creative-wall

1

Framework Programme CREATIVE WALLONIA

framework programme with a view to placing

creativity and innovation at the heart of the

economy and society of wallonia

02 / mechanism37

01 / rationale17

summary

preface7

10

I.1 Encourage the educational offering for

future economic stakeholders centred on

creativity and innovation

I.2 Favour the stimulation of creativity from a very young age/

throughout the entire compulsory and continuing education and

training process/in teacher training practices I.3 Complementary measures designed to

favour the emergence and development of a creative society in Wallonia

II.1 Create a Centre for

Trend Analysis

II.2 Encourage collaborative

innovation and networking

II.3 Deve

lop innova

tion in

companies

II.4

Rei

nfor

ce th

e po

tent

ial

for i

nter

natio

nal c

oope

ratio

n

base

d on

inno

vatio

n II.

5 D

istin

guis

h in

nova

tive

best

pr

actic

es

III.1 Favour the marketing of new

products/services/processes

III.2 Financially support in

novative

production

III.3

Compl

emen

tary

mea

sure

s

AXE I : Promote a society of creativity38

AXE II : Nurture innovative practices52

AXE III : Support innovative production 66

creative wallonia

synopsis 4 preface 7 summary 10 01 / rationale 17 1 Positioning Wallonia within a global, open and malleable economy 18 2 Innovation is the driving force for the new economy 22 3 Creativity is the driving force for ongoing innovation 24 4 Wallonia, an innovative region 26 5 Integrated mechanism, lever effect 30

02 / mechanism 37 AXE I : Promote a society of creativity 38 AXE II : Nurture innovative practices 52 AXE III : Support innovative production 66

6

7

Preface

Two years ago, I asked about thirty leading

experts from a variety of backgrounds –

economic, social, cultural, associative, and

academic – to study the sustainable revita-

lisation of Wallonia.

The Zénobe Commission was given

free rein to explore new paths and make

concrete proposals. It identified three

cross-cutting priorities:

1. the adaptation of teaching and cultural

policies, content and tools to meet the rea-

lities of the Walloon situation;

2. the facilitation of young people’s appro-

priation of their Walloon identity;

3. greater internationalisation of educatio-

nal practices as well as the more dynamic

promotion of the culture of innovation.

It was in this spirit, and following on from

the Marshall Plan and its Green version

2.Vert, that I wanted to build the CREA-

TIVE WALLONIA programme, which aims

to encourage the greatest number of our

citizens to become involved in an innova-

tive dynamic based on the observation of

trends, access by SMEs to the ideas mar-

framework programme Creative Wallonia

8 ket, and the mobilisation of new financial

resources.

The CREATIVE WALLONIA programme is

essential for everything involving the eco-

nomic success of Wallonia which, unfailin-

gly, involves creativity and innovation.

It is the most appropriate response in the

context of an open and constantly chan-

ging global economy.

We must now realise two things. The first

is that, today, globalisation should no

longer be seen solely in its geographic

dimension,but through its truly temporal

nature because it is nothing less than ins-

tant access.

The second is that we now know that inno-

vation is not so much invention or disco-

very, as the transformation of opportunities

into new ideas and the exploitation of the

opportunities offered by change.

In a context where markets are constantly

being renewed, where new players are ap-

pearing all the time, and where companies

are now required to regenerate themselves

continually, the region appears to be the

ideal territorial unit for meeting the chal-

lenge of innovation.

Jean-Claude Marcourt

Vice-président des Gouvernements de la Wallonie et de la Communauté Wallonie-

Bruxelles, Ministre de l’économie, de l’Enseignement supérieur, du Commerce

extérieur, des PME et des Technologies nouvelles.

9

The CREATIVE WALLONIA programme is essential for everything involving the economic success of Wallonia which, unfailingly, involves creativity and innovation.

10

AXE I : Promote a society of creativity

AXE II : Nurture innovative practices

AXE III : Support innovative production

I.1 Encourage the educational offering for future economic

stakeholders centred on creativity and innovation

I.2 Favour the stimulation of creativity from a very young age/throughout

the entire compulsory and continuing education and training process/in

teacher training practices

I.3 Complementary measures designed to favour the

emergence and development of a creative society in Wallonia

II.1 Create a Centre for Trend Analysis

II.2 Encourage collaborative innovation and networking

II.3 Develop innovation in companies

II.4 Reinforce the potential for international cooperation based on innovation

II.5 Distinguish innovative best practices

III.1 Favour the marketing of new products/services/

processes

III.2 Financially support innovative production

III.3 Complementary measures

11

Summary

With the Contrats d’Avenir (Future

Contracts) and the Marshall Plans, Wallo-

nia has embarked on an offensive strategy

designed to restructure, strengthen and

modernise its economic fabric. The ob-

jective over the past ten years has mainly

been to encourage networking in order to

consolidate the most promising sectors.

This approach appears to have paid off:

several studies and independent indica-

tors show Wallonia’s excellent results, es-

pecially in the field of foreign investment

and export.

Therefore, the aim is to go even further

in the same direction and overcome an

additional step in the transformation of

Walloon’s industry in order to continue to

face the challenges of a global and digital

economy whose only constant is ongoing

change.

That is the ambition of CREATIVE WALLO-

NIA: a Framework programme which pla-

ces creativity and innovation at the heart

of the Walloon project, even going so far

as to make it its trademark.

Today, the European Commission pla-

ces Wallonia in 69th position among the

most innovative Regions in Europe (out of

204) and, according to the same criteria,

framework programme Creative Wallonia

12 in second position among the European

Regions with an industrial tradition. These

respectable results are a sign of the dyna-

mism of our companies, the quality of our

academic and scientific resources, the

know-how of our workers and the various

initiatives adopted in recent years. Never-

theless, it is fair to assume that proactive

and systematic action in this field could

help maintain and increase this favourable

trend.

That is why CREATIVE WALLONIA will

implement a coherent set of measures

based on a common philosophy:

• A vision of innovation which is not limi-

ted only to discovery or invention: innova-

ting means modifying several elements of

an existing reference, as much in terms of

the product or the service itself as in terms

of its production, design and marketing,

etc. We can no longer consider a simple

increase in R&D investment to be enough

to make us innovative. Without an attitude

focused on systemic change, all traditio-

nal efforts will be in vain.

• A policy of innovation based on all of

society – on a creative society. If innova-

tion is the ability to transform what is real,

creativity is the ability to transform one’s

perception of what is real. In the modern

world, it is not possible to dissociate com-

panies from their regulatory, social and

cultural context. That is why we must all

progress together. Wallonia has many as-

sets in this respect: it is a relatively com-

pact region, it has operational institutions,

real cultural diversity and many indus-

trial spearheads in several cutting-edge

fields.

• A wish to proceed by leverage effect in

order to convince rather than impose.

13The mechanism implemented through

CREATIVE WALLONIA is based on three

areas:

1. The promotion of the society of crea-tivity

The development of a creative society is

not possible without strong action in the

field of education. Therefore, the first

measure involves training for future ma-

nagers, aiming to make it less compart-

mentalised and more multidisciplinary,

international and practical. More widely,

openness to creativity should be imple-

mented from the very start of compulsory

education; which leads to the second

measure in this chapter, which targets

teacher training in particular and the

knock-on effect that it is likely to generate.

Beyond the formal education system, ci-

tizens have not been forgotten: creativity

week designed to promote and stimulate

the offering in this field; participative me-

chanisms, support for innovative projects,

etc. Public services will also be encoura-

ged to take this dimension on board; as

will social partners. ICT, today’s main vec-

tor for the innovative economy, will soon

be provided with its own specific global

and comprehensive policy.

2. Developing innovative practices

A certain number of existing practices

deserve to be supported and developed.

Others need to be initiated. Therefore,

the first measure in this section invol-

ves adopting a general tool for capturing

trends on a global level, with the help, in

particular, of the AWEX and WBI networks.

