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

2. 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
(e.g. AM4Industry)
Cluster members (companies, researchers)

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. ecoplus Clusters Project Manager Clusters, International Relations
Simone Hagenauer