SmartSpecialisation
ChallengestoandProspectsforImplementation
IrynaKristensenandNelliMikkola
RegLABÅrskonferens2017
Gävle,2017-02-09
Concentratingresoursesinafewdomainsandfocusingeffortswillgeneratesizeandcriticalmass
effectsthatwouldnotoccurifyoudoalittleofeverything
(Foray2015:4).
Tracingtheoriginofapolicyidea
§  2008-09elaboratedbyagroupofinnovationscholars
§  KeyelementoftheEU2020InnovationUnioninitiative
§  S3issetasaconditionalityfortwothematicobjectivesofthefuture
CohesionPolicy
§  OECDandWorldBankpromotingS3inothetpartsoftheworld
YET
’[…]policymakerswouldprobablyhavebeenbetteroffproceeding
firsttoclinicaltrialsandpilotexperimentationbeforeapplyingthe
treatmenttothewholepopulationofregions’(Foray2015:7).
Territorialdimensionofinnovation
strategies
§  Territorialdimensionintroduced
–  territorialcohesion:strongermobilisationofregionalandlocalactors
inpolicyelaboration/implementation
–  territorial diversity: new sets of interaction between human capital,
naturalresourcesandgovernancestructures
–  place-based approach: interplay between local actors and external
agencies
Territorialdimensionofinnovation
strategies
§  RIS3articulatesplace-basedlocaldevelopmentpolicies
–  European level: closer integration between research and innovation
policieswithterritorialpolicies
–  Regional level: closer collaboration between different actors: public,
industrial,researchetc.inbothstrategy’sdesignandimplementation
processes.
Whatissmartspecialisation?
New’policy-prioritizationlogic’groundedintheentrepreneurialdiscovery
process(McCannandOrtega-Argilés2013).
Howtofail(Foray2015)
–  ”You just present grand themes (e.g. biotechnology and environment;
health,informationtechnologyanddependency…)
–  ”Youjustpresentthestrongpointsofpublicresearch”
–  ”Yousimplyrecycleclusterprogrammes”
Afundamentalcauseoffailureliesinpresentingwhatalreadyexists–
structures,strongpoints-withouttakingintoaccounttheimportanceof
entrepreneurialdiscovery.
NoveltyintroducedbyEntreprenurial
Discovery
Regionalinnovationas(Dubois,Kristensen,Teräs(forthcoming)2017):
•  Multi-localprocess
•  Democraticprocess
•  Openprocess
•  Learningprocess
ProspectsforS3implementation
…andarealitycheck?
§  Conceptual and academic narratives in the official RIS3
guidance material vs. the practical realities faced by the
policy-makers
§  How to translate RIS3 conceptual ideas into policy
frameworks?
BottlenecksforS3implementation:limitsof
therealeconomy(Capello&Kroll,2016)
1. 
Thelackoflocalpreconditionsforinnovation
2. 
Thelackofcapacitytoupgradethequalityofexistingspecialisationthrough
acreativeandappropriatediversificationprocess
3. 
Difficultiesinpolicyprioritisation:atendencyexiststoreplicateatthelocal
levelwhatisthoughttobestrategicatthenationalandworldwidelevels
4. 
Repositioning of peripheral regions in international value chains can often
not be controlled by policymakers from within these regions alone (e.g.
majormultinationalactors,globalcorporatestrategies)
5. 
‘SMEs cannot be bothered’ due to lack of resources for absorptiveness and
creativity > entrepreneurial discovery process becomes publically driven for
thelackofbetteroptions
Jointlearningandexchangeofexperiences
forS3implementation:
Challengesandopportunities
§  “Compile an S3 good practice catalogue and benchmark
HIGHERregions’S3againstEuropeanbestpractices”
§  Identification of good practice for S3 design and
implementation
–  whatisagoodpractice,towhomisitagoodpracticeand
where to focus (certain theme, governance, types of
public private partnerships, measurements and
evaluationmethods…)?
JRCImplementationHandbook
Fivekeymilestonesofthe
implementationprocess:
1) 
TheEntrepreneurialDiscovery
Process(EDP)cycle:frompriority
selectiontostrategy
implementation
2) 
Goodgovernance:principlesand
challenges
3) 
Fromprioritiestoprojects:
selectioncriteriaandselection
process
4) 
Transnationalcooperationand
valuechains
5) 
Monitoring
GOOD
PRACTICE
CATEGORY
TheEntrepreneurial
DiscoveryProcess
cycle:frompriority
selectiontostrategy
implementation
GoodGovernance:
principlesand
challenges
FromPrioritiesto
Projects:selection
criteriaand
selectionprocess
Transnational
cooperationand
valuechains
Monitoring
PRESSING
ISSUES
Whataretheconditions
foraneffectiveand
efficientdiscovery
process?
Howcanwemakethe
processsustainablein
time?
Whattypeof
governance
arrangementsare
neededtoensurethata
widevarietyof
stakeholders
participatesinthe
strategies,inparticular
thebusiness
community?
Howtomediate
betweeninterest
groups?
