A Common Vocabulary for Research and Innovation Smart Specialisation Strategies: Identifying Complementarities and Synergies within and Across EU Macro-Regions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pasquale Pavone ◽  
Francesco Pagliacci ◽  
Margherita Russo ◽  
Anna Giorgi
Keyword(s):  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Smart Specialisation

Guest editorial on research and innovation strategies for smart specialisation in Europe

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 378-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikel Landabaso
Keyword(s):  
Innovation Management ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Economic Transformation ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Smart Specialisation ◽  
Innovation Strategies

Purpose – This Special Issue of the European Journal of Innovation Management sheds new light on the burning issue of Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3), both in terms of their policy formulation and their practical implementation in the field. This new policy approach refers to the process of priority setting in national and regional research and innovation strategies in order to build “place-based” competitive advantages and help regions and countries develop an innovation-driven economic transformation agenda. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – This is an important topic both in the current debate about a new industrial policy for Europe and as a policy option for a successful crisis exit strategy led by public investments in the real economy. Moreover, smart specialisation is promoted by the European Commission as an ex ante conditionality for all regions in Europe to receive European Structural and Investment Funds in the field of innovation. Thus, it has become a pre-requisite for accessing fresh funds for investing in badly needed innovation-driven productivity growth throughout the European Union (EU). Findings – The six papers in this Special Issue are the fruit of ground-breaking research and policy testing by nearly 20 leading academics and policy makers throughout the EU. They explore the early smart specialisation concept and its further developments, examine the methodological tools at its disposal and advance specific policy proposals and governance considerations based on actual experimentation in the field. Originality/value – All these make the present Special Issue of the European Journal of Innovation Management an important research milestone. This Special Issue is the fruit of a call towards the European academic and research community to help shaping and advancing the smart specialisation concept and thus contribute to better position regions and countries in the global economy through innovation-driven policies.

Path dependence in policies supporting smart specialisation strategies

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 390-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesús M. Valdaliso ◽  
Edurne Magro ◽  
Mikel Navarro ◽  
Mari Jose Aranguren ◽  
James R. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Policy Development ◽  
Path Dependence ◽  
Basque Country ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Smart Specialisation ◽  
Path Dependent ◽  
Degree Of Maturity ◽  
Political Agents ◽  
Dependent Processes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to apply the path dependence theoretical framework to STI policies that support research and innovation strategies for smart specialisation (RIS3). Design/methodology/approach – Review of the recent literature on the phases, sources of reinforcement and change mechanisms (layering, conversion, recombination, etc.) present in path-dependent processes, as well as the role played by mental frameworks, political agents and power relations; and its illustration and testing over 30 years of STI policy development in the Basque Country. Findings – How to operationalise the analysis of continuity and change of STI policies supporting RIS3 policies characterised by path dependence processes. Likewise, learnings from the analysis of Basque case regarding the types of challenges that European regions will face as they design their RIS3, according to their degree of maturity in STI policies. Originality/value – It is the first time that the recently developed tools for analysis of path-dependent processes are applied to the development of STI policies supporting RIS3 policies.

scholarly journals Towards regional responsible research and innovation? Integrating RRI and RIS3 in European innovation policy

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 772-783 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rune Dahl Fitjar ◽  
Paul Benneworth ◽  
Bjørn Terje Asheim
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Innovation Policy ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Responsible Research And Innovation ◽  
Policy Agenda ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Smart Specialisation ◽  
Geographical Scale ◽  
Innovation Strategies ◽  
Responsible Research

Abstract This article develops a model for a regional responsible research and innovation (RRI) policy, integrating existing European Union policies on RRI, and on research and innovation strategies for smart specialisation (RIS3). RRI and RIS3 are central concepts in the EU’s innovation policy agenda, but there are tensions between the two approaches. The place-based approach inherent in RIS3 is missing from RRI, which has a fuzzy concept of geographical scale and is vulnerable to mismatches between the scale of innovations and of the associated governance networks involved in the innovation process. Meanwhile, the multitude of visions, values and stakeholder perceptions embodied in the RRI concept is countered by the more optimistic and unitary imagining of a regional future in RIS3. We highlight that Europe’s innovation challenges can only be resolved by leveraging the strengths of both types of innovation policy.

