Oulu Smart City Seminar Intelligent Community Development & Smart Market Creation Oulu, 6th May 2015 Added Value of Cross-Border Ecosystems for Innovation Association of European Border Regions
Aug 15, 2015
Oulu Smart City SeminarIntelligent Community Development &
Smart Market Creation
Oulu, 6th May 2015
Added Value of Cross-BorderEcosystems for Innovation
Association of European Border Regions
CBC in Europe is a story ofMulti-Level Governance and
assymetries• 50 years of “formal” CBC in the EU; centuries
of “informal” and “abnormal” CBC• Laboratories for European Integration• Central Europe (Rhine basin), Northern
Europe, Mediterranean regions, EasternEurope up to the Caucasus, …
• Global CBC for Global Challenges: LatinAmerica, Africa and Asia
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CBC, EU and Globalisation:Globalisation has placed everyone inits right place: Economy vs. Politics
• Long institutional, intelectual history, etc., but very few
row materials, energy sources, … (we are a huge
thematic park)
• Only strengthening integration we can save the current
situation (upwards and downwards): Territorial
Cohesion
• Knowledge Triangle: EDUC, RESEARCH, INNOV
• Triple (quadruple) Helix: UNI-IND-GOB (-SOC)
• Bet for TALENT, “give a bonus to risk”
European experienceshows:
• Supranational integration processes doesnot guarantee cohesion in very diverseterritories. Their own dynamics strengthenmore developed areas (territorialdumping).
• There is a need of a “positivediscrimination”: territorial cooperationprogrammes and projects (Interreg) toenhance economic, social and territorialcohesion.
Diversityfrom being an obstacle to createopportunities
Various:• Cultures and social systems• Administrative structures and powers• Fiscal and social legislations• Many other political activities
… meet at the borders• Citizens have grown up in very different
environments• They will not sacrifice aspects of everyday lives
for the European ideal• No State will alter its tried and trusted structures
Objective: Critical Mass
• CB regions cover half of their potential areas ofinfluence
• CBC makes easier to achieve a critical mass:synergies, efficiency, joint planning andmanaging
• Creation of CB influence areas• Creation of alliances for joint sustainable
benefits
Socio-economic addedvalue of CBC
• Mobilisation of endogenous potential, strengthening regional and locallevel as partners and initiators of CBC
• Participation of economic and social actors (chambers, associations,companies, trade unions, cultural and social institutions, environmental orgsand tourism agencies)
• Opening up of labour markets and harmonisation of professionalqualifications
• Additional developments: infrastructures, transport, tourism,environment, education, research & cooperation between SMEs, and thecreation of employment
• Lasting improvements in Spatial Development and regional policy(including environment)
• Improvement of cross-border transport infrastructure
AEBR Annual Conference 2014Rzeszów, Carpathian Euroregion
Innovation and Research – CB Regional Developmentthrough Public-Private Partnership
Ø Eminent position of Innovation in EU2020 StrategyØ Innovation not only as high-tech solutions, but also new approach of
“traditional” fields (tourism or agro-food industry)Ø In CB regions it offers: a larger market, new sources of employment,
attraction of enterprises, spin-off effects, etc.Ø It also needs good international contacts (universities, research institutions,
enterprises, etc.).Ø CB regions should develop a joint strategy, with concrete proposals for
sustainable implementation and further development.Ø They can profit from Smart Specialization in both sides.Ø Territorial Cooperation programmes, Horizon 2020, Erasmus +, LIFE, ENI
and IPA, etc. Possibility of multi-fund approach.Ø EU funding used in the start-up phase to initiate cooperation and open new
opportunities. It is however necessary to reduce progressively EU support,so that cooperation process works after the end of external funding.
Ø An integral model of CB Innovation and Research should be based in aquadruple helix.
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Recommendations
n The following steps and frame conditions are needed:– Political will of affected countries– Bottom-up approach, where local/regional players have the
main role in collaboration with national governments (externalpartnerships, avoiding conflicts of competence)
– Involvement of politicians at all levels in both sides of theborder, to build up a lobby in favour of CBC
– Participation of all players in both sides of the border(public/private and equivalents, NGOs, etc.) to create a solidbasement for CBC using existing knowledge in both sides
– Conscience of socio-cultural cooperation: so important aseconomic cooperation (and often a pre-condition for successfulCBC)
n First phase: informal cooperation based in private lawn Afterwards: creation of permanent CB structures based in
public law
Association of European Border RegionsEnscheder Strasse, 362 Anna-Mackenroth-Weg 49D-48599 Gronau (Alemania) D-12205 Berlín
Phone: +49-2562-70219 – Fax: +49-2562-70259
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR ATTENTION