Intermediating Smart Specialisation and Entrepreneurial Discovery: The Cases of Estonia and Helsinki-Uusimaa

Abstract

During the EU Multiannual Financial Framework for 2014–2020, smart specialisation and entrepreneurial discovery as the key tools for drafting the smart specialisation strategies have been at the centre of the European Union’s regional and innovation policy. This article analyses the differences in how the smart specialisation and entrepreneurial discovery process have been organised in two regions with different well-being levels and innovation capacities: Estonia and Helsinki-Uusimaa region in Finland. We show that both regions have formally adopted rather generic smart specialisation strategies and specialisations. While the Estonian approach to smart specialisation has remained formalistic and technocratic, Helsinki-Uusimaa has developed a more systemic approach where other national and regional strategies define more clearly the direction for economic development and the role of smart specialisation strategy is to provide complementary leverage via access to EU regional funds. In this paper, we argue that one of the crucial reasons for the differences stems from the organisation of innovation systems and the role of intermediary organisations. In Helsinki-Uusimaa, different intermediary organisations play a more active role in RDI policy by bringing together a variety of stakeholders and helping to co-shape a common understanding of the direction of development and launching different cooperation initiatives. While different intermediary organisations also exist in Estonia, they are not focussing on building networks and establishing a common understanding of the direction of economic development. The article emphasises the importance of clear strategic directionality for RIS3 and the role of intermediary organisations that help to maintain a common understanding among different stakeholders about the chosen direction for development through creating the dynamics of interaction between them.