Observations collected will be processed

randomly before being reintegrated into

the economic fabric. Furthermore, the se-

cond package of measures, networking

– already strongly encouraged through

centres and clusters – will be intensified

through the development of new practices

14 (including coworking and support for in-

novators’ clubs). The aim here is to create

conditions which favour the emergence of

genuine innovative ecosystems. The in-

ternationalisation of our stakeholders and

our exchanges represent an additional

method for achieving this, in the hope that,

in the long-term, creativity and innovation

become the two key terms of the Walloon

identity (third measure). Fourth measure:

Walloon SME will have the opportunity to

carry out an audit of their innovation po-

tential thanks to substantial public inter-

vention. Finally, the culture of innovation

will only spread if it is seen that important

stakeholders are making their mark in the

field. Demonstrating this will be the job of

Zénobes, the prize for innovation in Wallo-

nia and the fifth measure in this area.

3. Support for innovative production

Efforts should not be limited simply to

encouraging practices: these need to be

extended to include marketing. That is the

reason for an action designed to support

the transition from the innovative prototy-

pe stage to the marketed product or ser-

vice; as much in the technological sector

and the design sector as in the image sec-

tor – with the creation of Wallimage Cros-

sMedia. Measures will also be taken on a

financial level to optimise existing tools,

guarantee risk-taking by innovative com-

panies as much as possible, and support

them in their development. The financial

dynamic will also consist of encouraging

the development of new means through

the creation of public private partnerships

between Wallonia (via the SRIW) and ma-

jor companies.

15

Framework programme which places creativity and innovation at the heart of the Walloon project

16

01 / rationale 17 1 Positioning Wallonia within a global, open and malleable economy 18 2 Innovation is the driving force for the new economy 22 3 Creativity is the driving force for ongoing innovation 24 4 Wallonia, an innovative region 26 5 Integrated mechanism, lever effect 30

rationale01/

18

1 Positioning Wallonia within a global, open and malleable economy

No economic plan can ignore the deep

changes which have shaped recent deca-

des. The growth of globalisation, the boom

in computing and the Internet revolution,

the reorganisation of geostrategic players,

the constant rise in the market share of

services and the accompanying decline

in industry, and the financialisation of the

economy are all phenomena which are hi-

ghlighted, dissected and commented on

in the majority of analyses and proposals.

Yet, these oratorical precautions are not

always enough to understand the changes

at work.

It is the very foundations of the market eco-

nomy, as defined at the start of last cen-

tury, which are being brought into question,

and this through a systemic shift working

around several simultaneous movements:

• Globalisation – Although the term has

become part of everyday language, its

use, or our understanding of it, is often

fragmented. Often, it only refers to the geo-

graphic aspect, its less recent and least

original manifestation. It has been several

centuries since trade became internationa-

lised on a global scale. Modern methods of

communication – transport techniques first

of all, followed by information and commu-

First part rationale

19nication techniques – have certainly acce-

lerated this dynamic; but the true nature of

spatial change over the past three decades

lies more in the abolition of the guidelines

which govern exchanges. The dominant

north-south flow is diminishing; as is the

distinction between centre and periphery.

Relationships are now being created in all

directions. The world is flat says a popular

expression . And, if that is the case, it is

because the dynamics of globalisation are

temporal. The spread of ICTs, led by the In-

ternet, has reduced the time needed for ex-

changes to the speed of light. The temporal

unity of the global economy is now instant

access. It is no longer origin or prerequisi-

tes that count, only speed. This change in

model has led to a radical and exponential

increase in the volume of exchanges and

stakeholders .

• Openness – In such a context, hierar-

chies have been upset. Opportunities are

no longer systematically or commonly gi-

ven to the best located organisations. On

the contrary, large companies may at any

time be challenged by newcomers ca-

pable of showing themselves to be more

innovative . With the economic landscape

increasingly resembling a sort of volcano

ready to erupt at any moment, large groups

are finding themselves forced to review

their fundamental thinking in order to last

the distance. In today’s world, markets are

being renewed constantly and this Brow-

nian motion is continually opening the

game up to new players.

• Malleability – With continuous change

having become the main principle of the

world in which economic players move, it

is important that it also lies at the heart of

their organisational framework. The most

effective companies are those which adapt

best and most quickly to changes in a mar-

ket. In order to continue to be competent,

they must continually reinvent themselves,

and sometimes join forces – temporarily

20 (via partnership) or in the long-term (via

mergers) – with other entrepreneurial struc-

tures. The flexibility needed for this ongoing

regeneration lies at the opposite end of the

spectrum from the organisational model

based on Fordism and the heyday of the

manufacturing industry. And, although the

reality on the ground is often more subtle

and sometimes requires the coexistence

of two bosses, the aptitude for constant

change has become an essential survival

condition for economic development.

• Acceleration – Change is not only perma-

nent; it is also increasingly fast. As a result,

it no longer is seen as being an exceptio-

nal event in the landscape and actually

becomes the landscape itself. What used

to be rare and took time to be perceived

has become a constant which needs to be

controlled, which should be seen as ‘busi-

ness as usual’!

The new invariables are all powerful trends

which are unlikely to become less impor-

tant in the short or medium-term. On the

contrary, most specialists believe that the-

se new principles, which upset previous ru-

les so much that there is a feeling that they

don’t exist at all, are going to gain ground

over the coming decades.

Seen from Wallonia, this observation begs

three questions:

1. The disruptive logic which governs this

new economic model is constantly offering

new opportunities. How to seize them?

2. In the global society, no economic player

is isolated. Some of our companies (espe-

cially SMEs) are still not sufficiently aware

of this fact. How to help them to open up to

the outside world?

3. In this new model, the main raw material

likely to obtain a competitive advantage is

knowledge and human capital. Our stock

the main raw material likely to obtain a competitive advantage is knowledge and human capital

21is sizeable, but needs to be stimulated and

sometimes given guidance. Which structu-

ral policy will help to encourage the ope-

ning up of disciplines and creativity and

encourage an entrepreneurial spirit?

22

2 Innovation is the driving force for the new economy

In this constantly changing landscape, the

key to success lies in the ability to inno-

vate, meaning to renew (oneself) in order to

stand out from the competition.

Contrary to common thinking, innovation is

not synonymous with invention, discovery

or ‘new ideas’. Edison said that “innovation

does not only consist of formulating good

ideas: above all, it is a process which helps

to develop them in order to put them into

practice”.

We will retain two symmetrical definitions

which are recognised as references on the

subject:

• Innovation is the process which helps to

turn an opportunity into new ideas and put

them into practice (Joe TIDD – John BES-

SANT). In other words: innovation is the

successful exploitation of new opportuni-

ties (George COX).

• Innovation is the means through which

‘entrepreneurs’ use change as an opportu-

nity to create different activities and servi-

ces (Peter DRUCKER).

These formulations break with an approach

which confines innovative potential to R&D.

Without doubting the need to maintain the

effort to promote R&D, no automatic link

First part rationale

23may be made between its being strengthe-

ned and the competitive profile of our com-

panies . What is more important is the way

in which human and intellectual resources

are effectively mobilised, developed and

deployed. In this sense, innovation is not

a momentum, or the result of research,

but the product of an operational strategy

which involves several sequences and

many aspects (technology, design, pro-

duction methods, marketing, distribution

system, etc.).

In concrete terms, and although there is

not “a best way to coordinate innovation”

(Tidd & al.), experts believe that innovative

processes comprise four main phases:

1.Detecting opportunities (capturing trends)

2. Identifying the most promising openings

(matching resources to opportunities)

3. Acquiring new resources and skills (in-

novative environment, partnerships, R&D,

technology transfers, etc.)

4. Developing creative combinations for

the implementation of resources (product/

service, production/organisation, promo-

tion/marketing procedures).

24

3 Creativity is the driving force for ongoing innovation

The surest way to develop a sustainable

economic logic in accordance with the

demand for ongoing innovation involves

including it within a creative model, in other

terms, encouraging the development of a

creative society.

