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Regional innovation strategies_the challenge of collaboration and governance.pdf

Regional innovation strategies: the challenge of collaboration and governance Kevin Morgan Cardiff University Local Economic growth: Recession, Resilience and Recovery Conference St Catharine's College, Cambridge 11-12 july 2013 Overview Innovation narratives Regional innovation strategies Smart specialisation Key challenges Innovation Narratives Innovation looms larger and larger in local, regional and national growth debates But there's more than one innovation narrative Science & technology narrative (linear/open models) Ecological narrative (green growth etc) Social innovation (civil society/quadruple helix) Transition narrative (the power of just doing stuff) RIS +20 Regional innovation strategies will be 20 years old next year Regional Technology Plans launched with great expectations in 1994, but why so little impact? Some possible reasons: the weight of path dependency in the worlds of policy and practice was underestimated hugely the role of public policy was/is overestimated, especially on the Left the significance of policy and institutional continuity was underestimated Vertical state-centric actions were privileged over horizontal interorganisational networks RIS programmes were marginalised in terms of political attention and financial resources Smart specialisation Research and innovation strategies for smart specialisation (RIS3) is predicated on the place-based approach to regional development and aims to do the following: Focus policy & investment on key priorities Build on the strengths of each country/region Support technological as well as practice-based innovation Involve all stakeholders in a process of regional experimentation Sound monitoring and evaluation systems are designed in not bolted on Apart from the Place-Based Approach, RIS3 also draws on Evolutionary Economic geography A challenging process The RIS3 process is far more challenging than policy-makers currently realise. Recall they key steps-Analyse the potential for innovation in the region Set up an inclusive governance system Produce a shared vision for the future Select a limited number of priorities for investment Establish an appropriate policy mix Integrate M&e mechanisms Every one of these steps could trigger a political conflict because it is contested a highly exercise The RIS3 process will also face innovation system challenges Innovation System Failure? Challenges: collaboration One of the merits of RIS3 is that innovation is recognised for what it really is a collective social endeavour The core of this collaborative effort is deemed to be the entrepreneurial process of discovery Entrepreneurial actors are defined broadly to include universities as well as firms but are expected universities to become something other than what they really are? Take the UK for example only 19%of patent applications are from universities less than 5%of universities'externally generated income comes from licensing and sales of shares of spinouts the role of the university in commercialising knowledge has been exaggerated and misconstrued Challenges: governance Fashioning an inclusive governance system at the regional level is another key requirement of the RIS3 process But this is easier said than done: Sub-national governance in England is prey to perennial bouts of creative destruction Regional governance in Wales is among the most state-centric in the EU since the abolition of the WDA Less developed regions in the EU have governance systems that are also very state-centric In short, two of the essential requirements of the RIS3 exercise are predicated on highly questionable assumptions References Cooke, P. and K. Morgan (2000) The Associational Economy: Firms, Regions and Innovation European commission (2006) Innovation Strategies and Actions: Results from 15 years of regional experimentation (http://ec. europa. eu/regional policy/innovation/index en. h tm) Hopkins, R. 2013) The Power of Just Doing Stuff: How Local Action Can Change the World Morgan, K (2013) The Regional State in the Era of Smart Specialisation, Economiaz, Number 83

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