Global Innovation Day, Bilbao

Richard Tuffs Director, ERRIN

June 16 2011

Outline

• An overview of the ERRIN network

• Innovation Union

• Smart specialisation

• Common Strategic Framework for Research and Innovation

• The regional dimension

CSFRISmart

specialisation

Innovation

Union

Europe 2020

ERRIN: Mission

• ERRIN is a Brussels-based platform of regions strengthening regional research and innovation capacities by exchanging information, sharing best practice, supporting project development, policy shaping and profile raising.

• ERRIN helps regions get their voice heard in Brussels and supports the implementation of the Europe2020 Strategy and the Innovation Union flagship initiative.

The ERRIN journey

2001 – Informal network

2004 – Regions of Knowledge

2006 – Oct - Relaunch with MB +

subscription

2008 – 60 regions

2011 – 90 regions

Phase 1: sharing information

Phase 2: comms

hub, regional

voice

and contact

point

Phase 3: policy &

projects

ERRIN – 3 Ps

POLICY

PROFILEPROJECTS

Shaping EU Research & Innovation policy

Supporting project

development and

engaging ERRIN regions

in EU projects

Raising the profile of

the network

and member regions in

Brussels

Working Groups

ICT

PACA/Paragon

Health

South Denmark/Flanders

Biotech

Navarra/ Northern Ireland/ CEBR

Science in SocietyScotland Europa/Bremen

TransportEszak-Alfold/Aragon

NanotechNavarra/Piemonte

Future RTD

Scotland Europa/CreoDK

Energy & Climate Change

Scotland Europa, Veneto Region

Innovation Funding

Welsh Higher Education, Cantabria

International cooperationScotland/Catalunya

Tourism

Tampere/Valencia

Design & Creativity

Helsinki/Flanders/CCI Paris/Central Denmark

Activities: Working Groups

• Feb 14: D&C • Feb 15: Open Days consortium on Smart Specialisation• Feb 16: T WG briefing on C-Liege project• Feb 16: E&CCH WG meeting• Feb 16: IF – Interreg IVB North West Europe Brokerage event• Feb 17: Science in Society S WG meeting• Feb 22: ICT• Feb 24: Nanotech• March 8: Transport• March 25: Biotech• March 29: Science in Society WG• April 4: ICT – CIP ICT PSP Brokerage event (+ 80 organisations)• April 8: Tourism and Sport• April 12: Health• April 13. Future RTD• April 14: Energy• May 19: Nanotech• May 23: Tourism• May 24: Transport• June 1: Innovation Funding WG• June 8: Health• June 15: Health brokerage event• June 22: Biotech brokerage event• June 22: Smart Cities Brokerage event• June 22 : Biotech Brokerage event• June 27: Energy + ICT WG - Regions of knowledge brokerage event

ERRIN Events• 22-23 March: ERRIN designed S3 session at University-Business Forum• 30 March: Financial Engineering (with EURADA)• 1 April : Follow up meeting with DG R&I (with EURADA)• 13 April: Stakeholder event on research and innovation consultation with EURADA

and EBN (150+ registrations)• 14 April: Sustainable Energy Week – S3 and energy • 8 June: Health • 15 June: Health Brokerage event• 22 June: Smart Cities Brokerage event• 22 June: Biotech Brokerage event• 22 June: Making Knowledge Work Briefing #3 • 22 June: ERRIN AGM Debate• 27 June: Regions of knowledge brokerage event• 22-23 Sept: PLACES political symposium in Paris• 12 October: Open Days ERRIN consortia - S3• November: Social Innovation (with EURADA) • November: Europe 2020 – Territorial Pacts?

Europe 2020

Three priorities for 2020

Five targets Seven flagships

Smart growth

Sustainable growth

Inclusive growth

Employment rate 75% of 20-64 year olds

Investment in R&D 3% of EU GDP

20/20/20 targets should be met

Improved education levels

Promoting social inclusion

Innovation Union

Youth on the move

Digital Agenda

Resource efficient Europe

Industrial policy

New skills new jobs

European Platform against poverty

Europe 2020: 7 flagships

Smart growth Sustainable growth

Inclusive growth

Innovation Union Resource efficient Europe

New skills for new jobs

Mobility – Youth on the move

Industrial policy for the globalisation era

European platform against poverty

Digital Agenda

Innovation and regions

Innovation Union (Nov 2011)

• Tackle unfavourable framework conditions

• Avoid fragmentation of effort

• Focus on innovations that address societal challenges

• Pursue a broad concept of innovation

• Involve all actors and regions in the innovation cycle

Smart specialisation (Nov 2011)

• Communication sets out role of Regional Policy in implementing Europe 2020.

