Skånes Agro-Food Platform Policy Lars Coenen CIRCLE Lund University
Introduction RIS Policy Platform Policy The Swedish VINNVÄXT initiative VINNVÄXT in Skåne: Innovation in Gränsland Discussion
RIS RIS Knowledge Generation Subsystem (universities, research institutes, technology transfer offices, etc) Intra-RIS Knowledge exchange / Interactive Learning Knowledge Exploitation Subsystem (business, possibly cluster) Extra-RIS Knowledge exchange / Interactive Learning (e.g. scientific communities, (inter)national research collaboration Extra-RIS Knowledge exchange / Interactive Learning (e.g. global value chains, transnational corporation) Policy Governance Institutions
RIS barriers: lock-in vs. fragmentation Overspecialised in mature industries experiencing decline Few R&D activities, mature technological trajectories, cognitive lock-in University and public research oriented on traditional industries / technologies Many and diverse industries / services but lack of networks, interactive learning and knowledge spill-overs R&D in headquarters of large firms in High-Tech companies Many and high quality universities and public research but weak industry links Source: Tödtling & Trippl (2005)
Regional Innovation Policy Resourcebased Behavioural change Firm-focused System-focused
Platform Policy The dilemma of regional innovation: from imitation to innovative adaptation Industrial renewal takes place in-between existing sectors Innovation through combining existing knowledge, technologies and competencies How to shape conditions for crossfertilization?
Platform Policy II Related variety: providing the best of both worlds sectoral specialisation <> sectoral differentiation Differentiated knowledge bases analytial <> synthetic <> symbolic Distributed Knowledge networks Trans national companies <> global epistemic communities of scientists
VINNVÄXT: Regional Growth Through Dynamic Inovation Systems To promote sustainable growth in the regions based on international competitive avility, by succesively developing the functioning, dynamics and effectiveness of innovation systems in functional regions at an international level VINNVÄXT is competition-based The winners recieve 10M SEK per year under a 10 year period (50% cofinancing) Focus on (potential) regional strengths Triple Helix based On-going process support, education, monitoring and evaluation
What kind of support? At least 50% R&D Development organisation and process management Mobilisation of regional actors Competence supply Brand creation Strategic work Follow-up
Innovation i Gränsland / Food Innovation at Interfaces Strategic vision: to increase the added value of Skånes food industry s products and services by targeting new market opportunities: + convenience foods + functional foods - ecological foods
Innovation i Gränsland Platform Policy: why? Upgrade the innovative capacity of the lagging food industry through strengthening functional linkages with local university (Lund) Exploit the competences that already exist in related knowledge domains: logistics & biotechnology Stimulate coordination and collaboration through associative structures and networks (innovation projects on the micro-scale)
Innovation i Gränsland Platform policy: How? Combine top-down and bottom-up Builds on existing public-private partnership: Skånes Livsmedelsakademi (Scania Food Innovation Network) Four project areas to stimulate networking and learning-by-interacting 1. Functional Food Science Center 2. University-Industry collaboration in Good and Convenient Food on a Large Scale 3. International Consumer Marketing 4. Support for academic entrepreneurs (Ideon Agro Food)
Innovation i Gränsland Succes-factors: Focus on emerging niches (functional food as flagship project) Builds further on existing networks (relational infrastructure is in place) Marketing Strong leadership
Innovation i Gränsland Challenges Can a policy initiative alone change the lock-in of a mature industry? How to bridge different worlds? Academia Industry, biotechnology food technology How to stimulate sustained innovation?