Policy mixes fostering regional capacity in low carbon economy in peripheral European regions

This study provides evidence on the application of a regional policy model through a portfolio of actions to support entrepreneurship and development of professional competences. For doing so, we analyse the capacity building process delivered through the EIT RIS Climate-KIC programme in the context of peripheral European regions. In the context of the EIT RIS those are defined as the ones showing innovation performance below the EU average according to the European Innovation Scoreboard.

Emphasis is put on the alignment of multiple stakeholders with existing regional innovation plans such as Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) by which policy mixes emerge with the purpose of reinforcing synergies and complementarities between EU, national, regional innovation initiatives while developing and activating large-scale “green” projects. The study addresses then the performance of the peripheral regions to improve the knowledge triangle integration. We argue that a variety of mechanisms for public-private collaboration is required to effectively support technological as well as practice-base innovation.

The case of European peripheral regions is a concrete example of the application of policy mixes by considering a variety of regional settings in terms of industrial history and governance configurations. The empirical study is based on the comparative analysis of the results of a portfolio of activities as well complementary interviews to regional policy officers. Results show that the successful alignment between regional priorities and low-carbon economy projects can be explained by how clear is the understanding of horizontal relations between stakeholders to define the long term direction of regional innovation.

Results has been already presented in the following conferences

RSA Annual Conference 2017 “the Great Regional Awakening: New Directions“, 4^th-7^thJune 2017 ,Dublin, Ireland

Abstract book

12th CONFERENCE REGIONAL INNOVATION POLICIES (RIP 2017), 26-27 October 2017, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Final programme

European Week of Region and Cities – Master Class 2017

Final programme

Research Team: Cristian Matti, Julia Panny, Irene Vivas Lalinde and Balnca Juan Agulló

May 26, 2018 0

Innovation platforms enabling cross-regional collaboration in low-carbon economy

The interdependent challenges of climate change need innovation in systems of practice and provision, not single innovation in products and processes. In this context, cities face the challenge of dealing with climate risks and impacts, while moving to more sustainable, zero-carbon and resilient pathways. This is a major opportunity for a new, sustainable market to combine existing knowledge and economies of scale that exist within urban environments to produce new systemic solutions. However, there are considerable differences in progress between the leading cities (mostly in Northern/Western Europe) and the one’s lagging behind. Intra-EU disparity claims for the existence of platforms that follow a systemic approach instead of “picking the winner”. The structures which allow for the coordination of a variety of actors by combining individual goals and capacities with shared purposes, norms and expectations, refers to innovation platforms.

This study addresses the role of innovation platforms as catalysers of existing (or new) innovation systems in the field of sustainable urban transitions to explore market opportunities. Empirically, emphasis is put in the analysis of the underlying factors of geographical structural differences and what are the patterns of relations between knowledge spaces and governance configurations. For doing so, we analyse the portfolio of projects and activities of the EIT Climate-KIC. This study aims to contribute to a better understanding on innovation platforms as a mechanism to accelerate innovation in the urban environment that can contribute to enhance collaboration to achieve more equally distributed progress across all Europe.

First results of this study are based in the activities implemented in the EIT RIS programme covering peripheral EU regions. Results has been already presented in the following conferences:

4^thGeography of Innovation Conference, Barcelona , January 31^st– February 2^nd, 2018

Conference program

UN/WASD International Conference on Public private partnership for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10-13 April 2018, Geneva

Conference presentation

Research project team: Cristian Matti, Irene Vivas Lalinde, Julia Panny and Balnca Juan Agulló

May 26, 2018 0

Visual toolbox for system innovation

The Visual toolbox for system innovation” is a booklet-format collection of ready-to-implement tools to structure and manage the challenges and exploit opportunities of sustainability innovations and transitions.

The tools are presented in a simple and visual approach to support practitioners’ everyday work on climate change, transition and system innovation.

Download the Visual toolbox here

De Vicente Lopez, Javier and Matti, Cristian (2016). Visual toolbox for system innovation. A resource book for practitioners to map, analyse and facilitate sustainability transitions. Transition Hub Series. EIT Climate KIC, Brussels 2016. ISBN 978-2-9601874-1-0

July 30, 2016 1

The Paris Statement on Learning for an Inclusive Green Economy

As part of post COP21, a series of initiatives are launched to explore collaboration in different areas and at different level of actions. The “THE PARIS SUMMARY STATEMENT ON LEARNING FOR AN INCLUSIVE GREEN ECONOMY” is an initiative aimed to provide a set of guiding principles to support learning strategies and delivery mechanism as a reference framework for decision makers, learning institutions and professionals to refer to and apply in their work, covering multiple areas regarding de definition, design and implementation of action in Inclusive Green Economy Learning.

I was invited to take part in the launching event of this initiative and facilitate the participation of Climate KIC in this big network of institutions that support the debate on the need of Inclusive Green Economy and Learning toward creation of bridges in the research-policy-practice continuum. The initiative promotes interdisciplinary, multi-sectoral and multi-level approaches to empower individuals, communities and societies toward achievement of the regional and national strategies related to low-carbon economy.

February 9, 2016 0

The launch event “Opening the development agenda,” the STEPS center – Sustainable Alternatives for Latin America, was held on 5 and 6 November in Buenos Aires. STEPS Latin America is part of a network of universities based China, USA, Kenya, India, the UK and Sweden. STEPS Latin America seeks to renew and open innovation agenda and sustainability of the region, based on the idea that there are different paths to development. During the two-day panel on Open Science, Innovation inclusive, horizontal innovations for sustainability and natural resources and development which will have important guests were made internationally. My participation in this event was to design and facilitation of participatory workshops with the aim of thinking policies to promote open knowledge production and think a new research agenda on innovation and sustainable development for the region.

The workshop Policies to open the generation of knowledge was based in participatory techniques aimed to allow jointly identification of a number of items such as tools, methodologies and priorities related to S & T policy. Brainstorming techniques and World Cafe are used to enhance the diversity of perspectives and facilitate the exchange of ideas between different actors. The outcome of this workshop will be digitized and shared with participants to encourage collaboration in different areas.

The workshop Research agenda for sustainable development was based in participatory techniques for making maps on areas of knowledge and research priorities through a prospective approach. By visualizing a future scenario, the exercise seeks to help participants to relate different elements at different levels and over time in order to facilitate change processes at the system level. The outcome of this workshop will be digitized and shared with participants to encourage collaboration in different areas.

The event was part of the new line of collaboration between Transition Hub – Climate KIC and the STEPs center. Further actions are related with the co-development of learning materials and exploring research opportunities in the area of resilient and smart agricultural systems

See full agenda of the event here & summary of event in STEP website

November 20, 2015 0