Extremadura Region Foresight Exercise

1. Third International Seville Conference onFuture-Oriented Technology Analysis (FTA):Impacts and implications for policy and decision-making 16th- 17th October 2008 Extremadura Region Foresight Exercise Luis Casas Luengo Managing Director FUNDECYT

2. Paper Extremadura Region Foresight Exercise Extremadura Region Location Extremadura is a region situated in the South-West of Spain and on the border of Portugal. It is located in a strategic triangle, Madrid-Seville-Lisbon. Divided into 2 provincies, Cáceres and Badajoz.

3. Paper Extremadura Region Foresight Exercise Foresight Exercise Reasons to Foresight • New regional operational programme that has been the starting point of the exercise • New regional research programme 2008 • Coordination of the Regional System of RD+I • Fundecyt: central role due to its objectives Extremadura Foresight Exercise - First essay on multidisciplinary foresight at regional level - High participation of experts - A change on our vision of Extremadura Potential

4. Paper Extremadura Region Foresight Exercise Foresight Exercise Participants: . Presidency of the Region . Regional Ministry on Agriculture . Regional Ministry on Economy . Directors of Research and Technology Centres . Relevant Enterprises of the Region . University of Extremadura . Representatives from Agricultural Cooperatives . Extremadura clusters and associations TOTAL: 91

5. Paper Extremadura Region Foresight Exercise Foresight Exercise • Methodology: • Designed into two expert panel meetings for each sector: • General Meeting to decide on the priority sectors • First meeting panels. • Current situation of the region related to the given sector • Future visions considering strategic challenges. • Second meeting panels. • Critical factors to reach visions previously identified • Actions and actors that should be involved

6. Paper Extremadura Region Foresight Exercise Foresight Exercise • Key sectors: • General Meeting to decide on the priority sectors (08/03/07) • Sectors selected: • Information and Communication Technologies (08/06/07 and 17/07/07) • Energy (21/06/07 and 19/09/07) • Food Farming Industry (10/05/07 and 07/06/07) • Materials (20/06/07 and 18/09/07) Biotechnology has been analysed as part of both the Food-Farming Industry and the Energy sectors Environment has been discussed as an horizontal issue

7. Paper Extremadura Region Foresight Exercise Foresight Exercise • Axes of the Operational Programme: • Knowledge Society (6%) • Enterprises (18%) • Environment (27 %) • Transport and energy (28.5%) • Sustainable Development (12%)

8. Paper Extremadura Region Foresight Exercise Visions Adding value through technological innovation on products and processes Agriculture land restructuring through other uses Market supply concentration to reach a critical mass National Quality Guarantee to global markets and an Extremadura trade mark to the internal market. Challenges • Low RTD investment rates and innovation culture • Lack of networking and cooperation • Financial needs • Farmer inertia through other non agricultural activities • Small and dispersed companies Critical factors • Human resources • Adaptation of RTD centres supply to companies’ needs • Information, awareness and training • Innovation culture • Cooperation • Financing • Quality consumption. Actions • Encourage business cooperation • Promote RTD projects • Provide customised information and personalized training • Market studies • Orientate the marketing to promote the region attributes and skills. Key Sectors Results – Food Farming Industry

9. Paper Extremadura Region Foresight Exercise Visions Development of a local sector with a global scope based on applications and services oriented to specific and social interest sectors Reach a leading development on digital contents Place Extremadura as a global reference node on ICT Challenges • Low specialization • Small size and dispersed companies • Lack of entrepreneurship culture • Low cooperation and lack of association culture • Unawareness of the technological transformation • Absence of marketing business models • Lack of identity and outside recognition Critical factors • Technological and innovative capacity • Financing and marketing • Economic assessment of digital contents • Technology unawareness Actions • Foster and promote Extremadura capacities • Creation of new financing instruments • Value leading technologies • Cooperation and association as decisive roles • Training on marketing strategies Key Sectors Results – ICT

10. Paper Extremadura Region Foresight Exercise Visions Companies participation on the construction market by means of new and improved products Productivity improvement through technology implementation Become a reference on recycled and environmental friendly products Create a sector on Biomaterials development Create a sector on Plastic materials production Challenges • Low investment rates • Difficult access to external markets • Lack of innovation and productivity culture • Lack of specialists with high qualification • Unconsolidated market for recycled products • Business risk to create a sector on Biomaterials • Long time to introduce products in the market • Last vision dependent on an entrepreneurial project Critical factors • Products and processes innovation • Knowledge of national and international markets • Business cooperation and organization • Human resources • Access to technological information • Business models • Financing Actions • Identification of new products demand • Design incorporation • Hire scientifics and technicians • Reinforce regional financing for process innovation • Technology wath unit / market observatory • Identify referent projects and companies • Design a training plan • Workshops about specific technologies Key Sectors Results – Materials

11. Paper Extremadura Region Foresight Exercise Visions Biomass as an option for rural development General awareness of the information related to new renewable energies Development of a local supply that sustainably integrates every link of the value chain Development of a stable and coherent energy policy Challenges • Insufficient raw materials and small size of farmings • Unawareness / change resistance of farmers • Lack of initial investment / need of financing • Need of bringing the technology up to date • High logistic costs • Lack of human resources training • Coordination between all agents for projects • Absence of a strategic regional plan on energy Critical factors • Security of supply guaranteed / Logistics • Technological development • Information about technological solutions • Business model diversification • Training • Overall and sustainable planning • Stable and sufficient incentives policy Actions • Give incentive to the local biomass demand and to agroenergetic crops • Promote forrest wastes colletion • Create a biomass storage centre • Inventory of the biomass and regional distribution • Dissemination activities. Training plan. • Technology transfer / technology watch services • Assessment of the energy efficiency in projects Key Sectors Results – Energy

12. Paper Extremadura Region Foresight Exercise Follow up INNOVEEX • The business organization to reach critical mass: CLUSTER • Innovation model to implement in Extremadura: INNOVEEX • The CLUSTER is a business organization model that allows the implementation of an innovation system in order to increase Extremadura companies competitiveness • INNOVEEX is a regional cluster, a BUSINESS INNOVATION INTEGRATED MODEL IN EXTREMADURA

13. Paper Extremadura Region Foresight Exercise Follow up INNOVEEX Services offered to clusters: • A Technological Centre to support the Research and Innovation needs • Business incubators • Support to internal organization and marketing

14. Paper Extremadura Region Foresight Exercise Follow up Creation of new clusters 6 existing ones: Ornamental Rocks, Building Materials, Metalmechanic, Wood and Furniture, Knowledge and Packaging. 2 new ones: Energy cluster (recently created) and Food-farming industry cluster (it will be created during this year) Technology watch units and observatories • Technology Watch Unit - FUNDECYT • Other specific units and observatories: • ICT Sector: Extremenian Observatory on ICT • Food Farming Industry Sector: Technological Observatory on Fruit • Materials Sector: Metalmechanic Technology Watch Unit Scientific and Technological park It will be established in 2009 with two headquarters (Cáceres and Badajoz ) and it will integrate RTD companies with the aim of fostering collaboration between companies and researchers

15. Paper Extremadura Region Foresight Exercise Conclusions Achievements • Awareness of the foresight process and knowledge of its methodology have been enhanced • Key sector areas and key technologies have been identified • Strategic plans for the key sectors of the region have been built up • The decision-making process for the development of investment priorities has been supported by strategic information from the Foresight Exercise

16. Third International Seville Conference onFuture-Oriented Technology Analysis (FTA):Impacts and implications for policy and decision-making Thank you for your attention Luis Casas Luengo Managing Director FUNDECYT