Innova - Analysis of Smart Specialisation Strategies in Nanotechnologies, Advanced Manufacturing and Process Technologies

The Smart Specialisation concept aims at concentrating knowledge resources and linking them to a limited number of priority economic activities so that countries and regions can become, and remain, competitive in the global economy. Smart specialisation is also considered an important instrument for ensuring synergies between Horizon 2020 and the ESIF, by providing a stairway to excellence and providing companies and research actors with a funding continuum, or at least the opportunity for developing jointly funded projects. The European Commission has released guidelines for RIS3 which aim to coordinate existing tools within the EU policies and regulations.

Summary

This study has been undertaken on behalf of DG Research and Innovation, Key Enabling Technologies Directorate. The principal aim of the study was to identify and map priorities, declared strategies, emerging trends, instruments envisaged, estimated funding volumes and modalities regarding the Key Enabling Technologies (KETs). The study focuses in particular on the nanotechnologies, advanced materials and advanced manufacturing and process technologies KETs and how they are reflected in the Research and Innovation Smart Specialisation Strategies (RIS3) prepared at either the national or regional level. The study provides a snapshot of the situation during late spring/early summer of 2014. The specific objectives of the study are: to identify national/regional priorities, strategies, budgets linked to KETs with the aim of analysing trends, commonalities, striking features among the priorities, instruments and funding volumes, and to identify synergies and bottlenecks between H2020/LEIF and Structural Funds KETs priorities. The study also aims to facilitate the efficient coordination of financial instruments between the relevant responsible administrations at EU, national and regional level. The study methodology initially proposed underwent some changes to take on board limited data availability, notably RIS3 documents and especially the Operational Programmes. Notwithstanding the challenges that the study had to face, it has succeeded in providing a unique insight into the issues and challenges concerning the linkages and trends regarding RIS3 and KETs Indeed the online survey has gathered data not currently available in a similar or consolidated format elsewhere. The study and the feedback from the national and regional research and policy community have also highlighted the fact that the subject of RIS3 and KETs is still very much of an ongoing process. The results show that the RIS3 and their associated OP’s provide an important opportunity for funding and implementing KET related actions and that regional stakeholders are very interested in exploiting synergies between the various planning and funding frameworks to support KET actions and working together to remove bottlenecks for enhanced impacts.

Authors

INNOVA S.p.A.: Gavriel Avigdor and Nicolas Gauders

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INNO-GROUP: Marc Pattinson and Asmaa Messaoudi

SQV: Robin Brighton

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