Miguel Rivas Partner at TASO, URBACT lead expert for InFocus · InFocus is a pioneering project...
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Transcript of Miguel Rivas Partner at TASO, URBACT lead expert for InFocus · InFocus is a pioneering project...
InFocus is a pioneering project joined by 10 cities (Bilbao LP).
It is about boosting the urban agenda on business-led
economic development by means of smart specialisation as
overarching concept, while articulating better with regional RIS3
“boosting the urban agenda on business-led economic development
by means of smart specialisation as overarching concept”
Testing how the concept may foster and refine the work local
/metropolitan authorities and their stakeholders are doing (or can do)
in four key areas: cluster development, entrepreneurship, workspace
provision and investment attraction
Cluster
Development
Entrepreneurship
Ecosystem
New Workspace and
Business Related
Facilities
Attraction of
Investment and
Knowledge
Smart
Specialisation
CONCISE POLICY-MIX
“while articulating better with regional RIS3”
Since the role of (major) cities in RIS3 design has been rather
superficial, much closer to a conventional public consultation logic
than real co-production.
Now, at the time of implementation, those/some cities feel they have
much to contribute in moving RIS3´s roadmaps forward.
So, this is not about producing RIS3 at local level.
Innovative strategies on business-led local economic development
City-to-Region
articulation
regarding RIS3
Low
High
Low High
Innovative strategies on business-led local economic development
Low
High
Low High
Bordeaux
City-to-Region
articulation
regarding RIS3
S3/RIS3, Why the city should be interested?
A precious opportunity for major cities (local authorities and
relevant subsidiaries) to raise their status in industrial and
innovation policies
Main concerns
Is the city ready to take full advantage of S3/RIS3?
Motivation and (political) awareness: for many cities, RIS3 has nothing to do
with them. S3 is barely assumed at local level so far. Much to do on awareness
rising about meaning and potential impact of S3.
Adequate technical skills at city level: is Local Economic Development in my
city mature enough to adopt the S3 approach? – simpler than calling for a
Schumpeterian public administration
City-to-region articulation
Why RIS3 leading authorities should be interested?
RIS3 implementation has just begun. A big challenge, where all the efforts, at
different scales, should be activated.
Cities could be quite helpful for embedding RIS3 strategies.
As territorial innovation policy, RIS3 should have a territorial strategy, which
is now a significant gap – “exploring the uneven spatial distribution of innovation”.
Main concerns
Are RIS3 authorities really aware of the role cities are playing in the global
arena, and as functional scales to create specific business climate and
promote innovation ecosystems? How should RIS3 integrate the urban
dimension?
Activating “all the efforts at different scales” leads to multi-level governance.
For many, this means getting out of the comfort zone.
Building the bridge | facilitating frameworks
Integrated and Sustainable Urban Development (art. 7 ERDF) is proving to
be an effective facilitating framework. RIS3 is under DG Regio not under DG Growth
or DG Research & Innovation !
One could expect a more explicit encouragement on the involvement of the
urban level in RIS3.
It makes sense if smart specialisation is addressed as a catalyst to more
efficient multi-level governance, beyond research & innovation.
Building the bridge | facilitating frameworks
Territorial reform in some MS (France, Italy) has empowered the
metropolitan level in LED. In those contexts, new policy-mix for new
ambitions are in progress, and the smart specialisation approach might play
a significant role as key driver.
Building the bridge | facilitating frameworks
Further to art.7 ERDF, RIS3 authorities should engage with funding, since S3
may be perceived just as a conditionality for MAs to get OP´s approval.
RIS3 leading teams should be more pro-active introducing RIS3 roadmaps to
local authorities (and other territorial actors) and promote specific WGs
bringing together RIS3 teams and city officers.
Maybe more room to some local authorities in RIS3 governing structures?
Building the bridge | concrete steps
Matching RIS3 vertical priorities with particular cluster-based segmentations
at urban economy level.
Porto metro area
Norte region
Building the bridge | concrete steps
How to operationalise the involvement of cities as S3 developers?
Refining the policy mix at city/metro level in a way that it may contribute
actively to RIS3 roadmaps, as horizontal policies and delivery instruments
… some of them unexpected according to current RIS3 guidelines, such as
workspace provision and inward investment and talent attraction.
Branding and marketing our pathway to
smart growth
Spaces for smart specialization: shaping the new urban workspace | Presquil - Grenoble
Building the bridge | concrete steps
There is now a need for keeping the EDP alive on a permanent basis.
Some local authorities has legimitacy and background enough to be untrusted
as EDP facilitators – even there is a tradition in some innovative major cities in organizing
their own business intelligence units
In case (major) cities do not find the rigth counterpart at the other side
of the bridge, whatever the reason, they might take advantage of the
smart specialisation concept to give new strength (more focus) to their
policy-mix on economic development
Smart
specialisation
concept
RIS3
method
