Policy Forum
of the IKINET Project
Programme
Regional “competence centres”
and European knowledge and innovation networks:
an international comparison of innovation cluster policies
September
19-20, 2007
Presidency
of the Council of Ministers
Department for Public Administration
Palazzo Vidoni, Sala Stoppani
Corso Vittorio Emanuele, 116 - 00186 Roma
www.ikinet.uniroma2.it/Policy_Forum.htm
13:30-14:30 Registration and welcome coffee
14:30-15:30
Opening Session
Welcome addresses and introductory contributions by:
§
Luigi Nicolais, Minister for Public Administration Reform and
Innovation, Rome
§
Pia Laurila,
representative of DG Research, European Commission
§
Vincenzo Gervasio, representative of CNEL – Consiglio Nazionale dell’Economia
e del Lavoro, Rome
§
Nikos Pantalos,
representative of DG Enterprise, European Commission
15:30-17:00
Plenary Session
§
Chairman: Ezio Andreta, President
APRE-Agency for the Promotion European Research, Rome
§
Keynote Speech from Prof.
Riccardo
Cappellin, Coordinator IKINET FP6 project, University of Rome Tor
Vergata
Theme 1: How to
promote international accessibility and cooperation between competence centres
§
Registered speakers:
1. Cinzia Giachetti, Consorzio Pisa Ricerche, Pisa
2.
Leonardo Lecce,
Dept. of Aerospace Engineering – University
of Napoli “Federico II”
3.
Giovanna Ferrari, Prodal -Centro di Competenza Produzioni Agroalimentari, Salerno
4.
Mario Calderini, Finpiemonte Spa / Polytechnic of Turin , Torino
5. Maria Cristina Pedicchio, CBM, Distretto Tecnologico di
Biomedicina Molecolare del Friuli Venezia Giulia, Trieste
17:00-17:30
Coffee break
17:30-19:00
Plenary Session
§
Chairman:
Paola
Manacorda, councillor of the CNEL– Consiglio Nazionale dell’Economia
e del Lavoro, Rome
§
Keynote Speech from Prof.
Staszek Walukiewicz, IKINET
Project, Systems
Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw
Theme 2: How to
promote creativity and new innovative projects and companies
§
Registered speakers:
1. Germano Carganico, Fondazione Toscana Life Sciences,
Siena
2. Vincenzo Torrieri, Centro di Competenza TEST, Napoli
3.
Paolo Colombo, Tefarco Innova, University of Parma
4. Giulia Landriscina, ICOS Technology Transfer Centre,
Bologna
5. Carlo Ricciardi e Valeria Bricola,
Università IULM e Camera di Commercio di Milano
20:30 Reception
09:00-09:30
Registration and welcome coffee
09:30-11:00
Plenary Session
§
Chairman: Simona Marzetti, Ministry
of Economic Development and Istituto per la Promozione Industriale,
Rome
§
Keynote Speech from Prof.
Michael Steiner, IKINET Project, Joanneum Research and University of Graz
Theme 3. How to promote an effective governance of
networks of competence centres
§
Registered speakers:
1. Carmine Gambardella, Centro di Competenza Benecon,
Napoli
2.
Filippo D’Arpa,
Science and Technology Park of Sicily, Palermo
3. Sara Bonci, Regione Toscana, D.G. Sviluppo
Economico e Etruria Innovazione
11:00-11:30
Coffee break
11:30-13:30
Plenary Session
§
Chairman: Riccardo Cappellin,
Coordinator IKINET FP6 project, University
of Rome Tor Vergata
§
Keynote Speech from Prof.
Ruediger Wink, IKINET Project, Bochum University
§
Registered speakers:
1.
Bruno Nicoulaud,
International development of clusters, Ministère de
l’Economie, des finances et de l’industrie, Paris
2. Luigi Campitelli, President, European Bic Network,
Bic Lazio, Rome
3. Marina Silverii, ASTER S.Cons. p. A., Bologna
4.
