Regional Action Plans for Innovation Development and Enterprise

1. Regional Action Plans for Innovation Development and Enterprise Juliet Williams Chairman South West of England Regional Development Agency 17 February 2009 European Regional Development Fund

2. RAPIDE’s promise… • the business of business… provoking economic growth • challenging ‘partnership’ and risk • making Lisbon happen • giving management teams the correct tools • providing leadership • harnessing the remote, rural, peripheral economies

3. So, what actually is RAPIDE? • RAPIDE’s mission: ‘Innovate or die!’ • improving the way in which EU regions support and stimulate innovation as a critical driver of sustainable competitiveness • how? By bringing new ideas and opportunities to market more quickly… • managing risk • financing • effective partnerships • why a fast track network? • effecting real change in our regions as a result of knowledge sharing • partner regions become ‘champions’ • influencing future policy and programmes

4. Partner-Regions • South West of England – UK • Galicia – Spain • Kujawsko-Pomorskie – Polend • Örebro – Sveden • Region of Western Greece • Saxony-Anhalt – Germany • Tartu – Estonia • Wales – UK • Presov – Slovakia • South Bohemia – Czech Republic • Lapland – Finland • Észak-Alföld – Hungary

5. Fast Track to action • providing a ‘safe’ environment for discussion • giving our network partners the confidence to share • living up to Fast Track status… Fast Track under Regions for Economic Change… delivering capitalisation • Fast track under Regions for Economic Change • supported by 5 Commission DGs, including Enterprise and Industry; Regional Policy; Information Society and Media; Research; and, Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities • a partnership of 11 new and old Member States

6. RAPIDE is about people! • People are our toolkit… practitioners not spin doctors • ‘Seeing is believing’ • what works, what doesn’t • hands-on peer interrogation and review • honesty rules! • ‘Beyond best practice’ • recognising, sharing, Implementing the lessons learnt through our mainstream funding programmes • ‘Connectivity’ • going beyond our partner needs and opportunities • influencing the approach to innovation across Europe

7. The deliverables • learning how to share the good and previously unmentionable • knowing which experiences are transferrable • Regional Action Plans that have every chance doing their job • new methods of integrating tried and tested innovation into Convergence and Competitiveness programmes • policy recommendations around taking innovation to market more quickly • more effective support for innovation and business opportunity in partner regions and beyond

8. The RAPIDE methodology • Work so far • project launch (Toruń, Poland, October 2008) • Working Summit, Effective Partnerships (Cardiff, Wales, December 2008) • Working Summit, Financing Innovation (Patras, Greece, February 2009) • To come • Working Summit, Managing Risk (Bath, England, April 2009 • partners develop their Regional Action Plans in groups, with all plans peer-reviewed as they develop (June 2009 – June 2010) • mid-term review (Örebro, Sweden, June 2009) • final conference (Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, June 2010)

9. Lapland Case – Laboratories as a Tool for Innovations Eila Linna Director Lapland Institute for Tourism Research 17th February European Regional Development Fund

10. How it works? Outcome From various origins collected knowhow is combined innovative way to get new applied knowhow eg. services to support the core business -> service innovations -> safety -> regions competitiveness ENVI -rescue operation -first aid -emergency care -treating emergency care, intensive -care and surgery patients -rehabilitative ward work www.envi.fi VI . plab - technology - Virtual reality - 3D-modelling http://plab.ramk.fi ArcticPower-lab -Testing in extreme cold conditions, -Product development www.arcticpowerlab.com

11. Transferrable or not? • Vast, sparsely populated area • Fragmented structure of business fields • SME- and micro-size enterprises • Multidisciplinary universities • Culture of cooperation • Knowhow • Trust and respect • Mutual interest • Commitment • Creativity and desire to experiments

12. Regional Action Plans for Innovation Development and Enterprise Dr.-Ing Christos Tzomakas Head of Scientific-Technical Support & Programmes Implementation DepartmentRegional Development Fund - Region of Western Greece17 February 2009 European Regional Development Fund

13. ROP / IV - Western Greece • The 2nd axis with a total budget of 85,7M €includes among others the following category actions that are targeted to innovation promotion in RWG: • Promotion and reinforcement of collaboration among HEI, RI and enterprises, and support of activities of RTD • Enhancement of RTD and innovation infrastructures • Foundation of new enterprises and modernization of existing firms with focus in innovation and the new technologies • Development of infrastructures of initial installation of enterprises that exploit results of RTD • Dissemination and demonstration of innovative projects Main priorities of ROP WG for the new programming period 2007-2013:

14. The equilateral triangular model approach on excellence

15. For more information RAPIDE www.rapidenetwork.eu Interreg IVC www.interreg4c.net DG Regio ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/index_en.htm EilaLinna Director LaplandInstituteforTourismResearch Juliet Williams Chairman South West of England Regional Development Agency Dr.-IngChristosTzomakas Head of Scientific-Technical Support & Programmes Regional Development Fund Region of Western Greece European Regional Development Fund