between different
stakeholder / interest groups,
new innovative
entrepreneurs, hidden
champions, or persons with
a potential for this is one of
the aims of this first step. …
See new annex III of RIS3 Guide
Business
manufacturing and
services, primary sectors,
financial sector, creative
industries, social sector,
large firms, SMEs,
young entrepreneurs,
students with business
ideas, cluster and business
organisations,
Research
& education
public and private
research bodies,
universities, education
and training,
science and
technology parks,
Technology transfer
offices, etc.
if relevant at different
government levels,
agencies e.g. for regional
development,
business advice,
public procurement
offices, incubators, etc.
Public
administration
NGOs and citizens’
initiatives related to
societal challenges for
which innovative
solutions would be
helpful, consumers
associations,
Talents! etc.
Civil society /
Users

9. Priorities of
Ostrobotnia
Source: Vaasa presentation, Vaasa

10. Outward
looking
dimension
Saxony
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11. 11
Priority
activities
Capturing knowledge and resources outside the
region/country when required
Companies
RTO / Universities
Venture Capitalists
Human Skills
Region / Country X

12. Macro-regional strategy
Platform for transversal issues
(governance, monitoring, intervention tools ..)
How about synergies between differentHow about synergies between different
RIS3s?RIS3s?
INTERREG B
Thematic
Platforms
INTERREG V C
Policy learning
platforms
► "hub" for partner
finding for INTERREG
(and other purposes:
ERA-Nets, Joint
Programming, EIPs,
KICs, etc.)
► Analysis & good
practices
INTERREG V C
Mainstreaming
projects
(incl. Cluster
cooperation)

13. RIS 3 workshop in the Baltic Sea Region – Malmø, 7 Nov 2013
• What: Exploit synergies between regional priorities
• eHealth
• Sustainable cities
• Open session
Ambition: find partners for collaboration and concrete
points for actions and way forward
Follow up workshop foreseen in Tallin, spring 2014.
Who: all regions in the Baltic Sea Region / Østersjøregionen
– regional governments together with stakeholders
involved in the governance of RIS3
More info: http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/calendar1

14. 134 EU regions
+ 11 EU countries
+ 2 non-EU
regions

15. 15
Peer Review
workshops &
trans-national
learning
RIS3 assessment
and support to REGIO
desks
Country- and Macro-
region events and
targeted seminars at IPTS
Interactive tools,
S3 Newsletter
and Website
Methodological
Guidance
Thematic
workshops &
working groups
Research and
analysis
Transantional
Cooperaion
Benchmarking and
targeted support
NEW
!
Extra support for
digital agenda and
ICT sections of RIS3

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Peer review
 The success strongly depends on trust, openness;
 Emphasis on learning together and from each other;
 Regions get concrete feedback on what they ask;
 Participants switch roles (peer-reviewed and critical friend
within the same event)
 Integrating expertise/knowledge from a variety of sources:
peers, invited experts, European Commission services
Peer reviewed regions: 28
No of participants (excluding the EC staff) in the first
 seven workshops: 383
 Coming from 105 regions/countries
 Average no of regions/countries present at each
 workshop: 25
 Average participants at each workshop: 54
 Regions attending more than once: 46 (44% of total)

17. 17
Our experience
at peer-review
workshops
We focus on the
novelties
We discuss the
elements of change

18. Thematic workshop:
Smart Specialisation for rural innovation:
Fundão, Central Portugal 21-23 October
• - Explores the territorial
dimension of innovation
• - Connects different policy
communities (rural development
and innovation)
• - Participative methods
• - JRC Policy Brief with inputs
from all participants
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Thank you!
http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu
JRC-IPTS-S3PLATFORM@ec.europa.eu