Alberto Silvani,
Centre for Innovation and TT, University
of Milan
5. Nicola Barone, Telecom Italia, Roma
6. Silvano Bertini, Direzione Generale Attività
Produttive, Commercio, Turismo, Regione Emilia-Romagna
Other participants:
·
Ciro Becchetti, Alessandra Benni e Sabrina Paolini, Regione Umbria, Direzione Sviluppo
Economico e Attività Produttive, Perugia
·
Gianluigi Benedetti,
Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Department for Public Administration, Rome
·
Giuliana Buongiorno e Massimiliano Bruno, IPI Istituto per la Promozione Industriale,
Rome
·
Filippo Ceragioli, Regione Piemonte, Struttura Competitività e innovazione
·
Cesare Comi, Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico, Roma
·
Fabrizio Costa, Commissione Attività Produttive della Conferenza dei Presidenti delle Regioni
e Province Autonome e Regione Marche, Ancona
·
Marco Crabu, ABI - Associazione Bancaria Italiana, Ufficio Interventi Pubblici per
le Imprese, Roma
·
Mario Cucchi, Finlombarda
S.p.A., Milano
·
Amleto D’Agostino,
Regional Network on industrial biotechnologies BioTekNet, Napoli
·
Paolo Frosini, Direzione Generale dello Sviluppo Economico, Regione Toscana, Firenze
·
Francesco Gagliardi, ADITE - Associazione dei Distretti Tecnologici, Roma
·
Joseph LaCrosse e Kimberly Stergulz Scientific
Affairs, US Embassy, Roma
·
Agust Mainar e Franco Scaramuzzi, Ambasciata di Spagna in Italia, Rome
·
Gaetano Manfredi, Presidency
of the Council of Ministers, Department for Public Administration, Rome
·
Pietro Marcolini, Assessore al Bilancio, Regione Marche, Ancona
·
Dario Moncalvo, Finpiemonte Spa / Polytechnic of Turin , Torino
·
Annalisa Perusin e Lidya Alessio-Vernì, Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia,
Trieste
·
Giuseppe Taddei, Confederazione Italiana Dirigenti d’Azienda e Alte Professionalità e
CNEL, Roma
Logistics and administrative issues:
Dr. Giuseppe Vullo
Tel: +39 06 7259 5736
GSM : +39 339 437 294 2
Fax : +39-06-2020500
E-mail: giuseppe_vullo@yahoo.it
Scientific Programme:
Prof. Riccardo Cappellin
Tel: +39 06 7259 5736
GSM : +39 347 244 943 7
E-mail: cappellin@economia.uniroma2.it
Additional information and
registration form
www.economia.uniroma2.it/dei/ikinet/
AIMS AND THEMES OF THE
POLICY FORUM OF THE IKINET PROJECT
by Riccardo
Cappellin, Department of Economics and Institutions, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”
18th June 2007
1. The context and the
challenges
The internationalization of markets and of
production processes indicates that innovation and new knowledge are the key
factors of competitiveness for European firms and regions, leading to economic
and employment growth and also to international division of labour,
agglomeration and exclusion phenomena.
In the model of the open innovation, innovation
is the result of the interaction of different actors and of the combination of
different competences and, as Adam Smith wrote, the most important form of
division of labour is the division of knowledge. In fact, innovation is not the
result of the individual inventor or entrepreneur, but rather the result of a processes
of collective learning, which requires the interaction of many different
private and public, regional and international actors.
A modern knowledge economy needs a cohesive
view on the innovation system as a whole. A trustful and flexible co-operation between the
different actors of innovation is especially possible at the regional level,
due to the close spatial relationship, that facilitates the generation of
innovative projects. However, clusters do not align with state-, county or
other administrative borders, as network of complementary actors in the same production
field may include various regions.
The Italian economy is characterized by the
existence of clusters of small and mediums size firms working in intermediate
technology sectors, where tight vertical and horizontal linkages integrate the
various firms and the level of trust and formal cooperation is high. However,
similarly to most other European regions, a greater focus on innovation is
needed and an explicit joint innovation strategy is still lacking. In
particular, a structural weakness of most
European economies is the comparatively low-level of formal networking
between the research institutions and the industry sector, since cooperation mainly
takes place on an informal basis through personal contacts and hiring of
graduates.
In particular, the sudden crisis or also the sudden recovery of
individual industrial firms indicates the importance of the time dimension as a
key competitive factor of the European industry. Innovation policies should timely react to
unexpected changes, such as the sudden closure of some large firms requiring
the fast reconversion of human and financial resources into new productions.
Thus, the governance of
innovation and knowledge networks should focus on the flexibility of the individual firms and on transaction and adjustment costs, which
affect the speed of adopting new projects. Innovation policies should
promote innovation networks, which lead to reach critical thresholds, decrease
the time to market and also insure the continuity of the innovation effort.