For Luc De Brabandère, the relationship

between innovation and creativity is as

follows: whereas innovation is the capa-

city to change things, to make things pro-

gress and, therefore, to transform what is

real, creativity is the capacity to transform

one’s perception of what is real . Therefore,

this is what needs to lie at the heart of an

approach which aims to tackle systemic

change head on. According to him, on the

scale of a company or a region, it will help

to build a new perception rather than ha-

ving it imposed, to initiate change rather

than being subjected to it .

Therefore, a creative context is a condition

which favours the emergence and deploy-

ment of an ongoing innovation strategy.

This is an observation which also highlights

the work of Richard Florida on the creative

class . This work emphasises the importan-

ce of bringing together, within given territo-

rial units (for example a city), a regulatory

homogeneity, an effective technological

facility and a diversity of talent – which

First part rationale

25implies strong social and cultural hetero-

geneity and a high level of tolerance. The-

refore, it is not enough to support research

or finance innovative companies, it is ne-

cessary to have the ambition to encourage

creativity within the entire city.

Such a policy to promote the creative so-

ciety involves, in particular:

• the systematic encouragement of the

spread of knowledge, including ways of

doing and ways of acting; and this on a for-

mal and informal level;

• the opening up of traditional disciplinary

schools;

• the promotion of collaborative and col-

lective intelligence approaches in order to

encourage the emergence of innovative

ecosystems;

• the development of a suitable system for

capturing trends.

it is necessary to have the ambition to encourage creativity within the entire city

26 First part rationale

The critical size needed to accept the

challenge of innovation lies in the ability to

develop a coherent creative and entrepre-

neurial platform. Consequently, relatively

limited units - such as regions or towns –

often prevail over large state bodies which

used to dominate the industrial economy.

Therefore, in principle, Wallonia is a terri-

torial unit suited to meeting the challenge

of innovation.

It is a hypothesis which is supported by

facts: although it does not yet have a pro-

per global and comprehensive policy based

on innovation, Wallonia does occupy an

enviable position in Europe in the field:

• It occupies a position between the first

and second thirds of the most effective

regions in the field of innovation, in the

widest sense of the term, lying in 69th po-

sition (out of 201) in the official scoreboard

drawn up by the European Commission;

which places it in the “Medium-High Inno-

vators” group .

The same study puts Wallonia in second

place among the most innovative tradi-

tional industrial regions (RETI) behind the

Basque Country, but ahead of Yorkshire,

Catalonia, Scotland, Saarland, Lorraine,

Nord-Pas-de-Calais and the Asturias .

4 Wallonia, an innovative region

27These performances are not a question of

chance. If, in the collective memory, the

image remains of a Wallonia damaged by

the major industrial changes of the second

half of the 20th century, this dimension is

gradually being replaced by the more dis-

tant past and the present. The innovative

tradition of Wallonia is not a recent event: it

culminated at the turn of the 19th and 20th

century thanks to technological production

considered to be among the most effective

in the world. In terms of the present, each

day it demonstrates even more the resi-

lience shown by the region following the

economic crises of the 1960s and 1970s.

The most recent independent quantified

indicators highlight the reversal in the de-

clining trend and confirm a new phase of

development characterised by a steady

increase in exports and the high-level of

interest shown by foreign investment .

This recovery dynamic really got under way

at the end of the 1990s. In terms of innova-

tion, the first significant initiative aiming to

reposition the regional economy in view of

the ever new realities of a changing world

concerned the implementation in 1997-98

of the Prométhée programme coordinated

in cooperation with the European Commis-

sion . At the same time, Wallonia adopted

a strategic vision on a regional level with

the Contrat d’Avenir pour la Wallonie . After

2005, it implemented an ambitious eco-

nomic development plan – the Plan Mars-

hall – designed to encourage the creation

of activities and jobs by means of seven

powerful levers: the creation of competiti-

veness clusters, the stimulation of business

creation, the taxation system, research and

development, good governance and sus-

tainable development.

Continuing on from these initiatives, the

Regional Policy Declaration (DPR) of 16

July 2009 aimed to reinforce this dynamic

with the Plan Marshall 2.Vert (Green Mars-

hall Plan 2). This insists on the importance

28 of placing innovation and new technologies

at the heart of the project designed to de-

velop the Walloon economy. In this pers-

pective, the Community Policy Declaration

expresses the intention to multiply conver-

gences between Wallonia and the Wallonia

Brussels Community in terms of the de-

ployment of a proactive economic strategy

designed to provide updated responses to

the structural challenges encountered by

the two entities. Thus, certain problems

shared by the Region and the Wallonia

Brussels Community will be subject to

greater coordination between the respec-

tive governments. Among these fields of

convergence are mobility, training and tea-

ching and the opening up of competitive-

ness cluster projects to stakeholders from

the Brussels Region.

Furthermore, in terms of previous legisla-

tion, the Minister for the Economy founded

a working group known as the Commission

Zénobe , in order to draw up a long-term

analysis of the situation in Wallonia. Brin-

ging together more than thirty leading figu-

res from the economic, academic, cultural

and media worlds, this pluralist and inde-

pendent think tank identified three cross-

cutting priorities:

• the adaptation of teaching and cultural

policies, content and tools to meet the rea-

lities of the Walloon situation;

• the facilitation of young people’s appro-

priation of their Walloon identity;

• greater internationalisation of educational

practices as well as the more dynamic pro-

motion of the culture of innovation.

29

young people’s appropriation of their Walloon identity

Finally, among the work and benchmark

stances behind Creative Wallonia, it is also

necessary to highlight the major contribu-

tions made by the international institutional

framework, and mainly that of the Euro-

pean Union and the OECD .

30

5 Integrated mechanism, lever effect

The ambition is huge: it aims to create

conditions which enable the emergence of

a generalised culture of innovation. There-

fore, it is the entire ecosystem which needs

to be changed by encouraging Wallonia to

become a true society based on knowled-

ge and creativity. This is only conceivable

through an approach which privileges two

main methods of intervention:

1. The design and implementation of a

cross-cutting and integrated dynamic

which includes students, teachers, resear-

chers, entrepreneurs, developers, political

leaders, etc.

2. The identification of specific measures

likely, in the long-term, to lead to structural

change through a lever effect.

When forming the governments of the Wal-

loon Region and the French Community, it

was decided to bring together around the

economy portfolio, competences related

to SMEs, foreign trade, new technologies

and telecommunications, associated with

Higher Education. This range of competen-

ces enables a comprehensive and coherent

approach to be envisaged for the Region’s

and the Community’s innovation policy.

First part rationale

31• Higher Education – The fuel for an eco-

nomy based on creativity and innovation

resides in knowledge and skills, including

know-how. Fundamental in the innovation

chain, these elements are, for historical

and institutional reasons, only vaguely as-

sociated with a global long-term approach

which integrates the economic and social

prosperity of our Regions. New educatio-

nal and training approaches and practices

exist which should not be ignored when

adopting an ambitious programming ap-

proach on creativity and innovation.

• Economy – Central competence with a

view to the coordination of multidisciplinary

action in the context of a vision adapted to

the challenges of a global, open and inte-

grated economy.

• SMEs – As the DPR emphasises, small

and medium-sized economic entities must,

now more than ever, benefit from specific

attention. They are a potential spawning

ground for innovation but, to date, are

not exploited to their full extent. The pre-

sent programme aims to favour the natural

emergence and fulfilment of this creativity

which is still underexploited.

• Foreign trade – In a globalised world, the

opening up of the local ecosystem to other

regions of the world is essential. The suc-

cess of technological transfers is one of the

keys to the success of high-level business

in Wallonia. The contribution made by fo-

reign investment, goods and services to

the local economy also helps the region to

bring itself up to a critical level which justi-

fies its existence on the worldwide market.

These exchanges should be increased in

the framework of an “Open Innovation” po-

licy supported by the present programme.

