Towards Regional spEcialisation for Smart 

growth spirit

EARTO     CONFERENCE

Dubrovnik23‐24 May, 2013

An EU Project of Nine Regions Developing and 

Sharing their Smart Specialisation Strategies

Dubrovnik, 23 May

INDEX

Apéritif– Introduction1. Entrée‐What is TR3S 

Project2. Plat principaux‐

Towards Smart Specialisation…

3. Dessert‐Experiences

Once upon a time…

'In the Basque country region “cooking/eating” is a cornerstone of our culture and “inspiration/innovation” revolves around the table'

“Discovery”“New‐old” concept

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“Learning & Exchange”Concept Evolution

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“TR3S/pecialisation”New concept/recipe

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TR3S is like a cooking process!

Once upon a time…

In cooking, tradition is mixed with specialisation, innovation and creativity. This creates space for learning, creation and transformation to develop new innovation 

approaches or `recipes´.

What is it all about?It is about Smart Specialisation….

A strategic approach to economic development through targeted support to Research and Innovation.

A process of developing a vision, identifying competitive advantage, setting strategic priorities and making use of smart policies to maximise the knowledge‐baseddevelopment potential of any region (strong or weak, high‐tech or low‐tech). 

An important policy rationale in the upcoming structural fund period 2014‐2020.

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http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/home;jsessionid=vqBwRb9LGqnf0QLC1HLgnQxT30nh8XP1DWcrJ1SbgYGTmmZBWDMn!‐2095593081!1369128328100

Entrée

What is TR3S Project?

Basic informationProgramme:

INTERREG IVCPriority:

Innovation and the Knowledge EconomyLead partner:

Tecnalia Research & Innovation Foundation (ES)Duration:

01/2012 – 12/2014Total budget:

€ 1,439,912.69ERDF contribution:

€ 1,113,197.00

Tecnalia R&I Foundation (Basque Country, ES)www.tecnalia.comRegional Development Agency of the Basque Country (Basque Country, ES)www.spri.esPannon Business Network Association (Nyugat‐Dunantul, HU)www.pbn.huScottish Enterprise (Scotland, UK)www.scottish‐enterprise.comValga County Government (Eesti, EE)www.valgamv.eeRegione Piemonte (Piemonte, IT)www.regione.piemonte.itBucharest‐ Ilfov Regional Development Agency (Bucuresti‐Ilfov, RO)www.adrbi.roLubelskie Voivodeship( Lubelskie, PL)www.lubelskie.plThe Baltic Institute of Finland (Pirkanmaa, FI)www.baltic.org Stuttgart Region Economic Development Corporation (Stuttgart, DE)www.region‐stuttgart.de

TR3S project partners ?

Regional Innovation Scoreboard, 2012

LEADERTampere Stuttgart

FOLLOWERBasque Country PiemonteScotland

MODESTPannonBucharestLubelskie

* Estonia is  not included in the RIS analysis. 

TR3S partners….. A strongMultidimensional partnership representing different innovation realities and ecosystems, sharing expertise and know‐how about their Smart Specialisation Strategies!

TR3S…Analyses regional capacities,focuses on careful prioritisation andeffectiveness (in planning andimplementing) of regional innovationpolicies and investments.

Offers a source of ideas and goodpractices for other regions towardssmart specialisation.

Mobilises innovation capacity andgrowth potential of their regions so asto become globally morecompetitive.

OUTCOME

PROCESS

Where do we want to be? How will we get there together?

Step 1 – Specialisation stories

Step 2 – New innovation policy trends

Step 3 – Exchange of GPs

Step 4 – Living kitchen sessions

Step 5 – Community learning and transfer

Clear vision of the future smart strategies within the region.

Exchange of experiences.

Transfer of 3 GPs.

3 policies improved.

Step 2 Policy TRends(Open Innovation/

User Driven Innovation)

Step 1 Smart Specialisation

SectorSpecialisation

Open or User-DrivenInnovation

(Multi-Sector)

Open/User DrivenInnovation

to Support SmartSpecialisation

Step 3 –GPs

Step 4 – Living kitchen sessions

Step 5 – Community learning and transfer

TR3S steps towards Smart regional policy!

Plats principaux

Towards regional Smart Specialisation…

Entrepreneurial  discovery: interactive process between public and private sector to identify the most promising activities to specialise.

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6 TIPS for Regional Smart Specialisation!

Build sustainable clusters with dynamic comparative advantages.

Promotion of Key Enabling Technologies.

4Strategic and specialised diversification: creation of new activities and differentiation of services products in global markets.

5 Openness to other regions to identify synergies and/or complementarities.

Evidence‐based monitoring and evaluation and feed‐back into policy design.

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WHAT IS SMART AND WHAT IS SPECIALISATION?

1. Place evidence based2. Not top down decision, but 

bottom up partnership approach3. Global perspective on potential 

advantage & potential for cooperation

4. Source in Knowledge, services, technologies, talent and investors

1. Priority setting in times of scare resources

2. Excellence in something specific3. Accumulation of critical mass4. Not necessarily focus on a single 

sector but cross sectorial approach

a) Best way to exploit territorial potential through innovationb) Foster interregional comparative advantage Source: DG Research and Innovation

TIPS for Regional Smart Specialisation!

Choices and Critical mass: limited number ofpriorities on the basis of own strengths andinternational specialisation – avoid duplication andfragmentation in the European Research Area –concentrate funding sources ensuring moreeffective budgetary management.

Competitive Advantage: mobilise talent bymatching RTD+I capacities and business needsthrough an entrepreneurial discovery process.

