“Academic sourcing”: Aligning Regional Research Programmes with Smart Specialization Domains
About this good practice
“Academic Sourcing” is a good practice example for implementing smart specialization through a regional programme for research projects and its governance.
Background: In 2008, the Regional Council launched a research grant for the industrial sector (“Bourse Recherche Filière”) to promote the dialogue between research labs & the emerging groups of companies. It has been created to increase scientific knowledge matched to industrial vision. However, only few companies were involved in the projects and able to integrate and apply the research results. In 2010, Auvergne approved the label of “Excellence Cluster” to several regional clusters. So according to this new context, the grant was changed into a Research Grant for Excellence Clusters (“Bourse Recherche Cluster”), dedicated to the consortium of each excellence cluster in the region. This led to a higher number of SMEs involved, but did not exploit the full potential of research projects.
“Academic sourcing”: In 2014, Auvergne defined 5 smart specialization domains (SIS “strategic innovation sectors”). These 5 SIS allow to create multidisciplinary partnerships among the different territory clusters. In order to boost the relationships and the mutual knowledge of the stakeholders within the SIS, the Regional Council adapts a new political tool: for each SIS a board of public and private stakeholders selects the academic topic of research programs (composed of 3 PhD or postdoc grants) in line with the strategy of the SIS.
Expert opinion
The good practice is a policy tool that aims to align research activities with RIS priority sectors in the region Auvergne. The Regional Council created a policy tool to favour research activities on RIS3 priority sectors. The policy tool offers working groups, which are composed of public and private stakeholders, in RIS3 priority sectors to define and outline a research project that will be then conducted by 3 PhD and/or Postdoc researchers. The research project must be aligned with the RIS3 priority sectors. The good practice has for main objectives to promote science-industry collaboration and the stir the S3 operational governance.
Some insights from the good practice:
-The good practice highlights a policy tool that strengthens the S3 operational governance through giving the opportunity in a ‘bottom-up’ manner to triple-helix actors to define and outline research priorities aligned with RIS3 priority sectors.
Resources needed
One project per SIS per year:
3 grants (3 y PhD / 2 y post-doc)
+ Equipment (50 k€)
+ Functioning (30 k€)
Total = 320 to 350 k€/ project
Cofunding: 60% ERDF + 40% Region
Evidence of success
From 4 research grants for sectors in 2008, to 8 Research grants for clusters in 2010, then up to 15 S3 sourcing grants since 2014.
In the first 2 years, 8 projects were funded for a total of 2,735 Millions €.
Potential for learning or transfer
Lessons learnt about benefits of this new approach:
- Future-oriented: new technological &scientific knowledge
- Related to the industrial collective strategy of the SIS based on a broad stakeholder involvement
- Strategic investment in the research labs
- Collaboration: application submitted by the technical committee of the SIS
- Leadership& excellence : external scientific peer-review
- Commitment: long-term partnership agreement signed by the public and private stakeholders
S3 Sourcing was chosen as good practice for fostering the smart specialization fields of Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, identified in the course of ClusteriX 2.0 project, since the project aims at improving governance of innovation policies, and better implementation of RIS3 thanks to clusters.
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Regional Council of Auvergne Rhône-Alpes