A complex interaction
is needed between regional and national or European innovation policies since
various new sectors (aerospace, environment, energy, finance, mayor
international infrastructures, etc.) requires an higher national or European
coordination. On the other hand, the network approach has promoted the discovery
of the spatial dimension of innovation policies and has lead to adopt policy
schemes, which focus on the regional clusters and are highly similar in the
various countries, while having different names, such as national networks of clusters,
poles de competitivitè, competence
centres, centres of expertise.
2. Cluster policy in Europe
The challenge of an increasing
international competitition call for a new industrial policy supporting projects realized within
large national thematic networks and building on existing discernible strengths and innovative capacities
of the various regions.
The idea of the cluster policies and operative programs in various European
countries is based on the following characteristics of innovation clusters:
· clusters are part of a national or
regional network created on the base of a national or regional public programme
and of a competitive mechanism of selection of the various proposals,
· have a regional focus but act on an
international scale,
· concentrate on a specific thematic area,
· are capable of generating innovations with
a particularly high value-added potential,
· cover many links in the value chain and
incorporate multiple sectors of industry and scientific disciplines,
· establish an outstanding
communication and co-operation platform by promoting public private
partnership, developing existing networks and making them accessible to all
actors in the sector, in close cooperation with universities and research, educational
and vocational centres,
· aim to implement a common strategy
of economic development for the territory of the cluster,
· represent a structured and
operational mode of governance and a soft infrastructure that aim to develop synergies
around some collective innovation projects jointly oriented toward one or more
given markets,
· allow to reach a critical mass in order to
develop international visibility in the industrial and/or technological
perspective and to increase the attractiveness with respect to international
competitors.
Examples of
national programmes on clusters policy/competence centres/ poles de
competitivitè/centres of expertise are the following:
France: http://www.competitivite.gouv.fr/
Finland: http://www.oske.net/in_english/programme/objectives/; http://www.tekes.fi/eng/
Austria: www.ffg.at, http://www.ffg.at/content.php?cid=341
Due to these characteristics, the “Centres of Competence” are different
from “Centres of Excellence”, which aim to
raise the quality in research and to improve its international competitiveness,
visibility and esteem. Centres of Competence may instead contribute to the information
base required for cultural and social development and also for a national
industrial and innovation system.
3. The IKINET project
The IKINET project aims to identify the key
barriers to an efficient operation of knowledge creation and innovation networks
not only within regional clusters but also at the interregional and
international level within Europe, with particular reference to the
relationships between the most developed regions and the less favoured regions
in South Europe and in the EU candidate
countries.
The IKINET project has focused its analysis on the process of innovation in medium tech
sectors which represent the largest share in the European industry and have different
characteristics than high tech sectors. Technology in these sectors is
characterized by an high complexity, as products are made by an high number of
heterogeneous physical components requiring specific knowledge.
The IKINET project aims to propose policy
options and specific technology transfer measures, which may enhance the integration
within the “European Research/Knowledge Area” not only of higher education and
research institutions but also of small and medium sized firms (SMEs)
specialised in traditional sectors through stable and flexible networks,
enhancing their Europe-wide competitiveness. It also aims to an extension to
existing policy schemes, which usually focus on very advanced technologies with
high growth potential, but also with limited employment impact.
Eight contractors are involved in the IKINET
project: Università di Roma "Tor
Vergata" (coordinator), University of Wales Cardiff,
Ruhr-Forschungsinstitut für Innovations- und Strukturpolitik – Bochum, Instytut
Badań Systemowych – Polska Akademia Nauk – Warszawa, Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft – Graz,
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique – Paris, Universidad
Autonoma de Madrid, Applica sprl – Bruxelles.
The following
seven sectoral clusters have been chosen for the empirical analysis:
·
Campania region
(IT): Aeronautic cluster
· Wales region (UK):
Aeronautic cluster
· Hamburg region (DE): Aeronautic cluster
· Slaskie region (PL): Mining
Machinery cluster
·
Steiermark
region(AT): Automotive cluster
·
Ile de France region (FR): Optics cluster
· Madrid region
(ES): Aeronautic cluster
The project has analysed various theoretical
issues, which are related to the creation and development of knowledge networks, such as the
historical emergence of clusters and milieus, the contrasting approach to
innovation by large
firms and small firms, the
role of tacit knowledge in the process of knowledge creation and of
innovation within SMEs, the spatial
character of the cognitive processes, the role of geographical
agglomerations and the development of local networks, the different types
of geographical and relational
proximities, the concept of temporary
geographical proximity, the management of the knowledge value chain in clusters of medium-technology
SMEs, the role of social capital in virtual production lines, the creation of international knowledge networks in
medium-tech sectors, the evolutionary-institutional character of
knowledge networks and the governance
of interactive learning networks through the approach of Territorial Knowledge
Management.
