Concept Of Smart Specialization Research Articles

Overcoming policy making problems in smart specialization strategies: engaging subregional governments

ABSTRACTSince the concept of Smart Specialization was launched, an effort has been made to clarify and establish criteria for its implementation. Part of the difficulties in implementing Research and Innovation Smart Specialization Strategies (RIS3) is their emphasis on bottom-up approaches, which are required because there are public and private stakeholders that are better positioned than governments to find the domains in which the region is likely to excel. Regions must shift towards a new generation of industrial policy and the difficulties for advancing in this direction are already visible. Designing and implementing a smart specialisation strategy at regional level: Some open questions. The centrality of entrepreneurial discovery in building and implementing a smart specialisation strategy. Efforts to implement smart specialization in practice – leading unlike horses to the water. The paper is based on four cases related to governance and learning for smart specialization in the Basque Country (Spain) and presents three main lessons learnt. The first has to do with connections between regional and sub-regional governments in order to construct networks of territorial actors that can act as the senses of governments in the territory. The second is about the challenge of handling complexity and conflict and the third is about the integration of social researchers in RIS3 processes.

European Innovation Policy Concepts and the Governance of Innovation

This paper examines the interdependency of European Policy and governance of innovation. The authors elaborate on the policy implementation context of Slovenia, a small and less advanced European member state in a transition process. The literature on innovation policy, governance and existing innovation concepts aiming to accelerate economic development, European integration and growth is reviewed and integrated. Within this framework, the authors then review the capability and capacity of the Slovenian national government to channel European funding and organize complex projects, such as the enabling, advancement and integration of regional innovation systems as a key concept of regional innovation strategy and smart specialization (RISS). They discuss the governance of innovation in the research tradition of neo-institutionalism and policy impact analysis related to problems of national and regional innovation systems. The paper outlines the importance of organizational readiness at the national level for the translation of high-level concepts, effective policies and efficient strategy implementation.

The role of cluster initiatives in strategic alliances: a view from the Basque Country region

Clusters initiatives are appropriate environments for their members to gain in competitiveness through collaboration. The entrepreneurial process of discovery, one of the main principals in the new concept of smart specialization can be embodied in clusters initiatives. When addressing new business opportunities through collaboration within a cluster, companies usually form strategic alliances. Business strategy is clearly related to regional strategy. In most cases, successful regional strategies depend on successful business strategies. This paper considers the relationship between the two types of strategies, focussing on strategic alliances and the role of cluster initiatives in their development in the context of the Basque Country region. To provide insight about the perceived role of cluster initiatives in both fostering strategic alliances and in defining and developing regional smart specialization strategies in mature cluster initiatives, primary data was gathered in the Basque Country from Cluster Managers and Business Members of various clusters.

ROLE OF SMART SPECIALISATION IN FINANCING THE DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONS IN PERSPECTIVE 2020

The aim of this article is to present the role of smart specialization concept in the process of providing funds for regional development. The systematic literature review was conducted in order to identify the role of smart specialisation concept in the process of providing funds for regional development. The methodology followed for the literature review included two main phases: selection and analysis. The article presents: (i) the idea of smart specialisation, (ii) characteristics of the areas of specialisation in the European Union, (iii) the creation of smart specialization strategies in the regions, (iv) the role of smart specialization in financing the development of regions, (v) examples of methodological approaches to identify smart specialisation at the regional level. The research examines the relationship between smart specialisation and process of providing funds for regional development.

Smart Specialisation in Cohesion Economies

With the rise of the smart specialisation (RIS3) concept, concentrating knowledge resources and linking them to a limited number of priority economic activities have become an important concept in the R&D, innovation and cohesion policies in the European Union. We conclude from the analysis of economic performance and effectiveness of the prior higher education, R&D and innovation policies in selected European small economies and theory that several crucial issues should be considered in translating the RIS3 into effective strategies. RIS3 was born to inform R&D policy making, and it emphasises predominantly R&D-based technological innovation. Yet, it is not sufficient to focus solely on the contribution of R&D to the upgrading of existing industry, when economic cohesion and structural change in industry is sought. Development of an effective RIS3 calls for, especially in the EU cohesion economies, substantial efforts to strengthen higher education, R&D job creation and capability building in future paradigm leading high-tech areas in particular. The role of foreign direct investments and relocation of industry in structural change should also be considered carefully. Finally, proper loop-back mechanisms have to be put in place in order to foster policy learning, and introduction of necessary policy adjustments as RIS3 gets implemented.

Smart Specialisation for Economic Change: The Case of Spain

Smart specialisation concept acquired a remarkable importance in the current regional policy as a model to understand the role of territories in international competitiveness. In fact, the definition of Smart Specialisation Strategies (RIS3) has become an ex ante conditionality for European regional policy in the period 2014-2020. Although the process of definition has been a good opportunity to rethink and improve the policymaking, it has not been out of difficulties and barriers since it is not always easy to translate academic concepts to real policies in the field. These difficulties are analysed from a threefold perspective: the definition, implementation and evaluation of RIS3. These three aspects are seen in the recently finished Spanish RIS3, with specific attention to: priority setting, policy instruments, and evaluation.

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

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.