• New technologies and telecommunica-

tions – The economy is constantly being

renewed and strengthened through the

contribution made to the market by new

32 technologies: new products, new procedu-

res, new services form a virtuous circle of

growth. Innovation in processes and new

technologies are closely linked. Support

for Walloon new technologies will help the

economy to commit sustainably to a com-

petitive and high level worldwide future.

ICTs, unique for the speed of their deve-

lopment and their social influence, will be

considered by the programme as an eco-

nomic and educational opportunity. They

appear to be the essential tool for dissemi-

nating the knowledge-based society, the

foundation of a society built on creativity

and innovation.

In complement to the PM2.vert (Green

Marshall Plan), the purpose of the present

Framework Programme is to provide sup-

port for innovation in the Walloon economy

by using tools which are new in this field,

which are different, and which have been

behind the success of other economic mo-

dels. But, the challenge is also to structure

a certain number of existing actions and

policies, such as meeting shortcomings

in mechanisms in order to provide a co-

herent, pragmatic response based on our

economy’s needs for creativity and com-

petitiveness. To achieve this, it is based,

in particular, on an identification of existing

mechanisms.

The Framework Programme focuses on

three areas:

• Promoting the society of creativity

• Nurturing innovative practices

• Supporting innovative production

Therefore, the aim is to develop a pyrami-

dal approach, whose basis aims to involve

the greatest number of players possible

downstream from the economic fibre, with

the summit focused on economic produc-

tion, and the middle levels being devoted

to entrepreneurial innovation tools. This

33construction reflects the desire for a bot-

tom up type of approach which aims to

make the whole of Wallonia a creative and

innovative society.

a bottom up type of approach

34 1 From the book by Thomas FRIEDMAN, The world is flat: a brief history of the Twenty first Century, Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2005.

2 It has been established that the total of worldwide economic exchanges in 1950 was equivalent to an average of one day of exchan-ges at the start of the 2000s (Joe TIDD, John BESSANT and Keith PAVITT, Management de l’innovation. Intégration du changement tech-nologique, commercial et organisationnel, De Boeck, 2006, p. 48).

3 Which does not mean that large groups are losing all their competitive advantages. Some global companies have been able to take ad-vantage of their size to adapt to this new si-tuation. Therefore, IBM, which works 24/24, successively mobilises its teams based in dif-ferent continents, with “each team transferring its tasks once its ‘turn’ has been completed to the next time zone where the work may be

continued» (Joe TIDD et al, Op. cit., p. 47).

4 A study by the Federal Planning Bureau in 2010 on the innovative potential of Wallonia showed that the continued increase in invest-ment in R&D over the last decade - although insufficient - did not generate any added value in terms of innovation. The authors concluded that the fundamental challenge lies in «the abi-lity to transform research and innovation efforts into sufficient economic results for Wallonia” (Bernadette BIATOUR, Christel CHATELAIN and Chantal KEGELS, Le système d’innova-tion en Wallonie, Working Paper 1-10, Federal Planning Bureau, February 2010).

5 The Journal du Net, interview from 16/10/2007. By the same author, consult Le Management des Idées. De la créativité à l’in-novation, Dunod, 2002.

6 Ibid. See also the definition of creativity by the

Cox Review: creativity is the generation of new ideas – either new ways of looking at existing problems, or of seeing new opportunities, pe-rhaps by exploiting emerging technologies or changes in markets (Sir George COX (s. dir.) The Cox Review: enhancing the role of creativity in driving the productivity performance of SMEs in the UK, Design Council, September 2005). In this context, the notion of design needs to be extended and understood as the link between creativity and innovation (George COX). The idea is to give shape to ideas in order to make them as practical and attractive as possible for their future users or consumers. In this sense, design may be defined as creativity deployed for a specific purpose. .

7 Richard FLORIDA, The rise of the creative class. And how it’s transforming work, leisure and everyday life, Basic books, 2002.

8 European Regional Innovation Scoreboard (RIS).

Notes & références

352009 Report, Pro Inno Europe Paper n°14. Produ-ced by the European Commission’s DG Enterprise. The 2009 report is based on data from 2006. For methodological aspects, see Hugo HOLANDERS, Stefano TARANTOLA, Alexander LOSCHKY, Re-gional Innovation Scoreboard 2009. Methodology report.

9 On an intra-Belgian level, for comparative purposes, it is interesting to note European observations that investment in R&D and the potential of human resources in Wallonia are globally on the same level as Flanders (Michel QUEVIT, Flandre - Wallonie Quelle solidarité ?: De la création de l’Etat belge à l’Europe des Régions, Éditions Couleur livres, 2010)..

10 See in particular the IBM-PLI annual report 2009 (Global Investment Locations Trends): http://www.ibm.com/bcs/pli; and the Baro-mètre 2010 de l’Attractivité en Belgique pu-blished by Ernst & Young (http://www.ey.com/

Publication/vwLUAssets/Les_investisseurs_souhaitent_un_climat_dinvestissement_fis-calement_(plus)_favorable_et_politiquement_stable/$FILE/attractiveness2010_FR.pdf ). Foreign Direct Investment, a subsidiary of the Financial Times, classified Wallonia in fifth posi-tion out of 140 of the most attractive regions in Europe, whereas the research firm Cushman-Wakefield, places it at the top of the regions in Europe in terms of logistics potential.

11 See the Prométhée final report: Une poli-tique d’innovation à la hauteur des ambitions régionales. Les lignes de force de la démarche Prométhée, December 2000.

12 Initially covering the 1999-2001 period, the Contrat d’avenir was updated for the 2002-2004 period.

13 Pour une dynamisation durable de la Wal-lonie. Report of the Commission Zénobe,

Namur, March 2009. This commission was created in 2008 by the Walloon Government Minister for the Economy and comprises thirty independent figures from different eco-nomic, cultural and political backgrounds.

14 In particular, the recent Communication from the Commission: Europe 2020 Flagship Initia-tive – Innovation Union. Transforming Europe for a post-crisis world. October 2010.

15 Innovation to strengthen growth and ad-dress global and social challenges. Ministerial Report on the OECD Innovation Strategy. May 2010.

36

02 / mechanism 37

AXE I : Promote a society of creativity 38

Action I.1 : Encourage the educational offering 38 Action I.2 : Favour the stimulation of creativity 41 Action I.3 : Complementary measures 44

AXE II : Nurture innovative practices 52 Action II.1: Create a Centre for Trend Analysis 52 Action II.2 : Encourage collaborative innovation and networking 54 Action II.3 : Develop innovation in companies 59 Action II.4 : Reinforce the potential for international cooperation 61 Action II.5 : Distinguish innovative best practices 64

AXE III : Support innovative production 66 Action III.1 : Favour the marketing of new products/services/processes 66 Action III.2 : Financially support innovative production 67 Action III.4 : Complementary measures 68

mechanism02/

38

axe1/ Promote a society of creativity

Action I.1 : Encourage the edu-cational offering for future eco-nomic stakeholders centred on creativity and innovation

It is essential to support the emergence

and development of creative teaching pro-

grammes which integrate

a. a multidisciplinary approach;

b. an international dimension;

c. an educational results-oriented demand

which aspires to the very highest interna-

tional standards;

d. the recognition and validation of life and

work experience.

The idea here is to support the appearance

of new advanced educational or teaching

experiences for people in initial, specialist

and executive training, so as to provide

them with heuristic and cognitive skills and

tools adapted to the challenge of conti-

nuing innovation.

This measure concerns existing Higher

Education institutions (universities; higher

education institutions, especially those

devoted to management and to art and

design, etc.), as well as informal structu-

second part dispositif

39res focused on creativity and its teaching,

such as theatres, design workshops, cer-

tain non-governmental organisations,

skills centres, or corporate training, etc.

Initiatives involving several establishments

or groups of establishments will be given

preference in order to bring together (inter)

disciplinary visions. Also, preference will

be given to projects based on partnerships

between structures devoted to teaching

and education, culture and/or design, and

companies which are active on the market.