• Regions have a central role as they are the primary partner for universities, R&D and education and SMEs.

• Communication complements the Innovation Union and calls for more investment of structural funds on smart growth.

Innovation Union

Ten key points1. Member States must invest more in education, R&D,

innovation and ICTs2. Better value for money by tackling fragmentation and

linked national R&D research and innovation systems3. Modernise all levels of education4. Better mobility for researchers and innovators and

completion of the European Research Area5. Simplify EU funding programmes (FP7/FP8) and more

European Investment Bank Funding and strengthened European Research Council. Structural funds should be fully exploited to develop research and innovation capacities based on smart specialisation strategies

Innovation Union

Ten key points (part 2)6. Get more innovation out of research with better cooperation

between the worlds of business and science

7. Reduce barriers for entrepreneurs to bring ideas to market e.g. better access to finance, affordable IPR, smarter regulation, faster standardisation and strategic use of procurement

8. European Innovation Partnerships should be launched to accelerate research, development and market deployment. First EIP is on healthy ageing (future ones on smart cities, water-efficient Europe, smart mobility, agricultural productivity and sustainability)

9. Exploit EU strengths in design and creativity and champion social and public sector innovation

10. Work better with international partners – opening access to EU programmes by getting access to outside programmes too.

Innovation Union: benefits and actions

• Predicted benefits

• Reaching 3% spending on R&D by 2020 could create 3.7 million jobs and increase annual GDP by nearly €800 billion by 2025

• 34 actions backed up by the European Council. The European Parliament is invited to give priority to Innovation Union proposals with an annual major policy debate. Member States (and their regions) should ensure appropriate governance structures and review Structural Funds to reflect Europe 2020 priorities.

• Annual Innovation Convention to discuss the state of the Innovation Union

Innovation Union in a nutshell

• Strategic approach• Partnership with Member States• From idea to market• Research to retail

• Tackling weaknesses• Under-investment • Fragmentation • Framework conditions

• Building on strengths• Focus on societal challenges• Broad concept of innovation• Involving all actors

Highlights

• European Innovation Partnerships

• European Research Area framework

• Streamlined EU programmes

• New financial instruments

• Reform of standardisation system

• Public procurement of innovation

• Social innovation pilot

• Stronger monitoring

• Innovation Convention

A distinctive

European approach to

innovationRegional dimension

Innovation Union – some aspects of the regional dimension

Action ERRIN Working Groups

7. Future research and innovation programmes should ensure simple access and stronger involvement of SMEs

Innovation Funding – is working closely with the SME dimension and university-business contacts

ERRIN /EURADA have held two meetings with Robert-Jan Smits and Clara de la Torre and their regional team to input into future programme

17. Member States and regions should set aside dedicated budgets for pre-commercial procurements and public procurements of innovative products and services

Innovation Funding WG – will work with the European Commission to spread best practice among regions. ERRIN organised with K4I a dinner at the European Parliament on 13 April to discuss PCP.

18. Eco-innovation action plan in 2011 Energy WG – has and will develop seminars in sustainable energy week and has developed many projects under the Intelligent Energy Programme. ERRIN is a partner in a European eco-innovation project Ecolink+ and was a co-organiser of the Green Knowledge Triangle seminar on October 27 2010 in the European Parliament.

