Place-based Innovation Ecosystems: Ljubljana start-up ecosystem and the Technology Park Ljubljana (Slovenia)

This case study focuses on Ljubljana/ Slovenia's start-up ecosystem and its main actors and orchestrators (or "innovation process entrepreneurs") like the Technology Park Ljubljana. While Slovenia has kept its place as a strong innovator (EIS, 2017), the only CEEC in this group, it lacks an effective governance structure for research and innovation and true collaboration between actors. Taking advice from more experienced countries and applying policy and funding instruments prescribed by the EU could have speeded up the process of developing a more advanced innovation system, but frequent changes of the instruments and the support provided to different stakeholders did not help. Against this background, one of the interesting phenomena that can be observed in Ljubljana’s start-up environment is a growth of various kinds of new initiatives, some bottom-up from entrepreneurial activity, others stimulated by public policy, but all aimed at providing stimulating support to start-ups, from co-working spaces, geek house, Hackathon, etc. All together they create a dynamic network, which spreads beyond Ljubljana’s Region across Slovenia, but also much wider across Western Balkans and to EU and USA. This network is developing in parallel, with or without the support of formal institutions and/or governmental support.JRC.B.3-Territorial Developmen

ILBES: Un approccio di apprendimento intergenerazionale per l’inclusione sociale in spazi e ambienti misti

Public libraries, educational, cultural or welfare centres, and other public spaces where digital services are embedded, hereby referred as Blended Environments and Spaces (BES), have become an important provider of free, public access to ICT, internet and learning environments for sociallydisadvantaged target groups. They are a reference point for new technologies, non-formal learning, people empowerment and social integration. Theclientele of BES largely includes seniors and elders who are digitally illiterate, as well as youngsters volunteering as adult trainers on the basis of their own digital competences. At the same time, the current economic downturn is pushing the job-inexperienced youngsters to look for help at these and other centres with social vocation due to the reduced employment opportunities they found.The Intergenerational Learning in Blended Environments and Spaces (ILBES) methodology was developed as part of eScouts, an EC-funded project. It is inspired in two proven learning methodologies (Community-Service Learning and Participatory and Appreciative Action and Reflection) which are combined for the first time in the design of an intergenerational learning circle that facilitates the socio-digital inclusion of seniors and the entranceof youth to the labour market and adult life, while improving solidarity between generations and local community cohesion.Le biblioteche pubbliche, i centri culturali o di assistenza e altri spazi pubblici dove i servizi digitali sono inclusi (qui riferiti con il termine di Blended Environments and Spaces, BES) sono divenuti un’importante fonte libera e pubblica di accesso alle tecnologie informatiche di comunicazione (ICT), a Internet e ad ambienti di apprendimento rivolti a gruppi socialmente svantaggiati.Sono un punto di riferimento per le nuove tecnologie, l’apprendimento informale, l’empowerment delle persone e l’integrazione sociale. La clientela dei BES include ampiamente adulti e anziani digitalmente analfabeti, così come giovani che volontariamente formano gli adulti a partire dalle loro competenze digitali. Contemporaneamente, l’attuale crisi economica spinge i giovani che entrano nel mondo del lavoro a cercare aiutoin questi e altri centri a vocazione sociale per sopperire alle ridotte occasioni di impiego a loro disposizione. La metodologia dell’Apprendimento Intergenerazionale in Ambienti e SpaziMisti (ILBES) è stata sviluppata come parte dell’eScouts, un progetto finanziato  dalla CE. Si ispira a due assodate metodologie di apprendimento (Community Service Learning e Participatory and Appreciative Action and Reflection) che sono combinate per la prima volta nel progetto di un circolo di apprendimento intergenerazionale che facilita l’inclusione socio-digitaledegli anziani e l’ingresso della gioventù nel mondo del lavoro e nella vita adulta, migliorando allo stesso tempo la solidarietà tra generazioni e la coesione della comunità locale

Innovation Camps Methodology Handbook: Realising the potential of the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process for Territorial Innovation and Development.

The present Methodology Handbook is conceived to encourage regions and cities from all over Europe to adopt the Innovation Camps methodology as a tool to address collectively and effectively societal and economic challenges concerning local societies in a European context - notably in the field of Research and Innovation Smart Specialisation Strategies (RIS3) through an open, collaborative and inclusive Entrepreneurial Discover Process (EDP) between Quadruple Helix actors (i.e. government, industry, academia, and civil society).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

Place-Based Innovation Ecosystems: Espoo Innovation Garden and Aalto University (Finland)