The challenge is to turn our backs on mo-

no-disciplinary approaches (skills centres

often excluding global objectives) as well

as overly unilaterally theoretical training

models. In this sense, the inclusion of such

programmes in one or more innovative eco-

systems (see Action II.2) in a collaborative

and interactive perspective will be seen as

a clear asset.

The inclusion of one or more international

creative networks (or their creation), in-

cluding at least some partners from other

continents, is an essential condition of pu-

blic intervention. These partners will partici-

pate in the same multidisciplinary and col-

laborative philosophy as the one described

above. Among some interesting initiatives,

note, for example, the Design Factory, Me-

dia Factory and Service Factory project by

the University of Aalto in Helsinki, the Mo-

saiC project by the Universities of Montreal

and Barcelona, and the work by the Design

Council (London). The call for international

skills with experience in creativity, design

and innovation will also be encouraged, as

will recourse to a large number of teachers

and trainers with international skills and/or

business experience.

The educational project will aim to free

itself of certain methodological red tape

unique to classifying and self-legitimising

teaching. It will focus on the acquisition

of formal and informal skills favourable to

stimulating and developing a creative ap-

40 proach applicable to the entire develop-

ment, production, launch and sales chain

for new products, new services or new in-

dustrial or commercial processes, without

forgetting non-technological, cultural and

social (without a commercial goal) innova-

tion. It will take account of advances made

in educational sciences, especially in terms

of motivation, collaboration, as well as for-

mative and cumulative assessments.

Access to these education and training

programmes will not be subject to holding

one or more diplomas, but will be based

on the appreciation of a portfolio of skills,

including work and life experience. Further-

more, at least 20% of the places available

within each programme will benefit from a

reduction in entry fees on the basis of crite-

ria designed to favour access to individuals

less favoured on a socio-economic level.

Public support will take the form of the

partial or complete payment of initial costs

related to the setting up of the programme,

as well as a contribution to its develop-

ment for a maximum duration of three to

five years (duration which will depend on

the programme’s ambition and the identifi-

cation of alternative funding sources).

41Action I.2 : Favour the stimulation of creativity from a very young age/throughout the entire com-pulsory and continuing education and training process/in teacher training practices

In the world of education and teaching, it

is almost natural to associate the notion

of creativity with artistic type disciplines.

Yet, although it is true that this field directly

concerns the senses, it is often forgotten

that the most creative minds are often

scientific, although not exclusively.

Thus, no discipline should be ignored in

this stimulation process.

It has been shown that training programmes

which encourage the stimulation of creati-

vity among young children with a view to

being opened up to all of civil society help

to develop specific skills combining crea-

tivity with a critical spirit, perseverance,

introspection, imagination, inventiveness,

etc. Therefore, the foundations laid in this

manner are likely to trigger a true change in

the attitude of future generations by provi-

ding them with the tools needed to explore

their own development and that of their en-

vironment.

Also, creativity is not possible without spa-

ce and the opportunity to express oneself.

Therefore, it is necessary to offer teachers/

educators and future teachers/educators

activities which help them to develop this

creative spirit and these time opportunities

in order to become the talent coaches for

young people.

Therefore, it is necessary to detect, pro-

mote and develop existing practices, and

to encourage the emergence of other ap-

proaches. This implies drawing up a plan

in cooperation, in priority, with different

training stakeholders, as well as with sta-

keholders from civil society.

creativity is not possible without space and the opportunity to express oneself

42 In this context, a few major strategic objec-

tives may be defined:

•Assess and develop existing material in

teaching institutions and organisations

which aim to raise awareness about inno-

vation and creativity.

• Favour the emergence of practices which

stimulate and train people in creativity at

all stages of the educational track and ini-

tial and continuing training, by using tools

and methods which help to structure and

increase the creative approach when faced

with apparently insoluble problems.

• Encourage a large number of teaching

and youth professionals to use these to-

ols.

• Provide project leaders with support in

developing modules, projects or project

leading activities.

• Encourage a large number of teachers,

future teachers and educators, in the wi-

dest sense of the term, to place as many

young people as possible within a creative

and stimulating approach.

In order to meet these goals, three concre-

te actions are proposed:

a. the setting up of a steering group com-

prising teaching specialists and creativity

and innovation experts. This limited group

will be in charge of

• drawing up the inventory of methods and

tools likely to meet the objectives laid out

above (such as tools built following the

TRIZ theory , open-concept education,

circus pedagogy, etc);drawing up, if neces-

sary, observation and analysis protocols

for the afore-mentioned tools;

• formulating didactic and methodologi-

cal recommendations on the use of the

methods and tools in question (including

Favour the emergence of practices which stimulate and train people in creativity

43in terms of their formative and cumulative

evaluation);

• drawing up recommendations for training

teachers and educators;

• developing strategies for disseminating

good practices.

b. Encouraging the setting up of pilot pro-

jects by Teacher Training schools.

Counting on the knock-on effect of a tea-

cher training intervention, the aim is to test

two training modules based on creativity

and implemented at two Teacher Training

Schools.

c. Defining a framework favourable to the

generalisation of creative approaches in

compulsory education and non-formal

education and activity structures.

This approach naturally requires the exten-

sion of the work of the experts as descri-

bed in point (a). It will be based on the best

examples of good practices identified du-

ring the heuristic phase. It will ensure that it

is deployed intelligently and in consultation

with all the interested parties (organisers,

managers and stakeholders in the world of

education, and in the field of youth, etc.).

44 Action I.3 : Complementary measures designed to favour the emergence and development of a creative society in Wallonia

I.3.a Measures concerning the promotion of information and communication technologies in Wallonia

ICTs form the substrate which is essential

to Walloon society’s networking and to its

inclusion in the global network, a necessary

condition for the development of creativity

and innovation.

Wallonia has many assets to offer in this

field. It has a particularly well-developed

optical fibre and cable backbone and also

is in a favourable position for developing

connections from the bandwidth to the user

(Fiber to the Home or two-way cable throu-

ghout the territory). Regular measurements

by the AWT (Walloon Telecommunications

Agency) show that Internet use is becoming

increasingly generalised with a growing pe-

netration of ICTs, especially among SMEs

and local authorities. An increasingly signi-

ficant number of practitioners benefit from

quality training every year. Nevertheless,

there is still room for progress, especially in

academic and educational fields.

This is a decisive challenge: the competi-

tion will be tough over the coming years in

order to adapt to continuing technological

change.

That is why the Minister has undertaken

to draw up a Framework Programme de-

signed to favour the deployment of ICTs in

Wallonia with a view to meeting the chal-

lenges of 2020. This Master Plan uses a

global and comprehensive approach, ran-

ging from infrastructure to the promotion

of ICTs uses, as much among citizens as

schools, universities, research and training

centres, SMEs, major companies, local

authorities, etc. It has been prepared with

45the support of the AWT and will be the sub-

ject of a consultation with all the sectors

and stakeholders concerned.

I.3.b Measure concerning the promotion of creativity among the inhabitants of Walloni

Strengthening Wallonia’s position among

the most innovative European regions is not

possible only through actions which target

the industrial or entrepreneurial sector. As

many specialists have shown, the global

environment in which the economic sphere

is developing plays a decisive role. Thus,

for example, the work by Richard Florida

on the Creative Class highlights the key

role played by the cultural and regulatory

context in the emergence and affirmation

of innovative ecosystems. In other terms,

the more a given society develops its crea-

tivity, in theory, the greater its performance

in the field of innovation.

Therefore, it is essential to nurture creati-

vity throughout society, even beyond inter-

ventions focused on the world of business

and education.

In this perspective, several specific actions

should be undertaken in view of the knock-

on effect they are likely to generate:

• Annual organisation of a Creativity Week

46 Based on the model of ‘Learning week’ or-

ganised every year in the United Kingdom

to promote the formal and informal adult

education offering, it is suggested that a

Creativity Week be introduced as of 2011.

