《《Regional innovation strategies》.pdf

OECD Innovation Policy Platform /innovation/policyplatform Regional innovation strategies Regional innovation strategies are systematic, goal-oriented exercises carried out by regional partnerships with the aim to define or revise regional innovation policies Target and purpose Regional-level authorities are increasingly involved in designing their own strategies to support and enhance innovative local dynamics and improve the performance of their regional innovation systems. National governments are also seeking to strengthen the national innovation system through these regional systems. Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS) refer to the process for conducting these goal-oriented exercises in specific regional environments. A well-documented fact about regions and innovation is the OECD-wide diversity in regional innovation systems. Many typologies have been developed to characterise this diversity, based on qualitative assessments and on the use of a battery of quantitative indicators. The implication of this diversity is that there is no one-size-fits-all policy that can be applied to any region. Rather, policies need to be adjusted to specificities of the industrial fabric, innovation culture, political system, and the degree of autonomy held by regional authorities. Some regions may be stronger in knowledge generation, others in knowledge exploitation. RIS aim to identify these specificities and fine-tune the support system accordingly. The system assessment leads towards the definition of strategic priorities, their translation into specific operational goals, and a monitoring and evaluation system is there to ensure continuous adjustment and effectiveness of the policies. Regional actors targeted by the RIS cover the whole range of stakeholders involved in innovat