UNIVERSITIES ROLE IN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SMART SPECIALISATION

Transcription

1 UNIVERSITIES ROLE IN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SMART SPECIALISATION Henning Kroll, Fraunhofer ISI OECD High- Level Event on the Knowledge Triangle, 15-16/9/16

2 Overall Framework Universities commonly seen as relevant players in regional development and an overall economic effect on regional development has been identified in many studies (OECD, 1997; Schubert/Kroll, 2015, Hermansson et al, 2016) Yet, institutional specificities and economic framework conditions at both national and regional level matter (Koschatzky et al. 2011; Pinheiro/Benneworth, 2012) In peripheral regions, particular hopes are placed in universities (Benneworth et al. 2009; Gál and Ptácek 2011) Yet, indications that, in these, traditional high-tech approaches don t work (Brown, 2016: mission impossible in Scotland) Still: evidence of a strong role for universities in both leading and lagging regions less in between based on different approaches than spin-off & high-tech (Koschatzky et al. 2011; Kroll et al. 2015) For their regions, mid-range universities matter, even if contributions are of relative, not absolute importance nationally (Wright et al., 2008; Huggins & Johnston, 2009) Seite 2

3 Smart Specialisation RIS3, soberly and in a nutshell focus strategic support on economic domains in which the region has a chance to become internationally competititive conceive these specialisations in light of international value chains/networks and regions contribution to that decision on this not centrally, but in collaborative dialogue of government and local stakeholders who will have to realise economic transformation entrepreneurial process of discovery i.e. ideally the economy will drive it, moderated by local policy makers and involving public research where relevant yet, in the periphery there is little chance of this working: weak players, fragmented innovation ecosystem, lack of liberty to engage (subsidiaries) so: can universities fill the gap? Seite 3

4 Empirical Study (in collaboration with European Commission, DG Regio) AÇORES, CANARIAS, LA RÉUNION Seite 4

5 RIS3/EDP in fact dominantly focused on R&D and Triple-Helix Policy Investment in research & technology Industrial modernisation Science-industry collaboration Support for small- and medium sized firms Training and qualification Vision for long-term territorial development ambitions n = Seite 5

6 Accordingly, universities major player in the game research organisations (universities & publ. res.) 1.7 intermediary organisations (e.g. clusters, TTOs) 2.7 SME and mid-caps 3.7 large domestic firms 4.2 government agencies not owning the process 4.6 start-ups and future entrepreneurs 4.8 local subsidiaries of multinational firms 5.6 civil society (e.g. NGOs) 6.7 financial organisations (development banks & VCs) n = ~120 Seite 6

7 EITHER universities OR intermediaries Lead the process universities clusters, TTOs, intermediaries British Isles (UK, IE) South East (RO, BG, GR, CY, HR) East (EE, LT, LV, HU, PL, SI, CZ, SK) South (ES, PT, IT, MT) North (DK, SE, FI) Central (AT, DE, Benelux, FR) North (DK, SE, FI) Central (AT, DE, Benelux, FR) 2.4 East (EE, LT, LV, HU, PL, SI, CZ, SK) 2.7 South (ES, PT, IT, MT) 2.8 n = ~120 South East (RO, BG, GR, CY, HR) British Isles (UK, IE) Seite 7

8 In EDP, universities mostly engage within their core mandate representatives of their own interests provider of knowledge as input into the discussion organisers of collaborative research and mediators of talents co-developer of strategies entrepreneurial actors driving actual collaborations promoters of collaborations beyond the area of reference n = 118 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Seite 8

9 Leverage on Private Funding 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% strongly not at all n = 107 East (EE, LT, LV, HU, PL, SI, CZ, SK) North (DK, SE, FI) South (ES, PT, IT, MT) British Isles (UK, IE) South East (RO, BG, GR, CY, HR) Central (AT, DE, Benelux, FR) not at all strongly n = 107 Seite 9

10 In Scandinavia and UK, Universities do lead somehow Co-developer of strategies North (DK, SE, FI) British Isles (UK, IE) East (EE, LT, LV, HU, PL, SI, CZ, SK) South East (RO, BG, GR, CY, HR) South (ES, PT, IT, MT) n = 118 Entrepreneurial actors driving actual collaborations Central (AT, DE, Benelux, FR) 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% very much not at all British Isles (UK, IE) North (DK, SE, FI) South (ES, PT, IT, MT) South East (RO, BG, GR, CY, HR) East (EE, LT, LV, HU, PL, SI, CZ, SK) Central (AT, DE, Benelux, FR) n = 118 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% very much not at all Seite 10

11 In weaker contexts, they mostly lobby for their own interests South (ES, PT, IT, MT) Central (AT, DE, Benelux, FR) South East (RO, BG, GR, CY, HR) East (EE, LT, LV, HU, PL, SI, CZ, SK) British Isles (UK, IE) North (DK, SE, FI) 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% very much not at all Seite 11

12 Conclusions Effectively, universities do play a dominant role in regional strategy design however we choose to assess this Their role develops better or at least stronger If there are no other regional development organisations (or administrations) driving the process Apparently, however, they cannot be very effectively used as short-term fixes for the absence of entrepreneurial actors => they cannot easily heal dysfunctional systems There may be issues of capture, either driven by universities themselves or from higher echelons, deploying universities for a purpose Having universities drive & design strategic regional development has to be in the culture and be accepted by the university s, cf. Scandinavia and UK, less so Central Europe Roles do and will have to differ between leading research universities, mid-range universities and teaching colleges Research Teaching Community Engagement/Regional Leadership Seite 12