In the same way as the Heritage Days or

the Festival of Music, this event will aim

to involve the largest possible number of

stakeholders likely to open up training or

creative activity opportunities to the ge-

neral public. These creative opportunities

may be identified as much within the formal

and informal initial or continuing education

sectors as in the world of work or leisure.

These potentially concern all fields of ap-

plication.

The activities or events highlighted will be

identified by means of a widely publicised

call for events. The events will be selected

in such a way as to present a wide range of

varied projects and highlight particularly at-

tractive and stimulating practices or expe-

riences. This offering will be the subject of

systematic publicity, thanks, in particular,

to an ambitious Communication strategy

which will include the participation of the

main media.

• Implementation of a participative mecha-

nism

For the first Creativity Week, a pilot expe-

rience will be conducted through the de-

sign and deployment of a participative me-

chanism which will aim to include citizens

in a collaborative approach.

The objective will be (a) to evaluate as pre-

cisely as possible the attitude of Walloon

residents to change and the conditions re-

quired to disseminate the culture of creati-

vity; (b) to demonstrate through experience

(learning by doing) the advantages of col-

lective intelligence procedures when ap-

plied to innovation.

the more a given society develops its creativity, in theory, the greater its performance in the field of innovation

47Different solutions may be envisaged (Town

meetings, meetings of minds, deliberative

surveys, etc.) provided that they meet the

following criteria:

• Use of a random recruitment method

• Compliance with a methodology which is

able to prove that it reduces or removes the

usual biases (group effect, majority effect,

etc.)

• Prior identification of relevant output

about the continued development of the

Walloon innovation policy

• Guarantee of a major impact on the po-

pulation of Wallonia (either directly as a re-

sult of the scale of the sample concerned,

or indirectly through a strategy to dissemi-

nate the results - or even a combination of

both approaches)

• Guarantee of a knock-on effect

The specifications for the organisation of

this mechanism will be drawn up in coope-

ration with Walloon and international scien-

tific experts. It will take account of any si-

milar or comparable experiences which are

of interest to the approach presented here.

• Definition of a framework for the promo-

tion of projects designed to raise aware-

ness about creativity

A call for projects will be organised on a re-

gular basis (at least once a year) in order to

support the implementation of projects de-

signed to raise awareness or train the ge-

neral public on creativity and innovation.

These projects should be based on metho-

dologies, practices or experiences which

have been tried and tested on a small scale

or on the scale of a region comparable to

Wallonia in terms of the needs to be provi-

ded. These will not repeat initiatives eligi-

48 ble under other mechanisms (such as, for

example, the l’Odyssée de l’Objet).

The projects will be selected by a jury made

up of representatives of social partners, so-

cial science specialists (education specia-

lists, psychologists, sociologists, etc.) and

experts on creativity and innovation.

However, 2011 will be a transitional phase

during which a limited number of projects

will be identified by the afore-mentioned

jury in order to observe and draw up re-

commendations with a view to developing

the methodological framework and legal

basis for future calls for projects.

I.3.c Measures concerning the internationalisation and experi-mentation of Higher Education

In view of the fact that it is recognised that

international experience and networking

both constitute major assets for the intelli-

gence of society overall, a mechanism will

be drawn up following consultation with

academic authorities in order to privilege

access to teaching at the Universities of

Wallonia to candidates who are able to

justify significant international experience,

a large part of which has involved the use

of a foreign language. Attendance at, or

collaboration with, research and teaching

institutions with high creative added-value

will be favoured.

Furthermore, a consultation will be set up

as soon as possible with the academic

authorities and organisations representing

Higher Education students in order to crea-

te conditions – especially in financial and

social terms – which enable the introduc-

tion of a training period overseas which re-

quires the use of a foreign language as one

of the conditions for students’ academic

certification (Masters level). This measure

should become general practice as of the

2014-2015 academic year.

to raise awareness or train the general public on creativity and innovation

49A consultation will also be established with

academic authorities in order to draw up

a list of requirements which teaching staff

should have at their disposal, in addition to

their titles and awards, namely extra-aca-

demic professional or social experience, in

order to place their contribution in line with

the needs of the society of creativity and

innovation.

I.3.d Measures concerning the internationalisation of the civil service

In the same way as the measures laid on in

point 1.3.c, the Minister for the Economy

and the Minister for the Civil Service will

propose measures designed to stimulate

international experience and experience

of innovative procedures among civil ser-

vants in Wallonia and the Wallonia Brussels

Community. These, in addition to participa-

tion in one or more global networks, could

be favourable criteria – even, for certain

positions, compulsory criteria – for ac-

cessing top management positions within

certain administrations and public sector

organisations. Also, it will be recommen-

ded that civil servant training courses in-

clude international exchange programmes

within administrations or organisations of

specific interest in terms of innovation and

creativity.

50 I.3.e Measures concerning the en-couragement of training in creati-vity, innovation and entrepreneu-rial skills among companies

The Minister will initiate discussions with

social partners in order to identify the best

way to place the challenges of creativity

and innovation at the heart of a company’s

training policy.

52

axe2/ Nurture innovative practices

Action II.1 : Create a Centre for Trend Analysis

Thanks to Wallonia’s networks around the

world, as well as the public and private fa-

bric of contacts developed over the years,

a structure for capturing trends, needs and

opportunities will be set up in association

with existing structures and competences

(academic and operational).

The Centre will be responsible for:

a. drawing up and implementing a trend

monitoring protocol in relation to existing

indicators and work conducted by similar

or comparable organisations;

This protocol will be designed to enable

the identification and long-term assess-

ment of worldwide trends in terms of new

technologies, products, services, design,

procedures, promotion and sales methods,

as well as the capture of any information

likely to contribute to forecasting econo-

mic, technological, cultural or cognitive

changes which may be useful for improving

the competitiveness of our companies and

education and training circuits.

second part dispositif

53b. setting up and maintaining a large

network for capturing trends;

This will be based, in particular, on the

network of sales attachés set up by AWEx,

which will benefit from proper training, as

well as the protocol defined above, and an

intervention methodology enabling them to

provide regular feedback on the informa-

tion required to map changes in trends on

a global scale in relation to different exis-

ting and potential competitiveness clusters

in Wallonia. This approach will be included

in a proactive monitoring system in order to

favour the intelligent analysis of the overall

information.

c. processing of data and its inclusion in

the Walloon economic, scientific and aca-

demic fibre

d. development of interactive information

supports for operators, which are both ge-

neral and specific to the different sectors

and innovative ecosystems concerned.

The idea is to supply a continuous flow of

information for business clusters, and es-

pecially SMEs, using ad hoc tools such as

websites, debriefing days (during which

Walloon sales attachés, entrepreneurs, or

specialists based overseas will be asked

Action II.2 : Encourage collabo-rative innovation and networking

Among the fundamentals of innovation, the

ability to create relationships of trust and

cooperation are key aspects. Innovation

often results from combining knowledge,

practices, sectors, styles, generations,

know-how and life skills. Favouring these

combinations, means giving rise to a new

society, new ideas and differentiating op-

portunities in an increasingly globalised

world.

In this spirit, it is necessary to develop

existing networks, including clusters and

54 competitiveness clusters, as well as to en-

courage the creation of new networks (if

necessary designed in an ad hoc manner)

in order to stimulate interaction between

companies, research and training centres

and, more generally, between all new or

experienced stakeholders in the field of

innovation.

The policy of competitiveness clusters

launched in 2005 by the Walloon govern-

ment has helped to bring together com-

panies, universities and research and trai-

ning centres through numerous projects

conducted through partnerships. Also,

the Flemish Parliament Act on Research

voted in 2008 plans for “Technological

Innovation Partnerships” (PIT) with a view

to encouraging partnerships and coope-

ration between companies, universities,

higher education institutions and research

centres, in the frame of projects not co-

vered by competitiveness clusters. These

initiatives have been successful and have

committed many stakeholders to opting for

partnerships and open innovation. These

notions must become a genuine business

culture.