Connectivity and Clusters: develop world classclusters and provide arenas for relatedvariety/cross‐sector links internally in the regionand externally, which drive specialized technologicaldiversification – match what you have with whatthe rest of the world has.

Collaborative Leadership: efficient innovationsystems as a collective endeavour based on public‐private partnership (quadruple helix)

The four Cs of Smart Specialization

Source: RIS 3 Guide

6 Steps for regional Specialisation…

Source: RIS 3 Guide

Tips for the RIS3 Strategy development!

Source: OECD

StrategyTranslating these activities into priorities in the 

strategies. 

Strong stakeholder’s involvement and commitment.

Identifying  complementarities and synergies across sectors, technologies and regions. 

Building on region and inter‐regional's capabilities, 

competences, potential for excellence in a global perspective

Strategic Capacities to seize emerging activities

Tips for Specialisation!

• Flexibility.• Abandonment of failure programmes.

Capacity to identify localstrengths.

• Policy mix.• Demand‐side instruments.

• Synchronisation of strategies. 

Capacity to align policy actions and build critical mass. • Multi‐governance and policy 

coordination.   • Inter‐regional collaboration.

The ability of regions to develop a vision and strategy

Source: OECD

Dessert 

TR3S Experiences…

• Strategy in process focusing on previous innovation trajectory: well established innovation system and policies, among which industrial policy is a cornerstone.

• PCTI 2015 (leaded highest political level) is a strategy that seeks specialization in certain technological sectors/domains, based on excellence and on priorization with an overall approach.

• It is designed as a result of a participative process involving all the regional agents.

• Ensures transparency and improvement through clear and measurable objectives subject to continuous reviews.

• Basque Government has joined the S3 Platform.

Basque Country Region

Target markets for future• Ageing Society• Digital world• Transport and mobility• Energy (renewable)• Science Industry

Cross‐technology domains• Biosciences• Nanosciences• Advanced Manufacturing

Areas of specializationScience, Technology and Innovation Plan 2015

Basque Country Region

Scotland region• Supportive of “Specialisation” concept ‐ have applied a focused industry approach since later 1990’s

• Taken a single Scottish‐wide approach to RIS3 – with direction set from the Scottish Government’s Economic Strategy.

• Part of a DG Regio S3 “pilot assessment” programme and about to join the S3 Platform.

• Value from the process ‐ opportunity to learn, to share ideas and to refresh our approach.

• Refresh of Scotland’s Innovation Policy – applying a “Smart” approach is underway and should be completed by end of 2013.  

Scotland regionApproaches to engage R&D Institutes and Enterprises in RIS3

Industry Leadership Groups  ‐ identify industry demand, focus for industry engagement , strategic leadership and advice to industry and the public sector by:

Developing a forward looking strategy for the industry with a focus on transformational change; 

Acting as a channel for industry input to the strategy;  Identifying the actions required to deliver the strategy and the roles of 

Government and industry;  Reviewing and endorsing the proposed solutions; and  Monitoring progress on the strategy and refreshing it as required.

Project and Programme Development – Scottish Enterprise cooperates with other public agencies to bring academics and enterprises together an example is the new Innovation Centres  (where company demand and academic excellence come together )

Piemonte Region• Strategy in process of development, member of S3. • Good mapping in place of the areas of specialisation and a 

strong coordination at regional/national level.• Intention to reinforce the learning/peer review dimension 

with other regions in EU by learning from other experiences.• Support needed in the following (still weak) areas:

Entrepreneurial dynamicsInternational economic positioningMonitoring and evaluation system

• Good awareness level and support by National Ministry,Regional administration units and by the business andacademic communities.

Piemonte regionAerospace Automotive Mechatronics Life sciences Clean Tech

ICT & Creativity

Advanced manufacturing systems and new materials

Nanotechnologies

Biotechnologies

Agrofood

• Knowledge based regional economic development since early 1990’s, becoming major R&D region (Nokia Corporation having its largest R&D site) 

• The machine construction industry transformed to a successful intelligent machine industry owned by multinationals.

• The ICT development and new high tech clusters in small niches (optoelectronics or human spare parts in life sciences)

BUT“decided to rethink and ”open up” the Finnish

paradigm of innovation policy” now Innovation platforms funnel the innovation flow.

Tampere Region

• “Platformed” regional (S3) strategy. Roadmap to Smart Specialisationand innovation platform thinking.

• Innovation platforms are unique combinations of processes, methods, talents, facilities and culture of co‐creation. They create environments for experimentation and speed‐up go‐to‐market.

• New Factory Engine Rooms (current platform components)  Demola Network‐ Demo‐creation by students & companies PROTOMO‐ Lean startup creation by professionals & companies 

(spin‐outs)  New Factory‐ Testing and co‐creation with user communities and 

living lab environments. Accelerator‐ Growth and internationalization support for startups 

by startups.• Member of the S3 Platform.

Tampere Region

Stuttgart Region• Process for developing a new innovation strategy for the region 

as a business and science location focusing on promising fields for future development and concrete projects.

• Coordinated by the Stuttgart Region Economic Development Corporation (WRS), is a process based on the participation of all relevant regional stakeholders.

• Within the whole strategy development there are two processes running parallel: mission statement (regional Leitbild ) which will be the basis for the strategy with specific fields of activity and strategic goals.

• Member of the S3 Platform.

Stuttgart Region

TR3S 2.0

Our presence in the 2.0 World:

@TR3S_PROJECT

TR3S_PROJECT

TRSSS.PROJECT@gmail.com

www.tr3s‐project.euWebsite:

Thank you very much!Hvala !

begona.sanchez@tecnalia.comShould you need to reproduce this presentation or part of it, please make 

reference to the TR3S project (INTERREG IVC)