SMART SPECIALISATION STRATEGY

LESSONS (learned by) THE AQUITAINE REGION

Hervé LE GUYADER

eHealth Forum, Athens, 12th May, 2014

Lessons learned by Aquitaine Structure of the presentation

• Regional background• Basic facts, basic questions• Methodology• Selection of a first set of specialisation areas,

including « AHA friendly » ones• Challenges ahead • Conclusion

• Regional background

41 308 km²

3.2 M people

5 départements

2295 communes

A DIVERSIFIED ECONOMY

85,7 B € GDP => 40th European Region

9,3% unemployment < France average

4th French Region for the increase of its population

29% < 25 years old and 20% > 65 years old

3rd French Region in terms of exportations

5rth French Region in terms of enterprise creations

Industry 157 000 jobs

Agriculture 74 000 jobs

Tourism 50 000 jobs

73 000 Summer jobs

Agri-food 30 000 jobs

Agri-food - Wines #1 World Region for wine growing

#1 French Region for agricultural and food production

Forest-Wood-Paper #1 cultivated forest in Europe

#1 French Region for wood/paper/furniture

Agricultural sector #1 European production Region for corn

#2 agricultural French Region

Chemical and advanced materials #1 French Region for risk classified factories

Gliding #1 European Region

Health #1 French Region française for health ICT

Thermal cures #1 French thermal cures Region

Optical-Photonics #1 French Region for science infrastructures

Renewable energies #2 French ressource for biomass electricity

Sciences of earth and oil industries #2 French ressource for earth energy

Aeronautics-Space and Defense #3 French aeronautical Region

Construction building #4 French Region

Sea industries #4 French Region

ICT #4 French Region for ICT services

Tourism #5 French Region

Gastronomy, traditions et well living World immaterial heritage label

Some performing regional areas

 Innovation Regional performance 

• Fact #1: ESIF is something important for Regions…

• Fact #2: ERDF, within ESIF, is something quite important…

• Fact #3: 2014-2020 programming period rules are different from previous ones

• Fact #4: Concentration shall apply:

1. Within the set of T.O.’s

2. And, for T.O. 1 and T.O. 2, with an ex ante condition: S3

• Fact #5: S3 comes with its set of binding rules

• Basic facts (S3 related)

• Basic questions

• #1: How to best understand this S3 « new thing »?

• #2: How to cope with the « We’ve been doing this all along, so why should we change anything » syndrome?

• #3: Should we delegate this?

• #4: How can we go through the S3 process and produce the expected deliverable?

• #5: How to ensure this will be sustainable (2014-2020)?

• #6: Is there anything missing in the S3 doctrine, that we could, and should, improve on?

Question#1: How to « best » understand what’s requested?

• Methodology

IPTS S3 Platform in Sevilla

Question#1: How to « best » understand what’s requested?

National guide

Expert (founding father)

Question#1: How to « best » understand what’s requested?

• Granularity

Sectorial level

Intermediate level for new activitiesactivités nouvelles

Micro level

Question#1: How to « best » understand what’s requested?

Sleeping giants (agri-food?)

Hungry dwarves (aerospace subcontractors?)

Excited goblins (ICT start-ups?)

• Diversity

• Iterative process within the regional innovation ecosystem

In itinere evaluation for each concentration

aera

Selection of concentration areas for 3-4 years period

New « harvest » every 2-3 years

Overall backing of the regional ecosystem

emerging sectors

Question#1: How to « best » understand what’s requested?

Question#1: How to « best » understand what’s requested?

Question#2: How to cope with the «  We’ve been doing this all along, so why change anything  » syndrome?

Just do it!

Question#2: How to cope with the «  We’ve been doing this all along, so why change anything  » syndrome?

And the answer is:

Targetted questionnaire sent to > 800 targetted individuals

> 60 meetings, from high end presentation given to key regional politicians, to detailled oriented technical fine tuning

Question#3: Should we delegate this?

(Fact #1: ESIF is something thing (for Regions)

Fact #2: Within ESIF, ERDF is something quite important)

…

Fact #n: in 2014, French Regional councils became ERDF managing authorities

… so, … we felt like we should be doing this ourselves!

