working with competitiveness poles and regional leadership in wallonia (23 june 2015)

DIRECTION DE LA POLITIQUE ECONOMIQUE

Innovation and leadership – governance and internal innovationWorking with competitiveness poles and regional leadership in Wallonia

Innovation Seminar « The challenges of implementing innovation strategies”, 23 June 2015

Florence HENNART


Agenda

• Background elements

• Competitiveness Poles Policy as a new governance

approach

• Creative Wallonia : fostering the creative economy

• Conclusion : Do’s and don’t’s


3,6 Millions inhabitants

3 Regions with large exclusive competencies and legislative power


Key figures


Industry = 13% of total added value


Regional development plans

1999-

2004

•1999 : Contract for the future of Wallonia

•2001 : launch of the business cluster policy, bottom-up

2006

•2006-2009 : 1st Marshall Plan (1,6 billion €)

•5 priority axis for economic development

•Launch of the Competitiveness Poles Policy -5 poles, 280 millions €

2009

•2009-2014 : Marshall Plan 2.Green (2,75 billion €)

•Pursuing and deepening the competitiveness Poles policy, 388 millions € – Creation of a 6th Pole (Green chemistry)

2015

•2015-2019 : Marshall Plan 4.0 – 2,9 billion € (Human capital, Industrial and innovation policy, Attractiveness, Energy and circular economy, Digital economy)

• Axis II: Deepening of S3 through Competitiveness Poles (316 millions €+265 millions €), new RDI Strategy, support to growth of enterprises


Marshall Plan 4.0 - Budgets 2015-2019

Millions €Axis I - Human capital as an asset 304,56

Axis II - Supporting the development of industry through a policy of innovation and business growth 850,48II.1 Innovation (Competitiveness Poles + valorization) 642,06II.2 Growth of SMEs 208,42Axis III - Mobilizing the territory for economic development 374,00

Axis IV - Efficiency, energy transition and circular economy 1 096,17Axis V - Support to digital innovation 244,78Total 2 869,98


Definition of a Competitiveness Pole

Critical Mass at the regional level,

virtuous growth circle, Global

competitiveness

Training centersResearch units

Enterprises

Partnership, Joint strategy and joint innovative

projects


Creation process : a mix of top-down and bottom-up approaches

• University study• Regional potential

and perspectives• Criterias• 5 domains identified

Selection of priority domains

• Creation of 1 Pole/domain• Terms of reference• Stakeholders defining the

Partnership, strategy, concrete projects, mix of technologies and sectors

Call for interest• Analysis by an

independant jury• Labellisation of the

poles and first projects by the Government

Creation of the Poles

Same process for the 6th Pole


Competitiveness Poles in Wallonia

Cross-sectoral regional ecosystems


Implementation : Policy mix

• Collaborative R&D projects (2 entreprises and 2 research centres)

• Innovation platforms

RDI

• Investment subsidies

• Common infrastructures (R&D, infrastructures)

Investment

• Sector expert to support export approaches

• Promotion actions and international prospection

• Attraction of FDI

• + EU projects

Internationalisation

• Development of specific trainings

• Training policy

• Internships

Training

• Up to 350.000-400.000 € / Pole / Year (Wages)

• IF Private counterpart of 50% (expenses / valorisations)

• Project support, networking,…

Animation structures


Implementation : Annual call for projects

• Analysis by :• the Pole• the

administration• Internal jury

Letter of Intent

• Formal administration opinion

• External jury recommandation

Finalized project • Decision of

support / budgets

• Conditional decisions

Regional Governement

Monitoring and Evaluation : coordinating administration, external jury, external evaluation,

Governement


Results and challengesKey results Challenges ahead

Relevance of key priority domains and strategy

Driving effect for the whole economy

Positive collaboration dynamics in and between poles

International Strategy, European projects

Good representation of stakeholders (+/- 1.000 members)

SMEs involvement

Positive dynamics for participating enterprises

Industrial impact, valorisation, market uptake

R&D support predominant Innovation dynamics to foster on a continuous basis, cross-sectoral dynamics

New policy approaches, policy mix Going beyond specific support tools, mobilizing the whole policy mix

=> Competitiveness Poles policy at the heart of the Regional S3


• Framework program for creativity (2010)

• Objective : To place creativity and innovation at the heart of the Walloon society and economy.

• Means : Thinking out of the box to : promote the creative society fertilize innovative practices support innovative productions

Piloting, testing Open network of stakeholders

Wallonia, European Creative District (2013-2015): demonstrating, at the European level that a post-industrialized economy can transform itself through the potential of creativity and the creative and cultural industries

Creative Wallonia


Consolidation and deepening of our Strategy

Competitiveness Poles

Innovation, ICT, KET

Internation-alisation, Europe

Resource efficiency

Creative economy, high potential SMEs

New innovative value chains


Conclusions – Do’s and don’t’s

Don’t think it’s easy It’s a long time process –

find your own way Get inspiration from

outside but adapt to your own situation

Starting point = objectives, not the tools

EU programmes and network as strong levers BUT supporting role essential



Think and act out of the box Don’t rely on old fashioned

structures to impulse new dynamics

Use Pilots... And then drive change

Focus on policy processes + incentives

Flexibility and adaptability Dialogue



• Partnership• Responsabilisation• Involvement of

stakeholders• Mix top-down /

bottom-up• EU

• Adapting existing tools• Kill the bad experiences• Develop promising ones!

• Rely on external expertise

• Make choices

• Testing new approaches• Be open to new proposals• Act at the border of the system!• Political leadership – defining

policy objectives

Pilot

Evaluate

Dialogue

Adapt

It’s a process : learning by doing


Thanks for your attention !

http://economie.wallonie.behttp://clusters.wallonie.be/federateur-en/ www.creativewallonia.be/wecd

[email protected]@spw.wallonie.be

http://economie.wallonie.be/

http://economie.wallonie.be/

http://clusters.wallonie.be/federateur-en/

http://www.creativewallonia.be/wecd

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

working with competitiveness poles and regional leadership in wallonia (23 june 2015)

Government & Nonprofit

innovation policy

policy of innovation

millions axis

digital innovation

internal innovation

innovation strategies

millions creation

wallonia innovation