Regional specialised observatories networks in technological development and innovation exemplified by the Silesia Voivodship

The Regional Specialised Observatories Network is a systemic tool to encourage interdisciplinary cooperation between the key participants of the regional innovation system in order to build the competitive advantage of the region. The network responds to the region’s requirements by creating a modern tool to monitor the effects of the pro-technological development of the region in particular areas of technology, established in the Technological Development Strategy (TDS) for the Silesian Voivodship for the years 2010-2020, which is a constituent of the Regional Innovation Strategy. The observatory network will concentrate on collecting and processing specialised knowledge in the areas of technology in accord with TDS, monitoring technological and economic trends and assessment of the endogenous technological potential of the Silesian Voivodship. The network’s operation, through the link to the regional observatory as well as to national initiatives, will stimulate many forms of cooperation and contribute to the bonding of economic circles, innovators, science and research centres, the regional government and authorities responsible for drawing up and implementing development policy. The Regional Specialised Observatories Network is an open structure geared towards collecting, processing and publicising specialised knowledge, being a trustworthy source of data and information on technological areas in the region. The article presents the Network’s impact on identifying challenges and technological trends in reference to the region’s potential.Preparation and printing funded by the National Agency for Research and Development under project “Kreator Innowacyjności – wparcie dla Przedsiębiorczości akademickiej

Science-Economy-Technology Concordance Matrix for Development and Implementation of Regional Smart Specializations in the Silesian Voivodeship, Poland

The regional smart specializations include the innovative activities within a common science-economy-technology sector, which open the opportunities to gain a competitive advantage. The original procedure of science-economy-technology concordance matrix development on an example of smart specializations of the Silesian Voivodeship was presented in the paper. The procedure developed includes recognition of the research and economic components of the regional smart specialization and the connection between the economic components of the regional specialization and the technological innovation through the international patent classification. It also comprises recognition of key enabling technologies (KETs) and high technologies (of high R&D intensity) other than KET in the economic and technological dimensions of innovation as well as the high R&D intensity services in the economic dimension of innovation. The in-depth expert analyses with the application of the Delphi method were also taken into account. The methodological approach developed and the visualization method applied are both of cognitive and practical importance since they contribute significantly to the creation of efficient development policies, to the enhancement and facilitation of cross-sectoral cooperation, and to the focusing on the fields of key importance in terms of the competitive advantage of a region