1. I3U Work Package 6 Commitments 24/25, 26, 27 and 28 WIIW, WERI and ZSI
I3U Project Meeting & Technical Workshop
September , Vienna,

2. Commitments 24 & 25 Improve the use of Structural Funds for research and innovation prepared by Sandor Richter
„Future regulations governing the operation of the European Regional Development Fund should further commit substantial financial resources to support innovation initiatives within the regions of the European Union.“
„The Member States should considerably improve their use of existing Structural Funds for research and innovation projects, ….implementing smart specialisation strategies…. The Commission stands ready to assist… and establish a smart specialisation platform.“
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Vulgo: allocate more EU money to research and innovation and spend it more efficiently

3. Research and Innovation Strategy for Smart Specialisation (RIS3): what is it?
Smart Specialization Strategy is an integrated, place-based economic transformation agenda, which:
Provides policy support on key national/regional priorities
Builds on each country‘s/region‘s strengths, competitive advantages and potential for excellence
Supports innovation
Gets stakeholders fully involved
Is evidence-based and include sound monitoring and evaluation systems

4. Rationale
Competition among European policies financed from the EU budget and various sections of the European Structural and Investment Funds
Research intensity lags far behind the Europe 2020 target
Position of less developed new Member States is unfavourable compared to more developed Member States
Regional differences in Research and Technical Development and Innovation (RTDI) intensity have not diminished as strong as planned

5. Solution
Higher share of RTDI related expenditures in total spending from the ERDF
Establishment of a Platform for Smart Specialisation Strategies
Smart Specialization Strategy as ex-ante conditionality for innovation related investment from ERDF
Pooling the resources from various European policies, the national budget, domestic and foreign private investors
Shift towards a holistic and systemic innovation policy concept based on Smart Specialization Strategies

6. Main impact areas Cohesion-policy-related public investment
Cohesion-policy-related business sector investment > domestic and > foreign owned companies > the SME sector
Regional policy
Higher education

7. larger GDP, higher employment, more innovation
Results
Improving research intensity indicator
Increasing share of RTDI related projects in investments of the public sector, domestic and foreign owned businesses, the SME sector
Increasing number of RTDI related jobs
Higher education: increasing number of RTDI related graduates
Outcome:
larger GDP, higher employment, more innovation

8. Commitment 24 & 25: Improve the use of Structural Funds for research & innovation
Commitment‘s rationale
Solution
Main impact areas
Results/indicators
Outcome
(long run)
Competition among European policies financed from the EU budget and various sections of the ESIF
Higher share of RTDI related spending in total spending from the Structural Funds
Governance/cohesion policy related public investment
Improving research intensity indicator
Innovation
Research intensity lags far behind the Europe 2020 target
Smart Specialization Strategy as ex-ante conditionality for innovation related investment from ERDF
Increasing share of RTDI related projects in investments of the public sector, domestic and foreign owned businesses, the SME sector
Governance/ Regional policy
GDP
Position of less developed NMS is unfavourable compared to more developed MS
Pooling the resources from various European policies, the national budget, domestic and foreign private investors
Cohesion policy related business sector investment: domestic and foreign owned companies, the SME sector
Increasing number of RDI related jobs
Employment
Regional differences in RTDI intensity have not diminished as strong as planned
Shift towards a holistic and systemic innovation policy policy concept based on Smart Specialization Strategies
Higher education
Higher education: increasing number of RDI related graduates

9. Literature Literature under the keywords:
Smart Specialisation Strategy
>>> Smart Specialisation Platform (
Policy Briefs (12); Working Papers (9)
other sources
EU budget / Cohesion policy / ERDF expenditures / research & technical development & innovation
>>> latest from the GRINCOH FP 7 research project, Section 3: Knowledge, Innovation, Technology (10 working papers)

10. Data/Indicators
Breakdown of the available Cohesion policy funds for Innovation & RTD for (fact) and (planned) by Member State, in € million and as % of total national resources from Structural Funds/Cohesion Fund
Regional ERDF and CF expenditures or allocations (commitments) for Innovation & RTD for and , NUTS2 level, in million €, € per head and as a share of total expenditures/allocations
Statistical data on activities related to Smart Specialisation Strategies based on information from the Commission‘s s3 Platform (?)