1

Transnational collaboration for innovation:

Services of the S3 Platform

John EdwardsMED programme capitalisation conferenceMarseille, 2 April 2014

EU Countries registered: 14EU Regions registered 146Non-EU Regions registered: 2

S3P Peer-reviewed Countries: 8S3P Peer-reviewed Regions: 45

Designed to assist regions and countries in developing RIS3

Launched in June 2011 Managed by JRC-IPTS in

Seville Monitored by a Steering

Team incl. DG REGIO, RTD, ENTR, EAC, INFSO, AGRI

The S3 Platform

3

Main activities of S3 Platform in support of the countries/regions preparing RIS3

2. Peer Review workshops & trans-national learning

4. RIS3 assessmentand support to REGIO

desks

3. Country- and Macro-region events and

targeted seminars at IPTS

6. Interactive tools, S3 Newsletter and Website

1. The RIS3methodological

Guide

5. Thematic workshops &

working groups

7. Research agendaEye@RIS3

Phases S3 Methodology elements Some ExperiencesPreparation Template and deadlines

Self-assessmentSupport

+ Push process forward+ Awareness raising+ Stakeholder engagement+ Genuine self-reflections

Workshop Group discussions

Assessment by experts and peersKey insightsCommunity of practice

+ Network possibilities+ Mix of nationalities, + Mix of peers, experts and EC staff+ Feedback from experts and peers+ Informal and trusted environment+ Participatory approach - Facilitation the key to success

Follow up Data-triangulation

Feedback report

+ Legitimacy+ Dissemination at home+ Attention to new elements+ Further assessment

S3 Peer Review Methodology- a tool for mutual transnational learning

Synergies in R&I funding

5

The European Parliament and Council made it clear that this [synergies] approach is no more a "nice to have" but a "need to implement" (draft EC SWD)

Synergies can be achieved: Through bringing together H2020 and ESIF in the same project (that could be

a single action or a group of coordinated actions/operations, but always provided that there is no double funding in the same expenditure item);

Through successive projects that build on each other or; Through parallel projects that complement each other.In addition, if the ESIF programmes are designed and implemented accordingly, they can be used for funding high quality H2020 project proposals with a score above the threshold, for which there is not enough H2020 budget available.Synchronisation of the timing of the funding decisions under Horizon 2020 and ESIF is a crucial issue for enabling the cumulation of funding in the same project.

6

New Part III-a in Horizon 2020, budget c. €800m: Teaming (Centres of Excellence) Twinning (institutional networking) ERA Chairs (bringing excellence to institutions) Policy Support Facility and strengthening of NCPs Special programme from COST on Widening actions

Horizon 2020: Spreading excellence and widening participation

Synergies and ESIF allocation flexibility

7

Article 70(2) CPR stipulates a possibility of allocations to operations outside the programme area, up to:

• 15% of the ERDF, CF, EMFF at the level of the priority

• 5% of the support from the EAFRD at the level of the programme

• 3% of the budget of a European Social Fund (ESF) operational programme

Article 96(3)d: OPs shall describe arrangements for interregional and transnational actions within the (mainstream) OPs with beneficiaries located in at least one other Member State.

S3P activities to support collaboration

• Facilitating mutual learning and knowledge sharing

• Alignment of roadmaps:• Fostering alignment between European, national and regional

innovation roadmaps;• Promoting synergies and co-investment opportunities (e.g. in the

context of Horizon 2020 and the “stairway to excellence”);• Support the creation of groups around common themes to work with

territorial co-operation strand of the EU cohesion policy.• A specific focus on EU macro-regional strategies • Link to the 2014-2020 INTERREG VC programme

What can the Platform do in relation to collaboration?

• Facilitate mutual learning – with aim to perform better at home • Peer reviews• Thematic events

• Arrange for Twinning – co-development • Training of collaboration process

leaders• For thematic platforms??

