Overseas Countries and Territories Association Project Territorial Strategies for Innovation EU-OCT Forum Prof. Michel Lacave Koné-Nouméa, 4 March 2011 1
Introducing myself briefly... Prof. Emeritus, Political Science (University of Montpellier, France): RTDI policies and regional development Former member Higher Council for Science & Technology, France 2009: support to Regions Guadeloupe and Martinique for carrying out their Regional Innovation Strategy 2010: Participation to the study Growth Factors in the Outermost Regions (European Commission, DG REGIO) 2008-2010: studies for OPT (French Polynesia) on projects of technology parks and data centres Since 2010: member of the Expert Evaluation Network Delivering Policy analysis (European Commission, DG REGIO) 2
Rationale of the Project (1) General trend: opening up of the OCTs to their regional environment + globalisation They cannot compete through low costs, especially low labour costs (higher living standards + no economies of scale) e.g.: foodstuffs, tourism They have to compete through innovation and entrepreneurship + smart specialisation Some OCTs (beyond their natural resources) have a comparative advantage with respect to their regional environment = a knowledge base: universities and research centres those who have none can rely to a large extent on parent MS scientific & technological resources 3
Rationale of the project (2) Among the challenges they are facing, 3 at least require RTDI to be addressed successfully: Remoteness / isolation: ICT Preservation and valorisation of natural resources: biosciences, agricultural research Energy dependency: renewable energies In addition, OCTs can: be test beds for experimentation in these fields export knowledge and expertise to their regional area (if successful in promoting & developing innovation) 4
Rationale of the project (3) Promoting & developing innovation is fully in line with EU and parent MS policy objectives However: OCTs businesses (and productive sector in general) have not a clear vision of what innovation can bring to them OCTs academic and educational communities are not really accustomed to collaborate with businesses for transferring knowledge A major policy objective: turn research into business and economic activities (diversification and higher added value) (the same can be observed in the EU Outermost Regions: see the recent study Growth Factors in the Outermost Regions ) 5
Rationale of the project (4) As a consequence, it has appeared very useful for the future of the OCTs, to carry out a collective exercise aimed at defining a Territorial Strategy for innovation (TSI) in each OCT, in order to encourage their smart growth : Build on local strengths, help to create synergies between businesses and academia, and respond to market opportunities (European Commission, Communication 6.10.2010) Examples of first achievements in ORs: competitiveness poles in Guadeloupe (SYNERGILE: energy and tropical materials and techniques) and La Réunion (QUALITROPIC: food, nutrition) Focused e.g. on: clean tech (such as waste treatment), renewable energies, applications of biodiversity (from health and medicine to tourism), applications of ICT,... (see presentations March 2, e.g. Aruba, Greenland...) The strategy has to be accompanied by: an action plan proposing policy measures an implementation tool and roadmap 6
What is innovation? OECD Oslo Manual definition Innovation in products and services => Mobile phone, new medicines Innovation process => Environment-friendly mining techniques Organisational innovation => Environmental performance management, new business models Marketing innovation => e-commerce (tourism), branding It can be technological as well as nontechnological (e.g.: marketing, new business models) It affects manufacturing as well as the service sector and agriculture It relies on a robust knowledge base (research, technology, education, training)
The TSI Project: objectives Overall objective: enhance sustainable development through innovative solutions for economic diversification and improve regional and global competitiveness of the OCTs Specific objectives: support the reinforcement of OCTs and OCTA capacities on innovation and related strategy setting, and encourage regional and sectoral cooperation when appropriate develop a shared approach and enhance the links between the main stakeholders (i.e. private sector, research, education and public authorities = Triple Helix ) on strategic objectives for supporting innovation in OCTs create the appropriate framework and tools for supporting OCTs in the formulation and implementation of their strategies for innovation 8