Innovation Union – some aspects of the regional dimension

Action ERRIN Working Groups

24. Starting in 2010, Member States should improve their use of structural funds for research and innovation projects, developing skills and implementing smart specialisationstrategies and trans-national projects

Policy WG - there is clearly more synergies to be made between future structural funds and research and innovation. ERRIN involved in discussions with DG Regio on ‘smart specialisation strategies’ and ERRIN/EURADA seminar on S3 on March 10/11

25. Member States should initiate the preparation of post 2013 Structural Fund programmes with an increased focus on innovation

ERRIN has responded to the Cohesion Consultation in January 2011 and the Consultation on the CSF RI in May 2011

29. Innovation partnerships… The Commission would welcome views and ideas on the areas being considered for future partnerships and other candidates that meet the success criteria

Health and Policy WG – ERRIN considers that there should be a regional dimension within innovation partnerships and Health and ICT WGs have organised two seminars in Brussels on this topic, participated at the stakeholder meeting, sent in a response to the consultation and now regional representatives will be part of a high-level steering group for EIPs

Innovation Union: self assessment tool

Enablers

Human resources

• Doctorates, degrees, education level

Open, excellent and attractive research systems

• scientific publications, non-EU doctorate students

Finance and support

• public R&D expenditure, venture capital

Firm activities

Firm investments

• business R&D, non R&D innovation expenditure

Linkages and entrepreneurshipµ

• SMEs innovation in-house, etc.

Intellectual assets

• Patents, trademarks, designs…

Innovation Union: self assessment tool

Outputs

Innovators

• SMEs introducing innovations, high growth SMEs

Economic effects

• employment in knowledge-intensive activities, exports of medium/high tech and knowledge intensive services; licence and patent revenues from abroad

Smart Specialisation

Must• Smart specialisation policies

needed for each region

• Compare regional strengths with other regions and look for gain via inter-regional and trans-national cooperation

• Business, research centres and universities must work together to identify promising areas and also bottlenecks to innovation

• Include policy learning, peer reviews with regional stakeholders

Need• Strategic intelligence is needed to

identify a region’s high value added activities which strengthen its competitiveness.

• To have impact innovation resources need to reach a critical mass and linked to skills, education and knowledge infrastructure.

Next steps 1

• In last three years of the Operational Programmes, regions can refocus their practice by:– Developing smart specialisation strategies

– More use of financial engineering

– More interregional cooperation in ERDF

– More public procurement co-financed by ERDF

– International peer review by experts

– Use ERDF to finance shortlisted FP7 or CIP projects

– Use peer learning opportunities in Interreg etc.

Component parts

• Innovation clusters

• Innovation friendly business environments for SMEs

• Lifelong learning in research and innovation

• Attractive regional research infrastructure and centres of competence

• Creativity and cultural industries

• Digital agenda

• Public procurement

• Addressing societal challenges through Innovation Partnerships

Next steps 2

• The Commission will:– Develop a smart specialisation platform before 2012 with

expertise from universities, research centres, regional authorities, business…(kick-off June 23 at Regions for Economic Change Conference)

– Data and policy analysis via European Cluster Observatory, Regional Innovation Scoreboard and Monitor

– Work closely with financial institutions to leverage funding– Facilitate business opportunities for SMEs via European

Enterprise Network – Improve the coherence of education, research and

innovation programmes

Regional angle

• Shift from pure research and tech development to innovation related activities

• More research needed on regional ‘black box’

– Human capital

– Proximity to research centres

– Attractive environments

– Size and transport links

– Specific local assets

Regions key players in research and innovation

• Regions know their context / local player needs

• Critical mass– Proximity

– Talent

– Partnership – triple/quadruple helix

– Transnational cooperation

• They implement innovation strategies which support:– Regional strengths

– Innovation in SMEs (regional innovation agencies)

– Interactions between regional partners (clusters, incubators, technology centres, etc…)

– Financial engineering

– Innovative procurement

– Training and mobility

WIRE2011, 7th - 9th JUNE 2011Lecturer:

Conclusion

• Regions need innovation and innovation needs regions

• The Innovation Union must involve ‘all actors and all regions in the innovation cycle…focusing on…smart specialisation with Europe, Member States and regions acting in partnership’ (page 8)

• Regions key players as they are the places where innovation happens (innovation ecosystems/ functional economic areas)

• Regions need to collaborate to shape policy, develop projects (to further their strategies) and raise their profile in Europe.

Thank you for your attention

Richard Tuffs

director@errin

www.errin.eu