Especialización inteligente en la Región de Murcia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Juan García Teruel ◽  
Daniel Jiménez Jiménez ◽  
Micaela Martínez Costa ◽  
Jorge Eduardo Martínez Pérez ◽  
Simona Popa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Smart Specialisation

Las estrategias nacionales y regionales para la Especialización Inteligente en Investigación e Innovación, estrategias de RIS3 (Research and Innovation Smart Specialisation Strategy), se basan en que la especialización en determinadas industrias es más beneficiosa para un territorio que la diversificación indiscriminada en múltiples sectores. Bajo estas premisas, se configuró en la Región de Murcia el RIS3Mur como agenda integradora de transformación económica territorial. Desde la Cátedra de Innovación para la Especialización Inteligente de la Universidad de Murcia, financiada por el Instituto de Fomento (INFO) de la Región de Murcia, se ha analizado la situación de una de las áreas de especialización más relevantes para la Región de Murcia: el sector agroalimentario. En este informe se realiza un análisis de este sector y se abordan diferentes aspectos como, por ejemplo, el peso de este sector en la economía regional y la situación económico-financiera de las empresas que componen dicho sector. Además, se exponen los resultados de un estudio muestral que ponen de relieve la importancia de la apuesta por la innovación a la hora de diseñar estrategias empresariales que sean exitosas en dicho sector. La información recogida en este documento puede servir de ayuda para realizar un seguimiento y control de esta área de especialización inteligente, a la vez de guía para el establecimiento de políticas que incrementen el potencial del sector y, por tanto, favorezcan el desarrollo regional.

scholarly journals Identity of Innovative Multifunctional Material Manufacturing Business in Latvia / Inovatīvu Daudzfunkcionālo Materiālu Ražotāju Identitāte Latvijā

2015 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 3-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Geipele ◽  
T. Staube ◽  
G. Ciemleja ◽  
N. Zeltins ◽  
Yu. Ekmanis
Keyword(s):  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Scientific Investigation ◽  
Financial Data ◽  
Detailed Data ◽  
Multifunctional Material ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Smart Specialisation ◽  
Innovation Strategies ◽  
Financial Data Analysis

Abstract The publication comprises the results from the practical scientific investigation to define the profile and distinctions of the Latvian innovative multifunctional material manufacturing industry. The research is carried out by a holistic approach, including expert interviews, qualitative analysis of the official register data, practical survey, and financial data analysis. The paper seeks to give the detailed data on a technological profile of the mentioned representative companies, if there is a synergy or tough competition in the Latvian market. The current research is topical, because it is unique and does not have analogues in Latvia, and the research is timely due to correspondence with recently stated Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation in Latvia. The main findings are associated with recognition of the factors that make impact on commercialisation of the finished goods, obtained financial results and planned directions of development of the respondent companies.

scholarly journals Economic modelling to evaluate Smart Specialisation: an analysis of research and innovation targets in Southern Europe

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Javier Barbero ◽  
Olga Diukanova ◽  
Carlo Gianelle ◽  
Simone Salotti ◽  
Artur Santoalha
Keyword(s):  
Economic Modelling ◽  
Southern Europe ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Smart Specialisation

scholarly journals Smart specialisation in regions with less-developed research and innovation systems: A changing role for universities?

