SPIDER

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SPIDER

• Increasing regional competitiveness through
  futures research methods
• Millennium Project
• 2005 Planning Committee Meeting
• July
• Chicago, USA
• Juha Kaskinen

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Organization

• Coordinator
• Finland Futures Academy (Finland Futures Research
  Centre, Turku School of Economics and Business
  Administration)
• Partners
• 1) Germany , Duesseldorf Region
• Z_ punkt GmbH Büro für Zukunftsgestaltung
• 2) Belgium, Wallonia
• The Destree Institute
• Website http//www.spider-project.net

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Goals

• The aim of the SPIDER project is to create
  connections between regional actors and reinforce
  their role as actors and creators of regional
  knowledge-based innovation systems.
• Development of foresight methodologies on the
  basis of good practices coming from the national
  foresight exercises and e.g. the methodological
  proceedings of the Millennium Project.
• Implement futures studies methods as a central
  part of regional innovation systems
• Create regional vision for innovation system

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Actions

• The main phases of the project are
• 1) Designing the detailed networking strategy and
  the inter-regional/ regional work plans
• 2) Carrying out the regional analyses and
  applying the regional competitiveness model in
  the selected regions (regional analyses
  comparison)
• 3) Composing local actor groups with
  recommendations given by the SG and in accordance
  with the local work plans
• 4) Designing regional visions by using Delphi
  method (with the internet based questionnaire and
  interviews)
• 5) Modifying region- and European based policy
  implications
• 6) Reinforcing connections / cohesions between
  European regions and actors

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SPIDER timetable and actions
Actions
SG BS 16-17.2 Turku
SG BS (12.7. Essen)
SG BS (virtual)
Detailed action plan, next steps
More detailed action plan
Regional analyses
Virtual environment
Networking
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6
9
12
2004
Time
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SPIDER timetable and actions
Actions
SG BS
SG BS (virtual)
SG BS
Extended workshop
Delphi-method and tool
Expert workshop Brussels
Delphi analyses
Preparing reports
Regional visions
3
6
9
12
2005
Time
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Evaluation model (Ståhle Sotarauta 2003)
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Components of regional analyses

• Human capital
• Innovativeness
• Concentration
• Infrastructure
• Firms and companies
• Institutions
• The quality of environment (nature, social and
  cultural env.)
• Networks of developers
• Creative tension
• Image

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Local Action Groups

• Idea to be a regional network of networks
• Cover regional actors from various public and
  private organizations
• Approximately 30 participants in each region
• Line of action Future workshops,
  e-communication, core experts of the
  delphi-questionnaire rounds
• Combinations differ from region to region due to
  regional special features

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Elements of the vision of the regional innovation
system
Entrepreneurship
Culture / attitudes / customs
(Regional characteristics)
Growth sectors (Cultural products BIO-sector,
ICT-sector) Centralization/ Specialization
Nature and build environment Infrastructure
Globalization
Institutions (education, RD) Human and social
capital Learning environments
Regional structures and organizations
Networking Creative tension Management Growth
platforms
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Mapping the possible actions
Action
Obstacles
Actors
Resources
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Expert seminar discussion

• We want to improve the quality of life of
  people.
• What became obvious in the course of the day is
  that many of the issues tackled so far in the
  project, coming from the work in the three
  regions, are of central importance to other
  regions in Europe as well. The question of how to
  support or even generate a successful regional
  development into the direction of the so-called
  knowledge society can be seen as the core
  question here. This question and the possible
  strategies connected to it are of key importance
  to all the regions which were present in the
  seminar.

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Expert seminar discussion

• Problem of measuring
• We need to think about indicators that measure
  also social and cultural aspects of regions.
• The social and cultural aspects of regional
  development were emphasized by all participants.
• The problem of indicators in measuring and
  foresight regional development is apparent. New
  indicators are needed and perhaps especially
  qualitative indicators. This question is linked
  with the problem of the undervaluation of
  intangible assets in the regional economics lack
  of serious tools to valorize knowledge,
  measurement of a qualitative driven knowledge
  society, level of trust of the companies and
  innovative products (innovation climate towards
  confidence climate), pertinence of GDP indicator
  (micro-changes of today can not be observed but
  will become macro trends of tomorrow), etc.

