Miguel Rivas Partner at TASO, URBACT lead expert for InFocus

Transcription

1

2 Miguel Rivas Partner at TASO, URBACT lead expert for InFocus

3 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

4 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

5 Cluster Development New Workspace and Business Related Facilities Smart Specialisation Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Attraction of Investment and Knowledge CONCISE POLICY-MIX

6 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.

7 High City-to-Region articulation regarding RIS3 Low Low High Innovative strategies on business-led local economic development

8 High City-to-Region articulation regarding RIS3 Bordeaux Low Low High Innovative strategies on business-led local economic development

9 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

10

11

12 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

13 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.

14 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.

15 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.

16 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.

17 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?

18 Building the bridge concrete steps Matching RIS3 vertical priorities with particular cluster-based segmentations at urban economy level. Porto metro area Norte region

19 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.

20 Branding and marketing our pathway to smart growth

21 Spaces for smart specialization: shaping the new urban workspace Presquil - Grenoble

22

23 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

24 Smart specialisation concept RIS3 method 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