• Nudging - top down allow for bottom up• Initiation of collaboration

Connecting RIS3 in the BSR• Support and follow collaborative

processes e.g. new Adriatic-Agean strategy

• Analysis• Inter-regional collaboration in RIS3• RIS3 guide• KETs report

• Match making – bottom up identification• Self-discovery

EYE@RIS3Tool for Structural Regional

Benchmarking• Thematic events, e.g. Role of

universities

Eye@RIS3 – an online database for RIS3 priorities

• Enable Regions and Member States to position themselves,

• To find their unique niches • To seek out potential

partners for collaboration• Categories are not perfect

matches• Approx 130 regions and 800

priorities

Specialisation fields are emerging that are related to:• Energy• Life science• ICT• Environment• Agro-food• Tourismhttp://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/map

Unpacking Interregional collaboration in Innovation - I

Why? What are the rationales for collaboration? How are these rationales related to the smart specialisation agenda?

What? What are we collaborating on - common problems, opportunities or learning?

Who? Who are the partners and what are the criteria for choosing them?

Where? What are the geographical boundaries of collaboration? Is geographical proximity an important criteria ? What other types of proximity are necessary?

How? What mechanism for collaboration are being used? Do they align with the aims and objectives?

When? What is the timescale for the collaboration and the intensity? Is it a one-off or a continuous engagement? Does this time scale match the objectives and aims? How can collaboration be aligned with the phases of regional specialisation?

Why do regions want to collaborate?

1. To reach a wider knowledge base and a wider pool of financial and other resources necessary for innovation

2. Improve opportunities for entrepreneurial self-discovery

3. Get access to complementary assets. 4. Compensate for competence or capability

failures5. Sharing of costs (and risks) 6. Increase connectivity – avoid lock-in7. Facilitate policy coordination and policy learning

A Policymakers Guide to Transnational Learning

• How to go from dialogue to real change?

• From outsider perspective to self-discovery• What is your challenge and what is your driver

of change?• Points towards what do you need to do in the

different S3 steps• Points toward what characteristics of

transnational learning could be beneficiary

Drivers of change

Exploited in S3 policy How to succeed

with right angle to transnational learning

What can go wrong…?

What are we collaborating on, common problems, opportunities, or learning?

• Addressing common problems, like planning, transport and environmental considerations.

• Exploiting opportunities by bringing together complementary assets or common priorities.

• Promotion of learning.

Who to collaborate with and where to find them?   Small large

Contiguous territories

Cross-border regionsExamples: Dutch-German-Belgian Top Technology Region TTR, the Centrope region at the intersection of Austria, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary, and the Danish-Swedish Oresund region

Macro-regionsExamples: Danube region, Baltic Sea region, Adriatic-Agean region, Atlantic Arc Sea Basin Strategy

Non-contiguous territories

Interregional and inter-urban co-operationExample: “Four motors of Europe” network among the regions of Lombardy, Catalonia, Rhône-Alpes, Baden-Wurttemberg.

Peak associationsExamples: Assembly of European Regions, the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR) and the Association of Regions of Traditional Industry.

Source OECD (2013), Cross border collaboration

How to collaborate• Joint research activities • Joint provision of research infrastructure• Sharing technology transfer infrastructure• Provision of joint funds for private R&D • Joint provision of innovation support• Facilitating access to finance • Promotion of cluster and firm networks • Demand side innovation policy instruments • Framework policies• Intelligence gathering exercises

Intensity of collaboration?

• Involve information sharing only, on e.g. innovation policy initiatives, research programmes, market intelligence, etc.

• Consist of concrete, ad hoc, projects, limited in time.• Involve policy coordination, for instance aligning

funding programme conditions and other conditions such as mobility incentives for researchers

• Jointly funded programmes or actions addressing common problems

• Adopt the form of joint strategies that are commonly designed, funded and implemented by the partner regions, and which inform a mix of policies and actions.

Challenges and preconditions for collaboration depend on

• Proximities:• Geographical• Cultural• Trust

• Levels of innovation development • National institutional systems• Engagement from key stakeholders

and political commitment

19

Thank you!

http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu

JRC-IPTS-S3PLATFORM@ec.europa.eu