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ABSTRACT
This paper discusses the role of smart specialization in catalyzing the development of early-stage regional innovation systems in less advanced regions, either by facilitating the emergence of some defining elements that were lacking or accelerating the development of others, such as: a regional knowledge base and a dynamic learning process, institutional structures, network integration mechanisms among key innovation actors, regional industrial specializations, and collective identities. The paper exemplifies this process with the case of Romania, a country where the research and innovation system is centralized at national level and regional innovation systems are in the early days. The transformations taking place in the Romanian regions within the process of implementing smart specialization, assisted by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre in the project “Targeted Support to Smart Specialization in Romania”, suggest a dynamic coagulation of institutional, financial, policy, and human factors that catalyzed the development of regional innovation systems in the country and introduced a novel approach to innovation policy.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1 Communication ‘Regional Policy contributing to smart growth in Europe 2020’.
2 The ERDF is one of the five main funds that constitute the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) and support economic development across all EU countries, in line with the objectives of the ‘Europe 2020’ strategy. ERDF investments focus on four priority areas: Innovation and research; Digital agenda; Support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); and Low-carbon economy. The share of ERDF funds allocated to EU regions depends on the development level of the region.
3 Annex IV to the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council, COM(2018) 375 final, 29.5.2018 (p.19)
4 The Joint Research Centre (JRC) is the European Commission's science and knowledge service, which provides independent scientific evidence to support EU policies and develops innovative tools for policy-makers. JRC employs thousands of scientists and hosts specialist laboratories and unique research facilities on six sites in five EU countries (Brussels, Geel, Ispra, Karlsruhe, Petten, and Seville).
5 Currently, on the S3 Platform there are 173 regions from 18 EU countries, as well as 4 non-EU countries (Serbia, Montenegro, Albania) and 12 non-EU regions (e.g. from Turkey, Norway, Ukraine, etc.) In the last 1-2 years, the interest for RIS3 spread beyond Europe, to several countries in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru), Canada, China, South Africa and Australia. The RIS3 concept was also recently discussed in the United States as "one intriguing model to adapt to the U.S. context" and "one blueprint for remedying regional disparities in the US, for which the lack of policy response is an unfortunate case of American exceptionalism" (Bouchet and Parilla, Citation2017).
6 The project focuses on nine low-income and low-growth regions from eight EU countries. ‘Low-income regions’ are defined as having a GDP per capita in PPS below 50% of the EU average in 2011. The project includes in this category: Severen Tsentralen (Bulgaria), Észak-Alföld (Hungary), Warminsko Masurskie (Poland) and North-East and NorthWest (Romania). ‘Low-growth regions’ are defined as less developed and transition regions in EU Member States that have a GDP per capita in PPS below the EU average in 2012 and did not converge to the EU average between 2002 and 2012. The project includes in this category: Eastern Macedonia and Thrace (Greece), Puglia (Italy), Centro (Portugal) and Extremadura (Spain).
7 The selection of the two Romanian regions the first phase of the project was decided at the higher levels of the EC and European Parliament, considering their low-income status and low innovation performance relative to the EU average. The rest of the regions that joined in the second phase, except for the capital region Bucharest-Ilfov, have similar conditions of low-income and innovation performance, which made the project all the more relevant to them.
8 The National RDI Plan 2015–2020, the Core Programmes and the Sectoral Plans, as well as the EU-funded Competitiveness Operational Programme/Axis 1.
9 The profiles include: a description of the main features of the regional and national systems for research and innovation; key research and higher education players, including practices in the university "third mission", and research infrastructures; a description of the business and competitiveness environment of the region, including relevant finance and investment actors and other innovation intermediaries; an analysis of RIS3 approach in the region, and an analysis of the region's participation in Framework Programmes in RIS3 areas, including a comparison of funding from Framework Programmes and funding instruments available. These profiles will be made available on the S3P website, after the completion of the ongoing S3P revamping.
11 E.g. training courses in innovation management and technology brokerage provided by the Romanian Institute for Socio-Economic Research and Pooling IRECSON.
12 E.g. JRC’s project ‘RIS3 Support to Lagging Regions’, ‘Beyond EDP’, Taiex Peer-to-Peer Programme, JRC’s MOOC on RIS3 monitoring, etc.
13 In order to assess the regions’ technology transfer needs and funding demand in this area, the Management Authority of the ROP asked all the RDAs in spring 2017 to prepare a Letter of Intent and a list of potential projects that would be submitted for funding under this Axis. The process of preparing these lists by the regions revealed numerous gaps in the technology transfer competences, both in the RDAs and among the relevant regional actors who made funding proposals.