In some regions, there are very effective

informal networks, especially in the ICT

sector. These discuss future trends, the

orientations of major groups, news from

the sector. This type of exchange provides

an important information vector for compa-

nies. In Wallonia, we have seen that many

companies do not have access to this

information because of a lack of means,

time, or simply because of the absence of

an exchange culture. SMEs in particular are

often isolated from long-term discussions

which are reserved for the major names in

the sector.

It will take time to change habits, progress

beyond inherent fears about information

sharing, help thinking to progress, and

reach the majority of players which make

55up the Walloon economic fibre. In order to

contribute to efforts already made to sup-

port and accelerate the advent of this col-

laborative culture, it is essential to create

platforms and set aside time for discus-

sions between economic and technologi-

cal stakeholders.

In this context, three types of intervention

will be given priority:

the development of innovative ecosys-a.

tems

the promotion of coworkingb.

the promotion of innovators’ clubsc.

he development of a network of d.

networks

II.2.a The development of innova-tive ecosystems

It has been shown that the concentration in

a given region of companies – small, me-

dium and large – devoted to innovation and

working in interaction with research, design,

education and training centres, is favourable

to the emergence of effective processes for

sustainable innovation. Interesting examples

of this are Silicon Valley, or closer to home,

Biocity (Nottingham, UK) and Eurasanté

(Nord Pas de Calais, FR). Today, Wallonia is

home to such embryonic ecosystems, par-

ticularly in the fields of biotechnology, elec-

tromechanical engineering, the aerospace

information sharing, help thinking to progress, and reach the majority of players

56 industry and new information and commu-

nication technologies. It is necessary to

promote and develop existing basins and

favour the appearance of new centres. This

implies the drawing up of a plan in coope-

ration with the centres and competitiveness

clusters and the identification of measures

for facilitating the emergence of these types

of ecosystems, such as access to very hi-

gh-speed bandwidth, the provision of land

and infrastructures, the extension of the

missions of clusters, etc. These measures

will be subject to an inventory drawn up in

cooperation with all the interested parties

II.2.b The creation of structures favourable to coworking

The aim is to offer project leaders an in-

frastructure for working, exchanging and

meeting which brings together, tempora-

rily and voluntarily, a series of innovators

all working on the development of a new

activity. Coworking, a concept, similar to

that of business incubators, distinguishes

itself by the fact that it does not house

business offices, that it does not have a

common theme, and that it works as part

of a network on a worldwide scale with

other hubs. Although these companies do

not necessarily share common features,

the combination of experience generally

favours the emergence and development

of innovative approaches. The only expe-

rience of this type identified in Belgium is

the Hub in Brussels.

The present measure aims to set up cowor-

king centres in all interested towns in Wal-

lonia in cooperation with the communal

authorities. The idea is to provide interes-

ted entrepreneurs with suitable premises

and the necessary equipment, and to offer

specific advice and support to facilitate the

coordination of the coworking structure.

the combination of experience generally favours the emergence and development of innovative approaches

57II.2.c Support for innovators’ clubs

The aim is to encourage the spontaneous

generation and development of innovators’

groups on a voluntary basis. Many informal

initiatives of this type already exist. Often,

such clubs bring together professionals or

‘enthusiasts’ (students, pensioners, etc.) –

PROAM approach – who choose to combi-

ne their talents or skills in order to generate

new ideas which may be used in the fra-

mework of industrial or commercial develo-

pment. This type of entity generally includes

a “chairman” and a relatively limited number

of members who meet regularly and/or stay

in frequent contact via the Internet. Mem-

bers are encouraged to present innovative

project ideas to the group which are deba-

ted, modified, improved, and sometimes

developed and even implemented. There-

fore, it is possible to help projects to pro-

gress with the group’s advice and support.

Without it necessarily being required, clubs

usually find their coherence either in their

members’ backgrounds (although a certain

diversity of profiles is recommended), or in

the fields of application chosen.

The action consists of:

a. promoting the proliferation of networks

through specific operations such as, for

example, information campaigns, or the or-

ganisation of contests designed to reward

the best ideas developed as part of a

network;

b. setting up an interface which ensures

group networking – this interface, based on

an electronic platform, will aim to stimulate

the activity of groups, offer them contact

and networking opportunities, feed into the

debate on methods and techniques which

58 favour innovation, identify coaching solu-

tions, etc.

c. favour relationships between clubs and

companies working in the sector of applica-

tion concerned.

In this manner, the idea is to defend a bot-

tom-up approach to innovation: a group of

citizens, after debate and internal improve-

ments, propose innovations to the econo-

mic world via a public support interface. Ul-

timately, this dynamic results in the creation

of added-value, as well as a return for the

local authority and the citizens which have

been involved.

II.2.d Setting up a network of networks

In order to coordinate networking in the

Walloon innovative economic landscape

and maximise the development potential

of each of the networks (clusters, centres,

ecosystems, coworking hubs, innovators’

clubs, etc.), an electronic platform defined

as a “network of networks” will be deve-

loped. It will guarantee all the functions

needed to optimise the objectives of this

programme.

Furthermore, specific attention will be gi-

ven to defining operational protocols for

managing intellectual property and to

developing participative supports for the

very latest information and communication

technologies.

59Action II.3 : Develop innovation in com-panies

II.3.a Draw up reference guideli-nes in the field of industrial eco-logy in order to favour the tran-sition of Walloon companies to sustainable development

In line with action III.4.e of the Plan Mars-

hall 2.Vert (Green Marshall Plan) which

plans for the development of a strategic

innovation plan for Walloon companies

with a special focus on eco-innovation, a

specific initiative will be adopted to build

a reference tool which helps to guide Wal-

loon industrial policy towards an innovative

sustainable economy. Designed for com-

panies, and based on an analysis of Euro-

pean and international best practices, this

tool will focus on the structuring and cohe-

rence of different methods and approaches

in the most promising economic sectors. In

particular, it will help to bring into operation

concrete measures concerning innovative

young companies and non-technological

innovation.

The approach will be as concrete and prac-

tical as possible in order to meet the true

needs of companies

The approach will be as concrete and practical as possible in order to meet the true needs of companies

60 II.3.b Enable SMEs to proceed with the audit of their innovative potential

Several tools have been developed by re-

search and training centres, and/or consul-

tancies which help small and medium-sized

companies to assess in detail the margins

for progress in terms of creativity and inno-

vation. An intervention system will be deve-

loped in order to help the largest possible

number of Walloon SMEs to carry out such

an audit. This system will include the accre-

ditation of the methods proposed through

the certification of service providers and fi-

nancial support (maybe combining existing

European funding in the field).

61Action II.4 : Reinforce the poten-tial for international cooperation based on innovation

Creative Wallonia intends to define a

convergence framework designed to in-

clude innovation among the leading priori-

ties of the Region’s international economic

action, and, in this manner, to stimulate

the inclusion of Walloon companies in an

international long-term future. To achieve

this objective, the Region will reinforce

the orientation of AWEX’s dynamic action

towards the construction of a relational

framework enabling Walloon companies

or innovators to develop cooperation with

international stakeholders, and, at the

same time, enabling companies or inno-

vators from other regions of the world to

plan common developments with Walloon

stakeholders.

This action aims to reinforce the different

existing measures which aim, as much in

terms of exporting Walloon innovation as

importing foreign innovation and techno-

logies, as to identify future actions likely

to compete for the same objective. All of

these will be brought together under the

same “Creative Wallonia” certification. At

present, this involves the following provi-

sions:

• international partnerships in the field of

innovation

In order to build a global innovation network

for Wallonia, the programme will provide an

impetus for concluding new agreements

with economic stakeholders working in

priority markets, in the same way as the

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) si-

gned between AWEx and Texas A&M Uni-

versity System. Such an agreement, unique

in Europe, provides an opening for Walloon

operators to major international public pro-

jects and, in the long-term, to employment

creation and the input of new knowledge

and technologies in the Region.