Expected results Raise the awareness on innovation in the OCTs among policy-makers and stakeholders concerned, which means a better understanding of what innovation is and its impact on the socio-economic fabric and economic performance of OCTs Strengthen the capacity of the OCTs in policy-making and in collaborating together in the field of innovation for addressing the local needs for innovation Design a Territorial Strategy for Innovation (TSI) in each OCT followed by an action plan to be prepared in each OCT with the support of innovation tools 9
A work programme based on a robust methodology A methodology already applied in EU regions through the 90 and beginning of the 2000 s (RIS/RITTS) and recently in the French Regions (including the Outermost Regions) 4 components to be implemented on an individual (in each OCT) and a collective basis Component 1 : Capacity-building and Ownership process Component 2: Outputs: Territorial Strategy for Innovation and Action Plan Component 3: Preparation on the implementation of the Action Plan Component 4: Exchange of experience, and communication With the support of a dedicated Technical Assistance Team providing expertise and assistance to each OCT and to OCTA for the management and implementation of the project 10
Proposed work programme Component 1 : Capacity-building and Ownership Process Task 1: Preparation Phase month 1-4 Task 2: Diagnostic of the innovation potential month 5-16 Methodological Roadmap and Methodological Guidelines E-learning plateform Communication Guidelines Kick-off training seminar In each OCT: TSI Manager, TSI Advisory Board, kick-off workshop Knowledge base Needs and demand for innovation Organisations/infrastructures to support innovation Financial institutions/mechanisms to support innovation Existing/potential relations/networking between stakeholders Present/past initiatives and experiences related to innovation SWOT analysis of the innovation potential Task 3: Ownership and consensus building month 1-34 Involvement and commitment of the government Involvement of the TSI Advisory Board Larger involvement of stakeholders (workshops, consensus conference, communication and public events) 11
Proposed work programme Component 2: Outputs: the Territorial Strategy for Innovation and the Action Plan Task 4: Territorial Strategy for Innovation and Action Plan month 17-34 TSI includes: Synthesis of the diagnostic of the innovation potential (with main challenges and barrier) Priority axes and priority sectors Regional dimension Policy measures aimed at implementing the TSI Governance system for the implementation of the TSI A set of well-targeted indicators Action Plan includes: Time frame for the implementation of the TSI Organisation leader and partners for each measure Indications on human/financial resources required and possible sources of funding 12
Proposed work programme Component 3: Preparation and support for the implementation of the Action Plan Task 5: Capacity-building at implementation level: Toward the establishment of an innovation-support network in the OCTs month 32-40 Technical assistance to: designing the network's mission training of network members the ways in which the network can operate (management tools) Network will address: Integration in EU/international networks for improving the knowledge base Making the best of EU/national RTDI programmes that have been so far poorly known and used in the OCTs Providing expertise in the region, and thus favouring regional integration, through setting-up thematic regional networks or possibly centres of expertise 13
Proposed work programme Component 4: Exchange of experience and expertise, and communication Task 6: Exchange of experience and expertise, and communication month 1-48 Two e-learning training sessions: Training session: Valorising assets and potential (month 16) Training session 2: Networking stakeholders for supporting innovation (month 32) Two workshops with participation from each OCT: Workshop in the Caribbean: Sectoral stakes and sectoral priorities in the OCTs and Opportunities for Regional Cooperation and Networking (month 24) Workshop in the Pacific: Enhancing the Knowledge Base in the OCTs and Developing Business/Education/Research Partnerships (month 38) TSI Intranet Platform Final conference 14
Proposed work programme 15
Key Success Factors Government/policymakers (to be sure that the TSI will be implemented) Ownership Innovation stakeholders (R&D, businesses, finance) Make the project sustainable in the long term High Level expertise and TA Support OCTA and the TSI process in the OCTs Communication and Exchange of experience What is innovation, what innovation will bring to the OCTs economic fabric? OCT Outermost and EU regions 16
Thank you for your attention! Michel Lacave Senior consultant ITD-Eu m.lacave@itdeu.eu 17