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Expert seminar discussion

• Participation
• A region of knowledge has to be an open region.
• A knowledge region is a region where regional
  decision-makers and citizens especially workers
  and students have a good understanding and
  ownership (these are closely linked) of what a
  knowledge society is. They try to build long-term
  views to define what the final aims of their own
  territory are in the global evolution and in the
  hypothesis of the building of a global knowledge
  society. They should also share a real confidence
  in the regional development plan, even if
  investments in knowledge are long-term
  investments for long term re-conversion. We also
  insisted upon three points the territorial
  ability to give an access to knowledge to all the
  inhabitants of the region the need for foresight
  as a common learning process the importance of
  empowering the citizens to use foresight tools
  (understanding of the concepts and of the
  building of intangible assets, creativity, from
  benchmarking to learn-marking, etc.).

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Expert seminar discussion

• Role of will and emotions
• We need new champions in our regions.
• A knowledge region is a passionate region, a
  region of passion, with a real willingness to
  activate projects (Knowledge is following
  passions How to attract/provoke passions?). A
  knowledge region deals with risks such as
• Strong entrepreneurship with open-minded and
  curious CEOs a need for new mental schemes
  towards risk and security
• Political risk, where political representatives
  are ready to oppose movement to security. When
  the difficulty to manage with harmony was
  discussed, the two trends and important choices
  of life were stressed developing performing
  sectors beside stagnating old industry while
  avoiding social exclusion.

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Expert seminar discussion

• High tech low tech connection
• The three Ts are central Technology, talent
  and tolerance.
• A knowledge region is a region that develops
  science and technology through innovation. It
  means that intellectual as well as manual work is
  needed. Talent is not only addressed to science
  but is also needed to develop craft industry,
  which is also in the heart of knowledge. In that
  field, it is important to erase the cognitive
  barrier. One must also remember that universities
  are one source of innovations, but just one.

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Expert seminar discussion

• Image of regions
• We can affect the regional image through media
  and actions.
• A knowledge region is an attractive region, with
  a clear image and with an improving quality of
  life (infrastructure, environment, culture etc.).
  A dynamic social climate oriented towards
  innovation could keep the brains in the region
  and attract the knowledge society's nomads from
  outside (economy becomes local while creativity
  is global). The role of the media in supporting
  regional innovation systems is a great but still
  underdeveloped opportunity to improve regional
  image.
• In conclusion, the question of what is excellence
  in a knowledge-based society suggests new doors
  to open and in-depth work to undertake within
  these frameworks of Knowledge programs and
  initiatives.

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Expert seminar discussion

• Methodological suggestions
• Use methods with imagination.
• Not doing anything- and nightmare-scenarios
  can be used in regional development projects in
  order to show the need of active future oriented
  action. Strategic conversation could also be an
  applicable method in this respect. A new way of
  doing cluster analysis over sectors offers
  possibilities to tackle regional strengths and
  weaknesses. In order to engage, motivate and
  empower the citizens to regional development,
  participatory methods are needed.

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Expert seminar discussion

• Learning, learning regions and lifelong learning
• Learning should not only refer to learning in
  the traditional sense, but also to social and
  cultural learning
• A knowledge region is a region where all the
  citizens have the possibility to receive an
  education and to go on with life-long learning.
  Indeed, the concept of learning region would be
  more adapted because it would be more oriented
  towards the learning mobilization of all the
  stakeholders and the citizens of the region
  (knowledge creation must be linked to
  temporality). A knowledge region is a region
  promoting excellence in education and in research
  that overcome the hesitations of universities to
  deal with companies and regional authorities for
  a common development effort.

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Next steps of SPIDER

• Delphi-questionnaires and interviews
• A publication in English based on the regional
  reports
• Analysis of Delphi-questionnaires
• Final report (March 2006)

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Contact information

• Dr. (Soc. Sc.), Coordinator (International
  Affairs) Juha Kaskinen
• Finland Futures Research Centre / Finland Futures
  Academy
• Turku School of Economics and Business
  Administration
• Rehtorinpellonkatu 3 20500 Turku, Finland
• Tel. [phone] Mob. [phone] Fax
  358 4814 630
• juha.kaskinen_at_tukkk.fi
• http//www.tukkk.fi/tutu
• http//www.spider-project.net