RIS N Implementing an Impact Assessment Culture

1
Regional Innovation System Lower AustriaIrma
Priedl Amt der Niederösterreichischen
LandesregierungIRE Regional Innovation
Systems Working GroupHelsinki, 29.November 2006
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Niederösterreich some geographical
structural data

• Largest province of Austria
• 1.56 mill. Inhabitants
• Area of 19.174 square km
• Approx. 4 unemployment rate
• Very heterogeneous economic structure
• Urban bacon belt of Vienna rural boarder
  regions

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Development of the Regional Innovation System NÖ
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Continuous improvement process of the Regional
Innovation System NÖ
was initiated in 1997 with the development of
the Regional Innovation Strategy Lower Austria
VisionEstablishment of NÖ as benchmark for
European Top 10 innovation regions
Development of the holistic Regional Innovation
System
Development of theRIS NÖ Strategy
Implementation ofthe RIS NÖ Strategy

• Start of implementationof strategic
  cornerpillars
• Start and realisation of projects that
  complement the corner pillars
• Orientation of the Obj. 2 New and INTERREG IIIa
  Programme towards the Regional Innovation
  Strategy Lower Austria

• Intensification of cooperation of enterprises,
  research and administration in Lower Austria in
  the field of innovation
• Sharpening the innovation profile of Lower
  Austria and international positioning of the
  region

• Achieving consensuson the orientation of the RIS
  Strategy Lower Austria
• Definition of 5 strategic corner pillars for RIS
  Lower Austria
• Definition of role allocation of the regional
  actors

• Establishment of Lower Austrian innovation
  system as European benchmark
• Positioning and Lead of Lower Austria for an
  innovation strategy Vienna Region

2001
2004
1997
1999
2008
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Need bundles for innovation supporting services
Internal company development
Financing
Market
Technology
Development of new products Marketing of new
products Market diversification Search for new
clients
RD project realisation Use of laboratories
/ appilances Projekt management for RD
projects Technical problem solving Information
on RD offers Technology screening Fesability
studies
Search for qualified personnal Qualification of
own stuff Management / Strategy
consulting Information events / seminars
Regional support programs National support
programs Inernational support programs
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The Regional Innovation Strategy NÖ

• In 1997 the providers of innovation supporting
  services have shown strong reluctance to the
  project
• we already know our customers ( regional firms)
  and their needs in innovation support
• there is no real necessity to deal with an
  analyses of the innovation supporting
  infrastructure in Lower Austria and to elaborate
  a Regional Innovation Strategy
• But in the end we received a Regional Innovation
  Strategy and Culture with

• Clearer knowledge of firms needs for innovation
  support
• Increased Customer orientation of actors of the
  innovation supporting infrastructure
• Stronger communication/networking among actors
• Regional Innovation Strategy NÖ with
• Broad regional commitment and
• Clearer defined roles of service providers and
  intermediaries
• Specified pillars as blueprint for the
  improvement of the Regional Innovation System NÖ

Regional Innovation Strategy Lower Austria Corner
pillars
Regional Innovation Strategy Lower Austria
Innovation
Technology
Cooperation
Internationalisation
Mobilise Start ups
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Implementation of the strategy
TopInnovation-System
Structural-fundsperiode 2007-2013
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The Regional Innovation System NÖ Success
factors

• Strong involvement of the relevant regional
  actors in the regional steering committee and
  the pilot actions
• Distributed responsibilities for pilot actions
  and single corner pillars of the Regional
  Innovation Strategy NÖ
• Bringing the firms assessment in the focus by
  large scale questionnaire survey addressing
  regional firms with complementary
  interviews/workshops

Low transparency of offered services
Gaps between firms needs and offered services
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Overall results of the NÖ continuous improvement
process so far

• Stronger need orientation of technology and
  further service providers increases the quality
  and the demand of the offered services
• Increased importance of technology and service
  providers as collaboration partners for regional
  firms
• Continuous communication and collaboration
  between actors improves effectiveness and
  efficiency of offered services
• Increased monitoring activities increases the
  insight in the impact of funding schemes and
  single subsidised projects
• Strengthened trans-regional cooperation enables
  the target-oriented transfer of proved and
  appropriated methodologies to Lower Austria
• In-depth insight in impact of funding schemes on
  NÖ firms innovation competitiveness

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Department for economy, tourism and technology

• Tasks
• Economic policy, development of a strategy
• Financial support
• Investment
• Innovation, Research Development
• Entering new markets, cooperation and
  qualification
• Supply network with products (daily necessary)
• Equity Capital, Guarantees
• Instruments
• RIS NÖ, Regionales Innovations System NÖ
• Fonds and contribution of Regional Government
• Accompanying measures and services TIP
  Technology and Innovation Partners, Clusters,
  Technopolprogram, ...

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Accompanying measures

• areas
• Innovation, Research Development
• Entering new markets
• Cooperation
• Start ups
• kind of support
• Awareness raising
• Generation of projects
• Coordination between intermediaries
• Coaching of the process
• Providing platforms

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TIP, Technologie und Innovations Partner

• tasks
• Local contact point
• Access to information and contacts
• Identifying of problems and facilitate solutions
• Coaching of RD projects
• Technology screening, state of the art
• Award for innovation, needs of enterprises
• tools
• consultancy (WIFI)
• Innovations-Check
• Informations Survey
• INFINÖ
• Tip Net (internal)
• Traffic light for supported projects

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ECO-Plus, Regionale Entwicklungsagentur NÖ

• tasks u.a
• Clustermanagement, ..
• Management of Technopolprogram
• Crossborder activities
• Inward investment
• Aquisition
• Support services
• Support of Infrastructure
• Regional development, sectorspanning projects,
• tools
• Businessparks,
• Financial support schemes e.g. Regionalisierung
• Objective 2 Program, Interreg, Leader, national

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NÖ Technology - TecNet Capital

• tasks
• Academic spin offs
• Venture capital
• Organisation und Coordination of applied research
  and
• Commercialisation of rd results
• Technologytransfer, -marketing
• Technologyprojects, Implementation of Center of
  Competences
• tools
• Seed fonds (VC)
• Subsidies
• Coaching
• Consulting

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NÖBEG Beteiligungs-, Kreditbürgschaftsgesellschaf
t NÖ

• tasks
• Equity Capital
• Existing enterprises (Investment)
• New enterprises (Investment)
• Start financing
• Pre seed phase
• Guarantees
• Internationalisation
• Business succession
• Working capital
• tools
• Guarantees of Regional Governement (Fonds),
  partly combined with
• Interest subsidies (Regional Governement)
• Program management

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RIZ, Regionale Innovations Zentren in NÖ

• tasks u.a
• Local contact point for start ups
• Infrastructure, Incubators and services
• Coaching for start ups
• tools
• incubators
• Coaching
• Consulting
• Informationj

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National level Financial support of enterprises

• 2 Agencies
• AWS, Austrian Wirtschafts Service GesmbH
• Investment
• FFG ForschungsfinanzierungsgesmbH
• Research ans Development
• Kinds of support
• loans
• Interest subsidies
• grants
• guarantees