Co-creating strategic interregional collaboration 2018-10-09, European Week of Regions and Cities Simone Hagenauer Project manager Clusters ecoplus. The Business Agency of Lower Austria

Aim of our interregional cluster collaboration: Get know-how into the region Identify and learn from partners: sharing a similar issues or offering complementary competencies (skills and resources) Strategic Interregional Collaboration through Clusters in Lower Austria Multi-Level Approach Vanguard Initiative (e.g. 3DP pilot) Political level Cluster programme owner / policy maker Interreg Europe (e.g. CLUSTERIX 2.0) Cluster organisation Cooperation policy level: Interreg Europe Collective Research: CORNET = coordinated national funds (AT, BE, DE, CZ, NL, PL, CH, CDN, Japan, Peru) Future coordinated/joint investments: Vanguard Initiative (alternative: S3 Thematic platforms) Further programmes available – Lower Austria was not successful OR programme did not fit our needs INNOSUP cluster facilitated value chains COSME ESCP.S3 COSME ESCP4i COSME Cluster Excellence programme Interreg Transnational programmes … CORNET www.cornet.online/ (e.g. AM4Industry) Cluster members (companies, researchers)

Interreg Europe project CLUSTERIX 2.0 Improvement of regional (ERDF co-funded) policy instruments From RIS3 development to implementation? (How can we improve/strengthen our regional profile/regional branding?) How to deal with fast changing trends requiring cooperation across sectors, disciplines, regions? (No specific value chain in mind.) What is the best possible role of CLUSTERS in this? Interreg Europe project as a tool to develop/drive strategic interregional cluster collaboration: Multi-level co-operation and learning! Local stakeholder groups + possibility to invite them to interregional meetings Check results! Phase 2 implementation Interregional innovation investment Value chain approach / specific topic needed Very rigid policy instrument thinking www.interregeurope.eu/clusterix2

Key actors Managing authorities or intermediate bodies (Cluster programme owners) Implementing bodies (cluster organisations) Regional/national stakeholders (cluster associations, other regional authority departments other regional intermediaries, universities,…) Exchange of Experience accross Europe

Key activities for Mutual Understanding I. Cluster Policy Benchmarking & Peer Review (ESCA) How do regions make use of clusters? In the design of strategies and support schemes? For implementation of S3? Alignment with other regional or national strategies? Instruments for cross-clustering? Aligned evaluation and monitoring tools? Sufficient capacity and financial support? Process: Interviews with 62 regional & national stakeholders Benchmarking: partner regions & ESCA portfolio Peer Review: policy makers from 10 partner regions Individual final report for each region Es wird ein Shift von einer regionalen Clusterpolitik in Richtung einer cluster- basierend regionalen Innovationspolitik deutlich 6.Die Harmonisierung der S3 mit nationalen und anderen regionalen Ansätzen von Nachbar-Regionen ist noch eine Herausforderung 7.Cross-regionale Förderansätze sind in den S3 kaum verankert

Key activities for Mutual Understanding II. Staff exchange Bilateral At the core: the theme addressed. Set up by the host organisation! Duration: one, maximum 2 weeks Learning about: framework conditions in both regional contexts, approaches, instruments, detailed specific discussions. Outcome: understanding how other cluster ecosystems work, using the knowledge as inspiration to improve (cluster excellence approach). There must be a win-win situation: benefit for host and guest

ecoplus Clusters Project Manager Clusters, International Relations Simone Hagenauer +43 2742 9000-19650 s.hagenauer@ecoplus.at www.ecoplus.at/en