We re on the winning track! REGIONAL INNOVATION STRATEGY FOR EAST SWEDEN
Together, we become stronger! In this leaflet you will find a brief description of the Regional Innovation Strategy for East Sweden, which is the result of collaboration and agreement between the region s publicly funded growth engines: Östergötland County Administrative Board, East Sweden Regional Council, Linköping University, Östergötland County Council, ALMI Business Partner, and the municipalities. We simply call it RIS! You need a strategy in order to prioritise and allocate the right resources Depending on who you talk to, you may get slightly different answers as to what is the most important in a strategy for innovation and growth. We want our strategy to provide a basis for constructive talk between actors who in different ways contribute to the development of the region; SMEs, businesses, authorities and individual citizens. Our starting point is that together, we become stronger and reach further! Innovation has become a real buzzword and we use the definition used by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) in the so called Oslo Manual 2005: An innovation is the implementation of a new or significantly improved product (goods or service), or process, a new marketing method, or a new organisational method in business practices, workplace organisation or external relations.
Innovations could be goods, services, processes, marketing methods or types of organisations. It could also be a new combination of existing solutions. Innovation is such a deceptive concept. You want it to be about objects, but it could actually mean changes that improve day-to-day work in a company or an organisation. The key feature of an innovation is that it is new and that it is implemented in an operation or on the market. Implementation and market acceptance is what differentiates an innovation from an idea.
Why do we need RIS? The simplest answer to this is that we need brains, entrepreneurship and courage in order to meet current and future challenges facing large parts of the world. But to prevent initiatives from shooting off in all directions, or not being submitted at all, it is important to find the best approaches and methods. Not only at regional level, but also at national and international level. Which challenges should RIS help to solve? Ultimately, it is about finding ways to achieve sustainable growth, i.e. development that meets the Many people today are engaged in setting up goals and strategies for the many major world issues. need of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Complex climate and environmental issues, and demographic challenges of ageing population, are some of the areas which require collaboration to find innovative solutions. Obstacles to overcome along the way include increasing competition on the world markets, the high speed of technological changes, and the altering balance in the global economy. How should RIS work in East Sweden Region? We, the authors behind this leaflet, are different public actors each of us with our own tasks and prerequisites but also with a lot in common. Our discussions have been based on the assumption that close collaboration with industry is necessary in order to achieve a satisfactory innovation ecosystem, each playing their own role. The companies participating in our work share these thoughts.
We are ready! Although East Sweden does not significantly stand apart from other regions, we have a clear advantage in that we already have long experience of collaboration within and between different types of public actors. A strong factor is GrowLink, a joint network for publicly funded actors engaged in development and growth. The network, which is based on mutual trust and common goals, ensures an efficient use of public funds. Tomorrow s needs and requirements are so complex that academia, industry and the public sector must work together. Concrete action Different levels of society agree that the ability for innovation is the key required to solve many of the present and future challenges which are common to large parts of the world. Our goal is to create the best possible conditions for stimulating, utilising and developing potential innovations in the region. To achieve our goal, we focus on four strategies: 1. Strong innovation culture 2. Productive innovative environments 3. Targeted innovation activities 4. Effective public measures Based on these strategies, we have formulated a number of recommendations, and we will work together to ensure that they lead to concrete actions.
1. Strong innovation culture The understanding of innovations and their importance for development must be strengthened both in the own organisation and in a wider context as part of the future development in the region and in Sweden. Our key messages are: Start early and be patient In order to influence the future flow of ideas, we have to create an understanding for the importance of innovations and entrepreneurship already at compulsory school level. Encouraging curiosity and the courage to try the untested, as well as lifelong learning, are important at all stages. Curiosity, new thinking and entrepreneurship must be encouraged. Highlight good examples Bring out examples of successful innovators and entrepreneurs (many will have failed first). Help them tell their stories and what drives them so that they can inspire others! Look at the examples on the web! Good examples of young innovative thinking in the region can be found at Snilleblixtarna (Flashes of Genius), Framtidsfrön (Future Seeds), Young Entrepreneurs and Linköping University, Innovations Office.
Projects that promote local initiatives in the region include Week45, Skapa (Create) prize, Innovation Camp, Venture Arena and Framtidslotsen (award for teachers of entrepreneurship). Influence public organisations Public organisations are major buyers of goods and services and are under a constant pressure to increase quality and efficiency. Therefore, public organisations should be encouraged in different ways to work with issues of operational development and innovations. The public sector can stimulate innovations within trade and industry, and introduce new products and services in their operations, through a new approach on public procurement strategies.
