Partnerships for Regional Innovation: playbook : concepts and rationales

This report underpins the Partnerships for Regional Innovation Playbook by synthesising the main concepts and rationales in support of PRI. It draws on the JRC's experience with smart specialisation strategies (S3) over the last decade, state-of-the-art literature on innovation governance and initial deliberations with practitioners. The experience with S3 over the last decade is an important basis for the development of PRI. The experience with S3 varies considerably across Europe. To a significant extent, S3 appears to have contributed to more methodical planning, more effective coordination and more inclusive regional innovation policy governance. However much remains to be done to improve governance settings and policy capacity. Furthermore, in practice S3 was dominated by a narrow understanding of innovation emphasising R&D and knowledge-intensive firms, and the effectiveness of withingovernment coordination under S3 has been weak, both horizontal (across policy portfolios) and vertical (across levels of governance), with a persistent silo approach in government that is difficult to overcome. In this new context requiring transformative innovation, there is now scope to refocus efforts. The PRI approach builds on the positive experience with S3 in terms of stakeholder involvement, while significantly expanding the approach for the development of a strategic framework that strives for co-benefits and long-term societal well-being, in line with the European Green Deal. The report succinctly outlines the new scientific paradigm of innovation governance and translates its insights into key considerations in getting closer to the long-term goalposts of PRI development, namely to: Deliver effective solutions to pressing societal challenges within defined timeframes; Use resources in ways that generate co-benefits for the economy, society and environment; Draw linkages across multiple stakeholders and policy domains, exploit synergies and address tensions; Revise and reform policy and regulatory instruments to improve coordination and amplify impact.