On the Effects of Institutional Arrangements for Innovation in Clusters - A comparative case study of sugar clusters in São Paulo, the North East of Brazil and Cuba.

This thesis explores the effects of institutional arrangements for innovation in clusters. Clusters have become one of the most popular concepts in innovation policy studies in recent years. They have been ascribed as places with structures that reduce transaction costs, and enable innovation processes due to the prevalence of different types of externalities. The focus of this dissertation is on dynamic externalities that support innovation. Five types of externalities that were most frequently prevalent in the literature have been explored, intense competition, knowledge spill-over, specialisation, user-producer learning and joint action. Innovation takes place through interaction and this thesis has explored how cluster externalities can influence innovation depending upon the types of institutional arrangements that govern transactions. Four arrangements have been explored, market, network, quasi hierarchy and state arrangements. A comparative case study of the sugar and ethanol clusters in São Paulo, the North East of Brazil and Cuba has been carried out with the purpose to identify how the conceptual pieces relate to each other and whether cluster externalities have been behind the innovation that has taken place in the clusters. The dissertation has found that externalities influence innovation in various ways, which is enabled and influenced by the institutional arrangements and these influence the externalities differently. Arrangements have stronger connection to some externalities than others, e.g. intense competition is enabled by market arrangements and network arrangements are strongly connected to joint action. At the same time some arrangements can prevent externalities or reduce their impact. Of the explored clusters, São Paulo is the case where most innovation is taking place. It is the most diversified cluster with regard to specialisation, actors and arrangements and the case where the cluster externalities have been the most widespread, diversified and influential. In the North East of Brazil less innovation has taken place, the cluster is thinner with regard to actors, specialisation and scientific capacity. Innovation in the North East is to a lesser extent the outcome of cluster externalities. There are fewer local networks in place than in São Paulo and the ones that exist are less oriented towards enabling innovation. The Cuban cluster is dense with actors, strong competencies in science and technology and knowledge of derivate production. There is equipment and machinery in place, of which some is becoming dated though. The Cuban cluster is more the outcome of national state arrangements and international linkages than cluster externalities. The development of the cluster and innovation is hampered, by the lack of markets and network arrangements

Place-Based Innovation Ecosystems: Volvo companies in Gothenburg (Sweden)

There is a revival in the automotive sector in West Sweden, whereby several new companies set around the vehicle industry are attracting fresh capital and expertise into the region. An increasingly dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem is generating new innovation intermediaries who provide added-value functions. The emergence of these innovation intermediaries is being driven by political, market-related, socio-cultural, relational and technological factors. These include societal challenges and trends that drive political interest, such as environmental issues and climate change. There is also a political interest in adapting to globalisation, to secure regional competitiveness and resilience. New technology developments include the electrification of vehicles, automation and connected vehicles. This is driving an interest from industry and academia in attracting talent and securing competences. There is also a tradition and experience of collaboration in the region. Volvo Group (AB Volvo) and Volvo Cars are very interested in continuing to nurture the regional ecosystem, by attracting other companies to the region. Civil society is eventually involved in the innovation ecosystem as user of technology, where user behaviour is analysed as an input to development processes. A common view among respondents is that it should be the needs of the stakeholders to drive the setting-up of innovation support actors or collaborative projects. These initiatives should support not only single companies but also many actors in the system, and be conducive to collaborative activities.JRC.B.3-Territorial Developmen

Digital Innovation Hubs in Smart Specialisation Strategies

This report examines the synergetic place-based relationships of Digital Innovation Hubs (DIH) and Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) in selected European regions, with DIHs being the policy outcome of a S3 process or an active actor participating in S3 entrepreneurial discovery processes (EDP) and implementing parts of a S3. By supporting the digitisation of the local industry DIHs also enhance the regional innovation ecosystem, either with the provision of horizontal digitalisation support or by leading a S3 priority area. One clear role of DIHs is to make available support easier to find for local SMEs and industry. DIHs work according to different business models and a targeted funding mix plus a matrix of different funding instruments for the digital transformation of SMEs are required for their sustainability. The report compiles 7 relevant examples (1 national and 6 regional).JRC.B.3-Territorial Developmen

Digital Innovation Hubs as policy instruments to boost digitalisation of SMEs: A Practical Handbook & Good Practices for regional/national policy makers and DIH Managers