Innovation processes in SMEs and in medium
technology sectors, differently from large firms and high tech sectors,
are characterized by a greater importance of informal and interactive learning processes with respect to internal
R&D activities. Innovation has a gradual
character and consists mainly in improvement of existing products, services
and processes. The process of innovation in medium tech sectors is driven by an
intensive interaction between the
suppliers and the customers, due to the high
specificity of the need of the
customers and the fact that products in the medium-tech sectors are made by many specific components. The fragmentation of the production process
and the high specialization of the
firms explains their small size and
leads to a very strong interaction with the external local environment, made by an high diversity of private
and public, local and non local actors.
The sharing of information and the development
of various forms of interaction between SMEs lead to a process of interactive
learning and the gradual development of “tacit” knowledge. While codified knowledge could be interpreted as a stock or a resource,
which can be transferred in the markets, tacit knowledge is linked to action
and it can be interpreted a complex set
of capabilities, which are localized or idiosyncratic and cannot easily be
transferred. In particular, tacit knowledge refers to competencies which explain both the production capabilities of the firm as also the relational capabilities, which facilitate the tight integration of a firm with other firms.
SMEs differently from large firms should not be considered individually,
but represent a regional complex system,
where the turnover, due to births and closures, the changes in the selection of
partners are strong and there is an high interaction, due to the grouping of
the various SMEs within larger industrial groups and to the existence of rather
stable subcontracting arrangements between the various firms. Clusters do not correspond to the
traditional local production systems or industrial districts and may have a
rather different and evolving nature in the various regions. Clusters of SMEs
often can not be defined within a limited local area and have a regional or
even interregional reach, as the spread over contiguous regions separated by a
rather long distance.
Since interactive
learning is the key process in knowledge creation and the
access to tacit knowledge is crucial in SMEs and medium-tech sectors, networks are an
appropriate form of organization, which facilitates the interaction
and the flows of information and knowledge. Within networks nodes and links are
constrained by the existence of spatial distance. Networks may have different
characteristics. In particular, clusters should evolve toward the form of ‘Strategy networks’, which
are based on intended relationships and cooperative agreements between firms
and other organisations. They imply forms of central coordination, the creation
of procedures for the exchange of information, the codification of individual
tacit knowledge and the investment in the creation of collective codified
knowledge.
The multiplication of players and layers
of negotiation – international, national, and local – demands a different model
of government, called “multilevel
governance”, based on organisational structures of interaction and
partnership. In particular, Research, Technology, Development and Innovation
Policy (RTDI) is a field of concurrent legislation between various levels of
government, and tighter vertical cooperation
should complement an increasing specialization according
to the subsidiarity principle.
The linkages between SMEs in the process of
interactive learning within a cluster are often informal, rather chaotic and
time-consuming. The IKINET project has developed an original methodology called
“Territorial Knowledge Management”,
which provides a innovative and comprehensive and operative approach in
promoting innovation in regional networks. Territorial Knowledge Management aims
to consolidate the linkages between regional actors and to facilitate the flows
of tacit and codified knowledge, by enhancing six factors: stimulus to innovation, accessibility, receptivity,
local identity, creativity and governance capabilities. This approach is highly
flexible and can be adapted to the various European clusters.
A rather diversified typology of institutions play a leading role in defining a long
term strategy of innovation of SMEs within the different regions. Institutions
and other forms of “social capital” play
the role of immaterial infrastructures which organize the knowledge flows
between SMEs within the clusters. Institutional solutions to overcome lack of
resources by SMEs are regionally specific and influenced by long-term
historical and cultural heritage within the region.
Medium size firms have developed vertical flows
of tacit knowledge in their respective supply chain, but they need to be
supported in order to develop horizontal
linkages between different technologies and sectors, by participating to
regional “centres of competence”
focused on new fields of production,
which may be related to traditional specializations in the various regions,
with the participation of firms and research institutions having complementary
competencies. Productive diversification
is not only beneficial for small and medium firms but it can also be very
positive for the large firm since it can rely on collaborating partners in more
than a single sector, but always within the industry.