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Vallance ◽  
Jiří Blažek ◽  
John Edwards ◽  
Viktor Květoň
Keyword(s):  
Innovation Systems ◽  
Regional Innovation ◽  
Strategy Formation ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Smart Specialisation ◽  
Innovation Strategies ◽  
Research Organisations ◽  
Changing Role

Universities and other knowledge institutions have quickly come to be seen as central to smart specialisation. However, their exact role in Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation has yet to receive much critical attention in the academic literature. This is particularly notable as defining features of smart specialisation – such as the entrepreneurial dynamic of the strategy-formation process, and differentiated nature of the goals for strategies in regions with varying research and innovation capabilities – represent challenges to the notion that public research organisations should be drivers of smart specialisation in all regions. This paper articulates these conceptual tensions and then explores how they are unfolding in practice with particular reference to regions with less-developed research and innovation systems. The empirical material is drawn from a European-wide survey of institutional factors affecting the implementation of Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation and two regional case studies from Central and Eastern Europe. Overall the paper reveals a multifaceted picture of still emerging (and potentially conflicting) dynamics around the introduction of smart specialisation that have the potential to reconfigure the role of universities in regional innovation systems in Europe.

scholarly journals Adapting smart specialisation to a micro-economy – the case of Malta

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 428-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke Georghiou ◽  
and Elvira Uyarra ◽  
Ramona Saliba Scerri ◽  
Nadine Castillo ◽  
Jennifer Cassingena Harper
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Structure ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Foreign Direct Investments ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Action Research Approach ◽  
Smart Specialisation ◽  
General Business

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to set out the process by which a smart specialisation strategy was developed for a small, peripheral economy in the European Union, the Republic of Malta. It assesses the applicability of the approach in the context of a micro-economy with an industrial structure based on a small number of foreign direct investments and a predominance of micro-enterprises. Design/methodology/approach – The paper follows an action research approach by presenting as a case study the process by which the strategy for Malta was assessed and developed through successive rounds of engagement with business and other actors with the application of scenarios and other prioritisation approaches to facilitate its development. An initial consultation with 20 public sector and representative organisations was followed by a general business workshop and 21 sectoral focus groups. Findings – Lack of critical mass can be mitigated by maximising the generic use of available skills and competences. Given the higher vulnerability to external shock in micro-economies, strategies need to have a high degree of flexibility and adaptability. Greater internationalisation provides the main response to peripherality. Practical implications – The approach can be applied more generally for micro-economies and in some aspects to other countries or regions lacking critical mass in research and innovation assets or facing peripherality. Originality/value – The smart specialisation approach had not been applied in these circumstances and hence the findings allowed the concept to be extended and adapted to deal with the issues raised.

Implementing a smart specialisation strategy: an evidence-based approach

2016 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Kotnik ◽  
Tea Petrin
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Union Member ◽  
Policy Reforms ◽  
Investment Funds ◽  
Entrepreneurial Discovery ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Smart Specialisation ◽  
Technological Specialisation ◽  
Support Research

Smart specialisation is now a major idea behind the European Commission’s cohesion policy reforms in the field of innovation, and it must be applied by European Union member countries in order to secure funding under the 2014–2020 European Union budget, even though the concept itself has only recently emerged. The success of translating this policy into practice depends on a thorough analysis of regions’ and countries’ potential for innovation based on empirical evidence. Currently, countries use a wide array of methods to define priority areas, but these have, for the most part, failed to address the challenges of this process. This article explores the data that can be used in the prioritisation process of developing a smart specialisation strategy. The approach follows the main recommendations for profiling regions and countries, uses data already available at the national statistical offices, and is based on indicators that can be grasped intuitively by policymakers. It includes data on each relevant aspect of smart specialisation, that is, economic, scientific and technological specialisation, as well as the entrepreneurial discovery process. This article demonstrates the approach using a case with Slovenian data; the results suggest that it can be an effective tool for narrowing down a list of industries to be considered for a smart specialisation strategy. Points for practitioners A smart specialisation strategy will be a precondition for using European Union regional and investment funds during 2014–2020 in order to support research and innovation investments. The success of translating this policy into practice depends on a thorough analysis of regions’ and countries’ potential for innovation based on empirical evidence. A ready-to-use methodology for narrowing down a list of industries to be considered for a smart specialisation strategy is proposed, and is demonstrated using the example of Slovenia.

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