Howtoprioritise?
Howtodefineprojects
andcallswithin
prioritiesareasina
waythatallowstobest
realisetheinnovation
potentialofthose
areas?
Inwhichmannerto
includetransnational
aspectsintoS3
strategies?
Accessinto/
repositioninginthe
internationalvalue
chains?
Whichtypeof
monitoringactivities
andindicatorstousein
relationtoS3?
(SUB-THEMES)
POTENTIAL
CASES
…
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….
…
….
….
….
….
….
….
S3Benchmarking–experiencesand
challenges
§  “BenchmarkHIGHERregions’S3againstEuropeanbest
practices”–howtomaketheexercisemeaningful?
Europeaninnovationbenchmarkingtools
• 
Eye@RIS3
http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/eye-ris3
• 
Benchmarkingregionalstructure(Orkestra)
http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/regional-benchmarking
• 
S3Inter-regionalTradeandCompetitionTool
http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/s3-trade-tool
• 
RIMPlus:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/innovation/policy/regional-
innovation/monitor/
• 
EuropeanInnovationScoreboards
http://ec.europa.eu/growth/industry/innovation/facts/figures/
scoreboards/index_en.htm
• 
RegionalCompetitivenessIndex2013:
Http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/studies/pdf/
6th_report/rci_2013_report_final.pdf
• 
KETsObservatory:
https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/ketsobservatory/policy
• 
KETsTechnologyInfrastructure:
https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/ketsobservatory/kets-tiinventory/map
• 
DigitalEntrepreneurshipMonitor:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/dem/
• 
Eurostat«RegionalStatisticsIllustrated»perNUTS2region
2003–2011:
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/RSI/#?vis=economy
• 
RegionalDevelopmentandEntrepreneurshipIndex
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/redi/
• 
RIO
https://rio.jrc.ec.europa.eu/en
• 
TheHorizon2020PolicySupportFacility
• 
EuropeanServiceInnovationScoreboardESIS
http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/esic/scoreboard/
esis-database/index_en.htm
• 
Sectoralanalyses
http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/index_en.htm
• 
InternationalBenchmarkingDatabase
• 
BAKBasel
http://www.bakbasel.com/fileadmin/documents/
bakbasel_ibp_factsheet_2011_english.pdf
• 
TheOnlineEducationandTrainingMonitor
http://ec.europa.eu/education/news/2014/20140409visualisation-tool_en.htm
• 
CityBench—ESPONCityBenchforbenchmarking
EuropeanUrbanZones
http://www.espon.eu/main/Menu_Projects/
Menu_ScientificPlatform/citybench.html
• 
EuropeanLocalizedInnovationObservatory
• 
EUROLIO
http://eurolio.univ-st-etienne.fr/?language=en
• 
DGGrowth—InternalMarket,Industry,
EntrepreneurshipandSMEs
http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/sme-bestpractices/euromed/index.cfm?fuseaction=welcome.detail
• 
SmallBusinessAct—DatabaseonGoodPractices:
http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/sme-bestpractices/SBA/index.cfm?fuseaction=welcome.detail
• 
Exampleofinformationprovidedbyindustry:
AeronauticsandSpace:
http://www.acare4europe.com/sria
• 
EuropeanClusterObservatory
http://www.clusterobservatory.eu/index.html
Structuralsimilarityasbasisforbenchmarking
Someconclusions:
§  Moreexperience,narrativesandevidenceregardingS3
implementationisstillneeded
–  Useofindicatorsforexantepolicydesign,policy
experimentationandbetterexpostevaluation
–  Morecoherentanddetailedinformationsources(e.g.for
benchmarking)
–  Morestructurallyanalysedgoodpracticecases
§  Multiplemechanismsforbenchmarkingandjointlearning
betweenregions:
–  Amixtureoftoolsandmaterialavailablefordifference
phasesandpuzzlingmoments–tryandchoosewisely!
–  Justcollaborate:Explain,listen,ask,digest,findbuddies
(it’slikeS3blinddating…)
Someconclusions:
§  Thedilemmaof‘specialisation’acrossEurope
–  Theinterplaysbetween:
Ø  diversifyingandprioritising
Ø  regional resilience, diversification and an agile
innovation system (e.g. Stockholm model, case
Lithuania)
–  Distorted prioritisation due to e.g. national funding
priorities and homogenous approach to priorities at the
EUlevel
–  Multi-dimensionality of S3 and innovation: also
institutionalandgovernancedimensions,targetingsocial
challenges,socialinnovation…
Toconclude:
“Effective RIS3 policies have to become increasingly
locally-owned rather than externally imposed by
conditionalities, if they are to be genuinely long-lasting.
This is also essential in order to ensure that difficult and
often controversial policy prioritisation decisions can be
legitimatelymade.”(Kroll,2015)
“Policy-makers have a crucial role here to arbitrate such
debatesandtomakedecisionsaccordingly”(Stiglitz,Sen,
&Fitoussi,2009)
Questions?
[email protected]
[email protected]