Brussels, 14/01/2014 (Agence Europe) - MEPs are attempting to put down markers to ensure that “the right horse is backed” in smart specialisation, strategies focussed on the innovation crucially needed for obtaining research subsidies provided under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). On Tuesday 14 January, they votes by 578 votes to 23, with 9 abstentions, to adopt the report by Hermann Winkler (EPP, Germany) which provides details on how to tackle this issue most effectively.
Smart specialisation was introduced following reforms to cohesion policy during the 2014-2020 commercial programming period. It aims to better target resources, so that every single euro brings results.
During the debate before the vote, the rapporteur stated that the EU cannot prescribe the kind of innovation on which the regions should conentrate, but rather help them become more innovative. This point of view echoes that of the European Commission, the commissioner for the environment, Janez Potocnik, having indicated that innovation was something that had to be cultivated and could not be dictated. He stated that “research and innovation strategies for smart specialisation provide for a new economic rationale for public-private partnerships and operationalising. This should be a game-changer based on a new culture of cooperation and governance - what we call an entrepreneurial discovery process”.
In his report, Winkler stressed that member states had to develop smart specialisation strategies more quickly. He also said that the regions should not hesitate about incorporating different sectors in their strategies and taking into consideration both “high-tech” and “low-tech”, which did not depend on technology.
In this report, MEPs encourage the regions to focus on their own specific characteristics and potential for establishing the strategies, taking advice from stakeholders, such as government and SMEs. They also suggest that cooperation networks between regions should be strengthened and synergies created between other support programmes (COSME and Horizon 2020). The European Institute of Innovation and Technology and other regional innovation centres can also play an important role in facilitating the transfer of skills sets. (MD/transl.fl)