Project team (~20) Steering Committee (10) Experts (~50)

Question#4: How can we go through the S3 process and produce the expected deliverable?

• Political will

• Strong partnership (Region, State representatives,

Regional and National agencies)

• Dedicated resources (staff)

• Clear scheduling, transparency with stakeholders

• …

• (EC FP style) Project Management!

• And a « customised toolkit »

Question#4: How can we go through the S3 process and produce the expected deliverable?

Toolkit: The « Seven C’s  grid », built upon the « 4 C » proposed by EC

Toolkit: A « techno/market 51x47 matrix », built upon EU (KETs), national and regional studies

Question#4: How can we go through the S3 process and produce the expected deliverable?

Toolkit: Iterative (weekly) and interactive mind maps,

from:

Question#4: How can we go through the S3 process and produce the expected deliverable?

to:

Question#4: How can we go through the S3 process and produce the expected deliverable?

A « TOOLKIT ENABLED » VIRTUOUS CIRCLE

1- Transparent selection criteriaThe 7C’s Grid

2- Suggested S3 area already pre-evaluated by the proposer (questionnaire)

3- Identify concentrations => specialisationsTechno/markets grid 51x47

Set of potential specialisation areas

Self-selection by the stakeholder

4- Targetting Choice of S3 areasSteering Committee

Entrepreneurial discovery2 to 4 years cycles

800 questionnaires70 answers

250 potential areas7C filter

Fine tuning (tech WG)

Question#5: How to ensure this will be sustainable?

1. Partnership, at the institutional level

2. Entrepreneurial discovery, empowerment of non institutional stakeholders

3. Specific effort made on defining objectives and setting « realistic » indicators, allowing for in itinere evaluation

4. In itinere evaluation of the performance of selected specialisation areas, with possible eviction of « under-performing » candidates

Question#5: How to ensure this will be sustainable?

Empowerment of stakeholders

• Overall vision

• Operational objectives

• Meaningful &

measurable indicators

Defining objectives and setting « realistic » indicators

• Selection of a first set of specialisation areas, including « AHA friendly » ones

• Challenges aheadAlways remember yesterday’s challenges!

S3 met some real difficulties, coming from:

Teams : « too narrow » => in contradiction with « sectorial logic »

« Usual customers » of Regional aids and ERDF 2007-2013, at a time where

MS has to cope with major budget issues

Some politicians, fearing:

Enterprises would be less supported

Specialisation = territorial concentration

Excellency = urban against rural

All : specialisation against diversification

• Challenges ahead

New challengesGovernance must strongly resist to « temptations » and enforce in itinere evaluation

7th Framework Programme (FP7) Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP)

Public Health ProgrammeStructural

Funds(2007-2013)

(2014-2020)

•Good practices exchange•Clusters internationalisation

(2014-2020)• INTERREG V• Possibility of co-investments• Possibility of 15% spent outside your

area• ESF – Targeted mobility schemes

TODAY

FUTURE

€ 446 million (2014-2020)

Health Programme

€ 9 billion (original proposal) for

Health, Demographic Change and Well Being

KIC - Innovation for healthy living and active ageing,

Potential funding opportunities for Active & Healthy Ageing

Challenges ahead, the bigger picture

Aides R&D et innovation

Fonds structurels FEDER (OT 3…)

OT1 hors thématiques S3,

FSE

The actual bigger picture

S3

Aides à l’innovation BPI France

Programme d’Investissement

d’Avenir

Appels à projets ANR

Aides des collectivités

infrarégionales

Appels à projets ADEME

Appels à projets

HORIZON 2020Appels à projets ERA NET

Appels à projets EUROSTARS

Label EUREKA

Initiatives technologiques

conjointes (Clean Sky, IMI)

COST

Appels à projets LIFE

Projets collaboratifs

transnationaux

Projets collaboratifs

Projets individuels

INTERREG

Pôles de Compétitivité

FUI

The bigger picture: need for maps and navigation tools

• Conclusions Momentum created, thanks to:

• new rules, • necessary pedagogy,• entrepreneurial discovery.

Capitalise on it, do not lose steam, do not disapoint.

Triple obligation:

• Enforce in itinere evaluation• Know the global landscape and how to best

navigate through it• Learn, share, act, innovate, report.

Thanks for your attention