1. International Urban cooperation
C3 PAIRING CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO & CANTABRIA, Spain
Omar Saucedo Macías & Paz Díaz Nieto

2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 OUTLINE Pairing objective Main milestones priorities
Transformative activities 5 6
Key actions
timeline 7 8
LESSONS LEARNED
Dos & don’ts

3. PAIRING OBJECTIVE 01

4. Pairing OBJECTIVE Overall pairing objective
To boost exchange of best practices and and share information about the following topics:
smart manufacturing,
smart government,
smart cities and
digital tourism
Results and impacts to be achieved
Strengthen Chihuahuas’s R&D&I system
Support the generation of innovation networks (public-private collaboration)
Strengthen the already existing clusters and establishment of collaboration networks
Development of entrepreneurship strategies based on the experience generated by the Government of Cantabria in the PCTCAN and with the support of other relevant regional actors such as the CISE (International Center for Entrepreneurship of the Bank of Santander), which has already begun to develop some initiatives in the Latin American region and with Mexico in specific.

5. MAIN MILESTONES 02

6. MILESTONES
After a first visit in Chihuahua, the main milestones of the pairing action are:
Visit from the Medical Device and Information Technologies Cluster representatives (from El Paso and Ciudad Juarez)
Signature of an specific MOU to create an Innovation and Entrerpreneurship Center in Chihuahua’s State
Select at least a digital solution in Chihuahua’s state to be transformed

7. PRIORITIES 03

8. PRIORITIES
Key priorities of the pairing
1. To put in value the smart specialization strategy designed by the EU as an exportable model for improving competitiveness in an environment (Chihuahua) that is heavily influenced by US work methodologies;
2. To obtain greater positioning of the region on an international scale, in a market historically linked to Cantabria’s region;
3. To generate contact networks at public and private levels that could generate larger projects in the mid-term;
4. To consolidate the smart specialization strategy implemented by the Regional Government of Cantabria, favoring the exchange of best practices and the acquisition of a global vision that will undoubtedly be valuable for the actors involved;
5. To support the growth of the added value of the participating actors and, in particular, of some research centers (Component Center, CISE for Entrepreneurship, etc.)
6. To increase the international presence of the Cantabrian clusters involved by facilitating the development of joint cooperation projects in the medium-long term.
7. In the mid-term, to facilitate the international insertion of SMEs in Cantabria in the Mexican market, creating a greater synergy and interest of Mexican stakeholders in our region.
8. To develop scientific research and dissemination of the main results of this inter-institutional collaboration.

9. TRANSFORMATIVE Activities04

10. TRANSFORMATIVE ACTIVITIES
Transformative activities for each defined priority in the previous section
Collaboration and promotion platform
Conclude the business opportunities assessment
Start up platform
Promotion platform
Accomplish financial platform
Meeting with the CISE (International Center and Santander Entrepreneurship) authorities to define a possible agreement
Available infrastructure and equipment in Juarez, Chihuahua to install a CISE platform
Adopt a digital solution for smart cities and tourism
Identify actual solutions in existing process in Cantabria
Select the most feasible to implement
Initiate the implementation in Chihuahua

11. KEY ACTIONS 05

12. KEY ACTIONS
Key actions that shall be taken for each defined transformative activity
Visit Cantabria, Spain with the key representatives from Chihuahua to manage the priorities mentioned before
At this moment, the Regional Government through DG innovation is focused in developing the new Innovation Strategy , a strategy we have designed, and whose main objective is to make innovation the main engine of the region's competitiveness.
Cantabria’s region is focused on establishing the bases of an open innovation system. Innovation must function as a dynamic ecosystem, in which all agents get to know each other, exchange information, face common challenges and benefit, each in its own area, from the results obtained.
We have 2 main projects:
Cantabria’s Factoría del Futuro Plan, focused on everything related to the digital transformation of our industrial fabric
Cantabria’s Bioeconomy Plan.
We are also working on projects to strengthen and establish an innovative regional public purchasing system, and in the development and implementation of technological surveillance systems.
Responsibilities and funding
Coordination between Cantabria´s authorities and Chihuahua´s Government. Funding will be sponsored by the European Union (GIZ) and the private sector

13. TIMELINE 06

14. Key objective of the Pairing Action Timeline (1 year)
Main Milestones
Sector / Area / Theme
Key objective of the Pairing Action
Timeline (1 year) M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6 M7 M8 M9
M10
M11
M12
Visit from the Medical Device and Information and Technologies Cluster´s representatives
Cantabria & Chihuahua
Boost throughout the information of technologies the entrepreneurship and innovation in three categories: smart manufacturing, smart government, smart cities and digital tourism X 
Generate a MOU between Technologies Cluster  X
Understanding of the memorandum for the importance to establish the headquarter of the innovation and entrepreneurship center in Chihuahua´s state
Select at least a digital solution in Chihuahua´s state
Overall objective of the Pairing Action
Priorities
Transformative Activities
Actions
Provide and innovate high value for the diversification of CHIHUAHUA– EUROPE,
CANTABRIA- AMERICA
CHIH EUROPA,
CANTABRIAAMERICA
Collaboration and promotion platform
Conclude the business opportunities assessment
Visit Cantabria, Spain with the key representatives from Chihuahua to manage the priorities mentioned before.
Coordination between Cantabria´s authorities and Chihuahua´s Government. Funding will be sponsored by European Union (GIZ) and private sector
Start up and promotion platform
Accomplish financial platform
Meeting with the CISE (International Center and Santander Entrepreneurship) authorities to define a possible agreement
Available infrastructure and equipment in Juarez, Chihuahua to install a CISE platform
 Adopt a digital solution for smart cities and tourism
Identify actual solutions in process in Cantabria
Select the most feasible to implement
Initiate the implementation in Chihuahua

15. LESSONS LEARNED 07

16. LESSONS LEARNED Main lessons learned
Existance of the collaboration opportunities between the Cantabria and Chihuahua´s regions due to the complementary economic activities for example: Chihuahua´s state is highly dependent in foreign investment but has the need to create and develop SME´s technology based, while in the other hand, Cantabria is not dependent of foreign investment but is strong in its SME´s
At the moment, the Chihuahua State is in process of the construction and equipment of the innovation and technology development centers while Cantabria has the experience that can be of help to Chihuahua´s state needs
Chihuahua state represents a possible access for the southern United States and Mexico´s existing demand for the Cantabria SME´s

17. DOS & DON’TS 08

18. DOS & DON’TS
What should be repeated and what should be avoided in the pairing action in order to help other region pairings to flourish and achieve actual results and impacts
DOs
Assign complementary regions like this case
Esential participation from the government, academy and private sector
Key participation of decision makers
DONT´s
Avoid starting the collaboration without having a detailed assessment
Avoid starting the collaboration without a pre defined timing