https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8437-5368
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ABSTRACT
The EU Commission launched an innovation strategy called Smart Specialization in 2012. Smart Specialization is a framework for developing policies unleashing place-based economic potential. Evaluations, however, have shown that appropriate innovation policy decisions are difficult. There is an innovation policy potential that must first be unleashed. This article shows how the application of a method – connectivity analysis – developed through a Baltic Sea Region project ‘LARS – Learning Among Regions on Smart Specialization,’ can be used to support Smart Specialization. The method includes transnational comparisons and targeted policy recommendations for public sector institutions operating within various institutional frameworks and different clusters. It consists of instruments (gaps and factors) measuring collaboration through interviews of 141 quadruple-helix stakeholders across eight Baltic Sea regions.
Acknowledgments
The research was funded by, and conducted as part of, INTERREG Baltic Sea Region Program 2014–2020 project “LARS – Learning Among Regions on Smart Specialization” (No.#R042). The partners of the project represented the regions of Ostrobothnia (Finland), Päijät-Häme (Finland), Västerbotten (Sweden), Oppland (Norway), Hamburg (Germany) as well as Lithuania (2 partners) and Latvia. We wish to thank the coordinator of the LARS project, Mr. Jerker Johnson, from the Regional Council of Ostrobothnia, and all participants of the LARS projects for acquiring the valuable interview material as well all stakeholders in the eight regions responding to the interviews.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
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Notes on contributors
Živile Gedminaitė-Raudonė
Dr. Živilė Gedminaitė-Raudonė, PhD in Social sciences (Economics) is head of Business Ecosystems department and principal researcher at the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences. Main focus is sustainable regional and rural development, circular economy, innovation ecosystems, and transformative tourism, among others. Živilė Gedminaitė-Raudonė is an author and co-author of more than forty scholarly articles, chapters of books. She has large experience in management and coordination of many international research and development projects of different international, the EU and national programmes focusing on new knowledge creation using co-creation and cooperation principles. She actively participates in an internships and exchange programmes (Italy, Belgium, Ireland), international scientific conferences with presentations, moderate sections. She is a member of global Social Responsibility Research Network, European Rural Development Network, Eurasia Business and Economics Society.
Seija Virkkala
Dr. Seija Virkkala worked as professor in the Department of Regional Studies, University of Vaasa, Finland 2006–2021. She was long time responsible for the teaching, and research programs of regional studies. Until 2021, She was the head of doctoral programme of Social Sciences at the University of Vaasa. Seija Virkkala have edited several books, for example on transnational learning and smart specialisation. In addition, I have carried out research in the projects of LARS and GRETA https://www.lars-project.eu/. From 2021, she have continued the research as an emerita professor. Her research interests: regional development, innovation studies, geography of the firm, rural development, smart specialisation, transnational learning, green transformation.
Rita Lankauskienė
Dr. Rita Lankauskienė is a senior researcher at Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences Her research interests are social responsibility in economically viable and sustainable regional and rural development, modern business models. Rita Lankauskienė is an author and co-author of more than fifty scholarly articles, chapters of books. Since 2011 she is on advisory board on Emerald book series „Developments in Corporate Governance and Responsibility“, the reviewer of several international scientific journals. She participates in internships and exchange programmes (UK, Germany, Netherlands, Finland), international scientific conferences with presentations, moderate sections. She is a member of global Social Responsibility Research Network, Eurasia Business and Economics Society, European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, Lithuanian Young Scientists Organization.
Åge Mariussen
Dr. Åge Mariussen worked as research manager and senior researcher at the Department of Regional Studies, University of Vaasa, Finland, and Nordland Research Institute, Bodø, Norway. Main research focus is regional development, innovation, geography, organizational theory, economics, and transnational learning.
Antti Mäenpää
Dr. Antti Mäenpää is working as assistant professor in regional studies at the University of Vaasa. He has published papers on smart specialisation and regional innovation theories and practises. He was part of a group developing the connectivity analysis and model, which can be used for measuring regional collaboration. His main interests are related to regional collaboration, smart specialisation and the European Green Deal.