HES-SO//FR Innosquare Clusters – Biz-Up – CABW – Veneto Region – Poly4EmI – ITG Salzburg – FEMTO-ST – PROPLAST – Cluster SCC – PAT – HIT – LOMB – BayFOR – GODCP

StressTesting

Regional Approaches

Conducive to Implement S3 through Clusters

Salzburg, October 19, 2017

Cluster Agentur BW – Poly4EmI – ITG

Gerd Meier zu Köcker – Mateja Dermastia – Simone Weiss

StressTesting Regional Approaches Conducive to Implement

S3 through Clusters

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At a Glance • 25 European regions participated • Exercised completed in 2016 /

2017 • More than 500 cluster

managements, policy managers, regional developers etc. involved

Key determinantes of S3 development

and implementaton process

28.10.2017 3

Findings of StressTest Exercises

of 11 Alpine Regions

conducted from April – June 2017

28.10.2017 4

The Partner Regions

28.10.2017 5

Group of respondents

6

Majority of cluster organisations has been involved in S3 development……

7

... but to a very different extent

8

How cluster organisations contributed to S3 developement

Based on 130 respondents

Alpine Regions’ S3 are fairly aligned on national level…..

9

Based on 130 respondents

…. and even less with policies of

neighbouring regions

10 Based on 130 respondents

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Strength of Emerging Industries compared to traditional sectors for selected Alpine Regions

Source: European Cluster Observatory 2016

Funding provided through S3 is partly insufficient according to the regional demand

12

Adequacy of public investments to implement S3

Based on 130 respondents

Cluster initiatives are considered as tool to

Implement S3, but not properly funded

13

Availability of financing of cluster initiatives (to act as tool to implement S3)

Based on 130 respondents

How cluster initiatives support regional

policy makers to implement S3

14 Based on 130 respondents

How cooperation between policy and cluster organisation can be characterised

15 Based on 130 respondents

Tailor-made evaluation and monitoring according

to the new role of cluster initiatives is still in

the beginning

16 Based on 130 respondents

Impact of S3 on cluster initiatives

17

Based on 130 respondents

Key observation

Based on the StressTest exercises in 11 Alpine Regions

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1. Alpine Regions applied different approaches on how to develop their S3.

There is no “golden standard” since regions are individuals.

2. The StressTest exercises in Alpine but also in all 25 regions having

participated so far, provide good evidence that cluster-based approaches to

develop and implement S3 can offer added value for the regions.

3. The interplay between clusters and S3 matters. For this purpose, strategies

of cluster initiatives should be in line with respective S3 in order to assure

that cluster initiatives can provide tailor-made support for implementing S3.

4. The implementation of S3 is of highest relevance. It has to be supported with

a proper spectrum of policy instruments for tailor-made support and sufficient

public investments.

Key observation

Based on the StressTest exercises in 11 Alpine Regions

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5. If cluster initiatives play a dedicated role in the implementation of S3, they

have to be properly enabled to fulfil their role.

6. The S3 approach shifts cluster policy towards cluster-based regional

development policy approach.

7. Aligning S3 and related policy instruments among neighbouring regions is

still a challenge. Existing funding schemes like INTERREG or Horizon 2020

are not an appropriate options for cross-regional cooperation. Joint regional

call can be an option

8. Since S3 is a new approach, appropriate monitoring and evaluation

approaches are missing.