62 This international technological coopera-

tion should adopt several objectives:

• the creation of global companies for the

simultaneous commercialisation of new

technologies developed by our partner and

all our French-speaking universities and

Walloon companies working in the Euro-

pean market and the target market;

• help for Walloon start-ups and techno-

logy companies in order to penetrate the

target market through the realisation of

market studies and business plans;

• the provision of elements needed for the

development and commercialisation of the

products and companies of our partners in

Wallonia;

• the improvement of the products of Wal-

loon companies through technological and

commercial partnerships with partners in

the target market.

Furthermore, the Framework Programme

will also help Walloon SMEs to be a part

of innovative initiatives for the creation of

technological partnerships and the transfer

of techniques and know-how in regions of

the world close to major emerging coun-

tries.

Finally, AWEx’s foreign investment branch,

including experts from each competitive-

ness cluster, will also pay special attention

to the promotion of measures enabling

Wallonia to be seen as attractive for creati-

ve and innovative activities from overseas.

• Support for the internationalisation of

promotion and creativity structures

Creative Wallonia intends to strengthen

international visibility actions for struc-

tures which promote creativity within the

help for Walloon start-ups and technology companies in order to penetrate the target market

63Wallonia-Brussels area, such as Wallonie-

Bruxelles Design Mode, Wallonie-Bruxelles

Théâtre, Wallonie-Bruxelles Image, Wallo-

nie-Bruxelles Architecture and Wallonie-

Bruxelles Musique: networking and public

relations at conferences, presentations

in schools, participation in international

seminars, consultancy work for overseas

economic and sales attachés, organisation

of press conferences in Belgium, collabo-

ration on international projects and partici-

pation on publications.

• The mobilisation of the economic and

technological network overseas

Our entire economic and technological

network overseas, namely economic and

sales attachés, foreign investment atta-

chés, technological attachés, scientific

liaison officers, as well as the network of

Walloon decision-makers, will be mobilised

in order to report to the Centre for Trend

Analysis which will be created shortly.

Furthermore, scientific liaison officers (ALS)

in position in priority countries with a high

potential in the fields of R&D and technolo-

gical innovation will have an important role

to play because, in the framework of the

Plan Marshall 2.Vert (Green Marshall Plan),

they have been put in charge of developing

collaborations and partnerships between

Walloon and foreign research stakehol-

ders (universities and research centres),

with specific attention to competitiveness

clusters.

• Creative Wallonia actions and missions

AWEx will include in its 2010-2011 activity

programme several actions based on crea-

tivity and innovation in regions which are

leaders on the subject and with which par-

tnerships may be concluded

64 Action II.5 : Distinguish innova-tive best practices

Every year, in the frame of the Society of

Creativity, in collaboration with major pri-

vate stakeholders and on the basis of an

assessment by a top level international

jury, the best practices in the field of pure

innovation (product, processes, marketing

methods, design, etc.) or support for inno-

vation will be awarded. These prizes will be

attributed to people and structures (scho-

ols, companies, associations, etc.) which

have shown an outstanding capacity for

creativity and innovation.

The objective pursued is to contribute to

the identification and reputation of inno-

vative stakeholders from (and emblematic

of) Walloon society, and, in the same way,

to stimulate the taste for creativity and in-

novation among the entire Walloon popu-

lation.

Called Zénobes, after the first name of the

Walloon inventor of the dynamo, Zénobe

Gramme, these prizes will include seve-

ral categories so as to reflect the range of

ways in which creativity may be demons-

trated. Thus, they should cover the techno-

logical, non-technological and social inno-

vation fields; promote individual creativity

as much as collective creativity; distinguish

between creators or innovators and those

wanting to ensure innovative production

(editors, manufacturers, investors, etc.).

Implemented by the Scientific Policy

Council (CPS), under the joint authority of

the Minsters of New Technologies and Re-

search, they will replace the present-day

Technological Innovation Prizes.

Unlike existing initiatives, the focus will not

necessarily be on new ideas, but on the

combination of ideas implemented-put into

practice.

Projects which include collaborative and

international dimensions will be given

special preference. A special prize will be

awarded to companies which favour intra-

preneurship.

the focus will be on the combination of ideas implemented-put into practice

66

axe3/ Support innovative production

Action III.1 : Favour the marke-ting of new products/services/processes

In the present-day economic context,

the aim of the current measure is to sup-

port technological and non-technological

companies (SMEs and VSEs) which have

developed a prototype but which do not

have the resources required to develop it

commercially. A prototype is the model of

a product, service or commercial asset du-

ring the phase which precedes the finished

product and its marketing.

Prototyping, the target of this measure, is

the final step for a product or service prior

to its commercialisation. Therefore, the

idea is to support a product, service, or

commercial asset’s move from the proto-

type stage to the industrialisation and mar-

keting stage. The stages subsidised will

cover the technological improvements still

required, changes, adjustments and adap-

tations, especially in terms of design, prior

to marketing, as well as the actual marke-

ting stages.

second part dispositif

67The measure is based on the following the-

matic subdivision:

• Technological industrial prototypes;

• Projects concerning the image sector;

• Prototypes concerning creative design

and industry (excluding image).

Action III.2 : Financially support innovative production

III.2.a Improve the action of fi-nancial tools which favour inno-vation

Based on a joint observation that, on the

one hand, the financing of innovation is

an essential priority for ensuring a region’s

economic dynamism and, on the other

hand, that the present-day banking sys-

tem does not guarantee a well thought-out

allocation of funds for this objective, it is

suggested that an assessment of existing

public instruments be carried out in order

to evaluate their impact in terms of the

objectives described in this programme.

Measures will also be taken to enable the

most innovative projects to benefit from

appropriate public financial guarantees.

Finally, special attention will be paid to the

personalised financial supervision of inno-

vative companies via the setting up of an

ad hoc tool..

68 III.2.b Stimulate the creation of public private partnerships in or-der to support and accompany innovative new companies

PPP will be set up with the support of

public or semi-public financial tools and

major companies working in the sectors

concerned.

Priority will be given to cutting-edge sec-

tors likely to make their mark in the coming

years for which Wallonia has a large poten-

tial.

PPP may adopt a variety of legal statuses,

but must meet the very highest standards

in force in terms of transparency and effec-

tiveness. A specific charter will be drawn

up on this subject

.

Action III.3 : Complementary measures

IIl.3. a Measure designed to ensu-re legislative harmony favourable to innovation

The Minister will make the necessary pro-

visions to raise awareness among all the

stakeholders in Wallonia and the Federal

Government likely to intervene in the le-

gislative process affecting the innovation

process in order to avoid any counter-pro-

ductive effects in the setting up of a new

mechanism or the adaptation of an existing

mechanism.

69III.3.b Measure designed to en-courage innovation through tax incentives

The Minister will invite the Federal Minister

for Finance to propose measures likely to

encourage innovative companies through

tax incentives.

the financing of innovation is an essential priority

70 1 An innovative experience was initiated at a school in Chareleroi and completed success-fully throughout an entire school year among 2nd year primary pupils. It was completely in line with the framework defined above and could legitimately be extended to all of schoo-ling and to different school networks. This approach is based on the use of a series of very simple and fun tools which lead the child to acquire a series of skills useful for the rest of his or her life: creativity, a critical spirit, per-severance, introspection, etc. These tools are built according to the TRIZ theory (theory of inventive problem solving) developed by G. Altschuller, and one of its variants OTSM-TRIZ (general theory of powerful thinking). Walloon advocates of this experience are currently wor-king with experts from other countries (NL, F, D)

Notes & références

Cabinet de Jean-Claude Marcourt, Vice-Président et Ministre de l'Économie, des PME, du Commerce extérieur et des Technologies nouvelles : 2, rue Kefer, 5100 Jambes

conception graphique : dogstudio

éditeur responsable : Henri Monceau, 2 rue Kéfer, 5100 Jambes

www.creative-wallonia.be