Building upon the knowledge gained during the last two years on how Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) operate in different regional socioeconomic contexts, this practical handbook aims to provide national/regional policy makers and/or existing DIH managers useful and structured information on how to setup a new DIH or reinforce existing ones while benefiting from available funds with a special focus to the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) 2021-2027. Given the urgent need of SMEs and public administrations to rapidly deploy advanced digital technologies to mitigate the negative consequences of the recent COVID19 crisis to their businesses, the role of DIHs is more important than ever. The Handbook introduces a step-by-step approach to provide support to policy makers that envisage strengthening DIHs in their regions/countries with a view to accelerate digital transformation of the economy and society. This approach allows to use the Handbook as a reference tool depending on the specific needs and level of implementation of DIHs. The practical character of the Handbook is enhanced with the inclusion of many examples that highlight good practices in the different steps of the proposed methodology.JRC.B.3-Territorial Developmen

Tourism Diversification and Its Implications for Smart Specialisation

The complex nature of tourism, its strong inter-sectoral relationships and regional dimension challenge innovation. The advent of smart specialisation, which focuses on regional diversification across sectors, offers considerable and hitherto largely unrealized potential for developing innovative tourism policies within this new agenda. This paper addresses the understudied concept of tourism diversification and its unrealized relevance to smart specialisation, which has emerged as a mainstream logic underpinning EU Cohesion Policy reforms and has diffused into other OECD countries. It provides a theoretical framework for studying product, market, sectoral and regional diversification as well as related variety in tourism. Some policy implications for realizing tourism diversification and for the potential role of tourism in smart specialisation strategies in particular are suggested

Virtuella möten – Hur kan SUMO-verktyget användas för utvärdering av implementering?

Det finns drivkrafter för införande av virtuella möten i organisationer både i form av miljöaspekter och ekonomiska incitament. En omfattande förändring av mötesformer sker dock inte av sig själv. 2006 initierade Vägverket ett projekt kallat Resfri för att bygga upp en informationstjänst som kan hjälpa organisationer att ändra sina mötesvanor. För Vägverkets räkning har författarna utfört intervjuer med sju svenska organisationer och presenterat ett förslag på hur implementeringen av virtuella möten kan utvärderas. Framgångsfaktorer har identifierats och kopplats till utvärderingsverktyget SUMO. De identifierade faktorerna, vilka berör mjuka värden i form av attityder och beteenden, är: Ledning, Utbildning, Deltagande, Policy, Marknadsföring av fördelar, Samarbete mellan avdelningar samt Information och Kommunikation. Slutligen har SUMO-verktyget modifierats för att bättre kunna utvärdera en implementering

Exploring heterogeneous Digital Innovation Hubs in their context

This report explores the regional variation in organisation and implementation of DIHs across six (6) different EU regions: Saxony-Anhalt (Germany), Wielkopolska (Poland), Northern Ostrobothnia (Finland), Tallinn (Estonia), Andalusia (Spain) and Central Macedonia (Greece). The case studies were conducted in conjunction with a wider survey among DIH managers and regional policy managers (RIS3) whose results are presented in a separate JRC Technical Report. While the survey covers a wider scope of questions, this report follows a comparative approach in order to identify common denominators, strengths and challenges concerning 1) how the DIHs are set-up; 2) how DIHs are fitted to the regional policy- and economic context, with particular attention given to the connection between DIHs and the regional/national smart specialisation strategy (RIS3); 3) how regions could better benefit by DIHs; 4) what are the funding sources and how they are coordinated. The report aims to contribute to our understanding of different models of DIHs registered in the DIH Catalogue (yellow pages) across regions and their respective interactions with the regional/national innovation ecosystems and specifically the smart specialisation strategies. The selected approach has also helped to highlight current good practices and suggest alternative ideas on how to set up future DIHs (e.g. multi-sided platforms model) also in view of the upcoming Digital Europe Programme (DEP).JRC.B.3-Territorial Developmen

Putting Digital Innovation Hubs into Regional Context

While digitalisation is oftentimes thought of as a global megatrend and something that transcends national borders and geographical distances, it is at the same time a very tangible process exhibiting considerable regional and sectoral variation. Against this backdrop, Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) (a policy initiative in the context of the Digitising European Industry (DEI) strategy of the EU) constitute an important complementary and regionally anchored policy, whose impact can be boosted if combined with other EU-wide innovation supporting initiatives (i.e. regional/national innovation strategies). After three years of the launch and successful deployment of the DIHs initiative, a survey has been conducted among DIH managers and regional policy managers working with Smart Specialisation Strategies all over the EU28. The survey provided a useful insight of the digital maturity level of the regional contexts in which DIHs operate and what role they have undertaken in their respective regions, as well as the DIHs' characteristics and activities in their regional context and other important aspects such as collaboration, strategies and funding. This report consists of a thorough analysis of the collected answers. Delivered together with a case study analysis of six (6) regional DIHs in different socio-economic contexts (separate report), they aim at providing useful evidence on current strengths, weaknesses and variations of DIHs also in view of the planning for the upcoming Digital Europe Programme (DEP) and its funding priorities.JRC.B.3-Territorial Developmen