2. Productive innovative environments There is a need for both physical and virtual environments where innovators, entrepreneurs, businesses and interested customers can meet to discuss market needs and solutions. The region already has a number of important innovative environments: Linköping University and our Science Parks, incubators and cluster initiatives. We must also remember that many businesses in the region are good examples of expansive innovative environments. There is no doubt scope for even more innovative environments. However, it is probably more important to find ways of arranging a constructive exchange between existing environments. Innovations arise from the intersection and meeting of different skills We propose the following: Increased coordination and transfer of knowledge The more we know about each other, the more we can make use of each other in our work with innovation. Gathering a group of people with different experience and knowledge, is a creative way to spark innovations. Naturally, putting together such a group is made easier when the paths of different networks cross.
Progressive business intelligence Continuous regional, national and international comparisons are necessary in order to remain at the top. This means that we cannot focus just on regional collaboration. We must raise our sights and compare ourselves, learn from, and most of all work We need to help one another to create openness between people at different levels in our networks. This can give new opportunities in joint projects. together with other innovative environments. Not just national, but also international. Sometimes you find inspiration nearby, and sometimes you must visit other environments to add a new spark to your work. We also need to be aware of, and recognise our shortcomings. This is how we can improve. Current trends An interesting current trend is open innovation. Knowledge intensive companies, such as Google, Facebook, etc., have realised that not everything can be invented internally and under strict secrecy. The market is far too fast. Encouraging internal creative thinking and allowing/exposing oneself to external innovations, creates an open system where relatively loose relationships are able to rapidly take ideas from conception to marketed products or services.
3. Targeted innovation activities Over time, continuous development is a question of survival for any organisation. This applies to commercial operations, which require constant development to meet competition and increase efficiency. It also applies to A structured innovation approach requires clear management. Innovation work which is not driven by specific problems is long term and requires patience. the public sector, which has few opportunities to increase revenues and therefore constantly has to develop activities more smartly. There are many good ideas around, which are not utilised. However, even if there are ideas which could be developed into innovations with great commercial potential, the prerequisites for realising them are often lacking. We have identified the following measures to ensure that more ideas are turned into innovations in both private and public organisations: Innovation networks In the same way that some of our cluster initiatives successfully work today, we can create other networks among companies working in the same line of business or niche areas. This would strengthen their business role, thereby creating conditions for cooperation and the development of new solutions.
Increased knowledge within trade and industry of innovations and support systems, will lead to more interest in working with innovations. Smart specialisation effective support measures Smart Specialisation is a strategic approach to economic development through targeted support to Research and Innovation (R&I). It will be the basis for Structural Fund investments in R&I as part of the future Cohesion Policy s contribution to the Europe 2020 jobs and growth agenda. More generally, smart specialisation involves a process of developing a vision, identifying competitive advantage, setting strategic priorities and making use of smart policies to maximise the knowledge-based development potential of any region, strong or weak, high-tech or low-tech. Indication (list) of the priority areas for future specialisation, identified by the current regional innovation strategy and our work with future strengths for growth and competiveness. Logistics of goods and services This area comprises a wide range of logistical processes including goods, people and material as well as service delivery. Zero-carbon energy systems This concerns fuels from renewable sources and in particular the capability to develop efficient structures for producing, processing and distribution of such fuels as well as their integration in existing energy systems.
Smart and secure connected products and systems Systems of secure, Internet-integrated, communicating electronics and sensors as well as innovative methods for manufacturing and distribution of such systems/products, e.g. printed electronics. Simulation and visualization Visualization of complex data, processes and interactions through virtual models, simulation as well as visual, interactive media and games. New industrial materials Novel materials such as Graphen but also light weight composites as well as nano engineered surface coatings for metals and plastics. The possibility of concrete support is central to companies that develop new products or services. We must test new ways of combining local, regional, national, and international sources.
4. Effective public measures We are ready! as we said initially. This does not mean, however, that we cannot become even more efficient in supporting the development and growth of innovative entrepreneurship in East Sweden Region in a long-term, resource efficient and credible way. Our longterm vision is to further develop our innovation ecosystem With the support of RIS as a basis, annual action plans for innovation and commercialisation work will be developed. as a good example for other regions, both nationally and internationally. We will therefore further strengthen the common network of the system and give it an increased and clearer role in the region s innovation work through the following measures: Strategic governance and implementation There is currently extensive work within the region to establish a common platform for economic and regional growth East Sweden Business Region (ESBR). This is a common trademark, based on a concrete and market-oriented working model. ESBR has an organisation which clarifies roles, responsibilities and cross-functional collaboration. In future action plans, we will present our priorities and aims, as well as a system for follow-up and evaluation of the region s work with innovation and growth.
Pro-active process for funding and project handling The human and financial resources required to coordinate the innovation system must be long term. This also applies to the basic resources building the capacity of ESBR. Through this growth platform, we can drive proactive coordination of various projects, monitor project calls, and coordinate applications of innovation projects. This, combined with systematic collective action should enable us to attract new national and international resources. Så For further information contact: Jan.axelsson@liu.se or peter.larsson@ostsam.se
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