The present case study pursues to identify key success factors in Espoo innovation ecosystem, with a particular attention to the role of Aalto University, with a view to inform policies aimed at supporting the strengthening and emergence of existing and new place-based innovation ecosystems in other EU regions and cities, as well as of entrepreneurial universities. It starts by defining what a place-based innovation ecosystem is intended to be, and identifies a conceptual framework that can operationalise the study of concrete cases. The study continues with a presentation of the main local actors and pre-existing enabling factors, progressively moves to the catalysers that have made this innovation garden flourish (notably the reforms that enabled the emergence of Aalto University with its particular governance model) and finally analyses its Quadruple Helix collaboration model and the way the whole ecosystem is orchestrated.JRC.B.3-Territorial Developmen

The Future of Cities

This report is an initiative of the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the science and knowledge service of the European Commission (EC), and supported by the Commission's Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO). It highlights drivers shaping the urban future, identifying both the key challenges cities will have to address and the strengths they can capitalise on to proactively build their desired futures. The main aim of this report is to raise open questions and steer discussions on what the future of cities can, and should be, both within the science and policymaker communities. While addressing mainly European cities, examples from other world regions are also given since many challenges and solutions have a global relevance. The report is particularly novel in two ways. First, it was developed in an inclusive manner – close collaboration with the EC’s Community of Practice on Cities (CoP-CITIES) provided insights from the broader research community and city networks, including individual municipalities, as well as Commission services and international organisations. It was also extensively reviewed by an Editorial Board. Secondly, the report is supported by an online ‘living’ platform which will host future updates, including additional analyses, discussions, case studies, comments and interactive maps that go beyond the scope of the current version of the report. Steered by the JRC, the platform will offer a permanent virtual space to the research, practice and policymaking community for sharing and accumulating knowledge on the future of cities. This report is produced in the framework of the EC Knowledge Centre for Territorial Policies and is part of a wider series of flagship Science for Policy reports by the JRC, investigating future perspectives concerning Artificial Intelligence, the Future of Road Transport, Resilience, Cybersecurity and Fairness Interactive online platform : https://urban.jrc.ec.europa.eu/thefutureofcitiesJRC.B.3-Territorial Developmen

Población Inmigrante

This article analyses the actual and potential uses of ICT for the development of migrant's economic participation (employment and self-employment) in Spain; the barriers they face and the opportunities brought by ICT to activate -with help of public policies- their potential.JRC.J.3-Information Societ

ICT to support Everyday Life Integration of Immigrants in the European Union: An Online Survey of Connected Migrants - First Methodological Report

This methodological report documents the development of an online-based methodology aimed to collect quantitative evidence on the adoption and uses of information and communication technologies (ICT) by third-country nationals in Europe. The evidence produced by using this methodology is expected to allow an examination of the extent to which technology can accelerate or trigger the process of integration of immigrants in their hosting societies. This report was prepared as a part of the research study "ICT to support everyday life integration of immigrants or ethnic minority people (IEM)" (ConnectIEM) co-funded by JRC-IPTS and DG INFSO, European Commission. It counted with the collaboration of external research teams of the Migration and Network Society Programme (MNS) hosted by the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3) of the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), the Technological and Social Change Group (TASCHA) hosted by the University of Washington, and a network of local researchers based in the target countries.JRC.J.3-Information Societ

Survey on eInclusion Actors in the EU27

This report presents the results of an online survey of almost 3,000 organizations working on eInclusion in 27 European countries. The findings of the analysis provide policy relevant insights and help shed light on the size of the sector, the types of organizations providing eInclusion services and their capacity (staff, budgets, funding sources, and networks), the services they provide, and the target groups they serve. They illustrate the key relevance of these estimated 250,000 actors in EU27 in advancing social and economic inclusion goals of the Europe 2020 strategy, and in particular, the digital literacy and inclusion goals of the Digital Agenda for Europe. This research constitutes a building block of a larger project ‘Measuring the Impact of eInclusion Actors on Digital Literacy, Skills, and Inclusion goals of the Digital Agenda for Europe’ (MIREIA), a policy-oriented research project which aims to better understand the role of these actors across the European Union and to create adequate measurement instruments to provide evidence about how they contribute to the achievement of the Europe 2020 policy goals, from the eInclusion perspective

E-Inclusion Policies and Initiatives in Support of Employability of Migrants and Ethnic Minorities in Europe

Given the shrinking labor force in Europe, increasing the labor market participation of women and older people, reducing the number of unemployed people¿particularly among young generations¿and achieving a fuller economic integration of immigrants and ethnic minorities are all crucial goals. To support the growth and innovation aims of Europe, however, these groups must also match the skills required in the labor market, and digital capabilities figure high among such requirements. The article provides an overview of EU eInclusion policies, of the role played by public internet access points and third sector organisations in providing digital literacy and access to disadvantaged groups, and provides examples of ICT-based initiatives addressing from different angles the employability of immigrants and ethnic minorities .JRC.J.4-Information Societ