Regional, national and European institutions
are required in order to promote international
forms of cooperation between SMEs, both at the regional and national level.
In fact, the development of international relations requires a more stable framework, than the
market mechanisms or even multinational companies and private forms of
bottom-up international cooperation may be capable to provide. The creation of European networks of “centres of
competence” may look as a promising solution to the above obstacles.
The international
extension of knowledge networks of SMEs call for the identification of
common objectives and projects with external partners, while maintaining a strong local identity. It is necessary
to find ways in order to combine regional public assistance with firm collaboration in projects that go beyond
their own territory.
4. The programme of
the conference
The
conference aims to discuss key issues for the further development of the model
of “competence centers” as a
strategic tool in innovation policy and to identify
the best practices at the
European level.
Participants will be representative of competence centers and of national
industrial policies in various European countries, such as Austria, Finland,
France, Germany, Poland,
Spain, UK and Italy. The conference will be
organized according to the format of an expert panel discussion with a limited
number of active participants (20-30), aiming to define a policy consensus view
on the topic.
In particular, the conference aims to develop an
innovative approach extending the model of the “competence centres” from the
case of key technologies to the case of medium tech technologies sectors, which
represent the largest share in European industry, and to integrate the support
of R&D investments with other
measures enhancing innovation.
The following issues and factors of success of
the competence centres will be debated at the conference:
1. Promote international
accessibility and cooperation
· how to promote the openness of the centres and develop European networks of competence centers and their specialization and cooperation with other regions at the international level, aiming to
extend the regional and national reach of the existing competence centers and
the attractiveness to foreign investments, which may enlarge the areas of expertise and
strengthen the knowledgebase of existing clusters,
· what might be prior directions
of international cooperation and which instruments are useful for cooperation
with premium regions (US, Asia etc.), which are more suitable for lagging
regions and outsourcing strategies,
· how can the diversity of competence
centres be integrated into EU programs.
2. Promote creativity and
the launch of new projects
· how to combine in a specific cluster or
competence centre different strong areas of expertise in the region, achieve flexibility
between different technological paradigms, promote structural changes in value chain and sectoral diversification of its economy
and expedite
the creation and commercialisation of new business activities through the launching of many specific
projects,
· how to promote in SMEs, working in
medium-tech productions, product and process innovation and new ideas for
activities and to enhance the creation of new companies, in order to avoid lock-in effects of existing networks
in traditional productions and to form new value
networks both within and between fields of expertise,
· shift from a linear approach,
which just promotes transfers
of information and modern technology or provides customized expertise, to a
systemic approach based on networking and cooperation, which focuses on
projects of product development, aiming to promote
new business activities and to adopt innovative operational business models,
where experientialism, exploration, feedback, self-assessment of new ideas and
future individual and societal needs are essential factors of content and
success and require the combination of different technological and also
non technological fields of expertise and the connections between various local
and external actors,
· how to promote co-operation between
industry, universities and research organizations, participating in specific projects
of product development,
rather than just on the ensuring the availability of skilled labour.
· what are the necessary
qualifications of managers in competence centres and how can these needs be
adjusted towards different functions of the centres,
3. Promote an
effective governance of cluster development
· identify the institutions of
governance, the specific national legal initiatives and the different aims of
the various national programmes for the creation of competence centres in the
EU countries,
· identify the complementarity between
regional and national
initiatives and how to promote managerial and administrative decentralization
in the identification, planning and realization of the projects, as also the creation of regional networks and open discussions between private entrepreneurs, SMEs and
institutions of higher education, training organisations and support service
providers evenly geographically distributed,
· identify how centres of competences can affect
the competition and how to
promote competitive mechanisms and illustrate the eligibility, the processes and the criteria of selection
of competence centres as also the approaches in the evaluation of the
individual projects proposals and the forms of structured assessment of
achievements,
· define the instruments
to be used to measure the performance of centres and identify the differences
in organizations needed for different types of regions
· identify the size and types of basic national funding of competence centres, the
funding of the clusters’ national co-ordination, the funding shares of public or private organizations, the
participation of credit institutions and other financial intermediaries,
partial sponsorship and seed funding for specific
projects and to guarantee the sustainability of the competence centres
for a longer time period.