Smart Specialization and EU Eastern Innovation Cooperation: A Conceptual Approach

Abstract The concept of smart specialization as a policy approach for regional development through increased regional productivity and competitiveness in the European context is actively discussed (European Union, 2009; OECD, 2014). Meanwhile, smart specialization has found its way into EU cohesion policy as well as into the European Commission’s Innovation Union flagship programme. In Eastern Europe, economic growth came to a sudden halt during the financial crisis in 2008/2009, leading to mass unemployment, economic decline and shrinking public spending. The economic downturn in Russia after 2008 was triggered by the outflow of capital and avoided large-scale social consequences. The paper highlights the main conceptual aspects of the smart specialization approach in the European Union and its implications on future EU Eastern Innovation cooperation with a special focus on EU’s largest Eastern partner Russia.

The Role of the Smart Specialisation Agenda in a Reformed EU Cohesion Policy

TThe paper sets out to explore the regional entrepreneurship-promotion and innovation- promotion agenda which is a central component of the place-based reforms to EU Cohesion Policy. In particular, the paper examines the logic which underpins the smart specialisation concept, a concept which provides a powerful policy-prioritisation logic to this agenda. However, in order to understand why smart specialisation is so important in the Cohesion Policy reform process, it is also necessary to understand the context in which the concept originally emerged, and then to identify how the concept is translated to the regional setting. We illustrate the types of issues arising by means of several examples of policy initiatives. Il paper si prefigge di esplorare la strategia di sviluppo dell’imprenditorialita e dell’innovazione che e un aspetto fondamentale delle nuove riforme place-based della politica di coesione dell’Unione Europea. In particolare, il lavoro esamina la logica che supporta il concetto di specializzazione intelligente, un concetto molto utile in quanto permette di chiarire le priorita di questa strategia. Tuttavia, per comprendere come la specializzazione intelligente sia cosi importante nel processo di riforma della politica di coesione, e necessario identificare il contesto nel quale il concetto e stato per la prima volta formulato e come sia stato tradotto in ambito regionale. Nel lavoro, questi obiettivi sono raggiunti anche attraverso l’illustrazione di molti esempi di iniziative di politiche.

Smart specialisation as a lever towards innovation: the example of Malopolska region in Poland

The paper presents the process of devising the methodology for selecting smart specialisations in the course of preparation of 2013–2020 Regional Innovation Strategy for Malopolska Region in Poland (orig.RSIWM 2013–20). The article stresses the need for a new approach and methodology to stimulate effort to cooperation between universities and commercial entities for the development of innovation. So far, the European attempts to implement ambitious growth models based on research and innovation (the Lisbon Strategy) have been unsuccessful. Hence, the sudden European Union shift towards the real and the search for new possibilities to create innovative industry via implementing regional innovation strategies utilising the smart specialisation concept (RIS3) as a precondition to qualify for European Union funds allocated to research and innovation, which should ultimately produce structural changes satisfying the knowledge-based economy requirements.

Smart Specialization, Regional Growth and Applications to European Union Cohesion Policy

McCann P. and Ortega-Argilés R. Smart specialization, regional growth and applications to European Union Cohesion policy, Regional Studies. The aim of this paper is to achieve two objectives. Firstly, it examines the smart specialization concept and explains the challenges involved in applying this originally sectoral concept to an explicitly spatial and regional setting. Secondly, it explains the ways in which this might be achieved so as to make the concept suitable as a building block of a reformed European Union cohesion policy.

Transforming European regional policy: a results-driven agenda and smart specialization

The paper examines the nature, rationale, and logic of the reforms to EU Cohesion Policy. A particular focus of the paper is on the concept of smart specialization and the use of this concept to help facilitate a results-oriented policy agenda. On the one hand, the arguments underpinning the reforms in part relate to modern thinking regarding the role of industrial policy. On the other hand, they also partly relate to advances in our understanding of the relationships between economic geography, technology, and institutions. At the same time, the specific features of the EU context also heavily influence the nature and logic of the changes, whereby legal and institutional matters linking Cohesion Policy to other EU policies all play an important role.

Smart Specialization Concept and the Status of Its Implementation in Romania

Smart specialization, a relatively new concept, has been actively promoted as an important tool for the Europe 2020 Strategy. It stands as a key solution for avoiding dissipation of the EU research funds and for focusing the research, innovation, human and financial resources on those innovative sectors which are highly performant, socio-economically important or attractive for investors. Given the novelty and complexity of this concept, more theoretical and methodological consideration should be given to further concept clarification, for the use of policy makers and for its effective implementation in various countries, each of them with its R&D and innovation background and economic context. This paper aims to survey the literature of the field in order to relieve theoretical and methodologic elements addressing their application in Romanian context, with an assessment of implementation opportunities and of necessary instruments, according to Innovation Union objectives.

Las estrategias de especialización inteligente: una estrategia territorial para las regiones

There is clear acknowledgment in the literature of the importance of developing regional innovation strategies to build to build competitiveness advantages. However the concept remains fuzzy in terms of its limits and contents applied to the territorial field. This paper aims to shed light on the contents a territorial strategy should include as well as on the main characteristics characteristics that present the development process of territorial strategies. Moreover, this paper analyses one concrete type of territorial strategy, which is currently being disseminated by the European Commission for regional development: the smart specialization strategy. In consequence, this paper analyses the aspects that remain under discussion and opened to a greater development and precision under the smart specialization concept.