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RIS3 of Tuscany Region: strategic planning through stakeholders involvement
Published on 25 June 2020
Italy
Toscana
This is the good practice's implementation level. It can be national, regional or local.
About this good practice
Goods production and services delivering shifted to a knowledge-based economy and to an acceleration of innovation processes: policy makers are requested to adopt innovation policies, dealing with a) technology transfer governance, b) set up of regional innovation strategies (RIS). This requires a direct and structured involvement of relevant stakeholders and implies a high level of complexity. Tuscany Region (TR) developed a 5-step model for strategic planning, based on foresight and roadmapping. 1. Foresight/roadmapping: 13 regional Innovation Poles (IP) have been requested to organise open workshops on their specific fields and focused on technologies able to: a) upgrade the current state of art, b) introduce discontinuities, c) diffuse innovation/technologies, d) activate the innovation potential. As result of this phase, IP indicated relevant main roadmaps suggesting policy initiatives enabling strategic investments. 2. External Expert (EE) assessment of the roadmaps. EE completed a matrix stressing and describing main concentrations of good technological roadmaps and connections between technologies and sectors. 3. Open thematic workshops for roadmaps discussion. 4. Draft RIS3 document: main result of previous phases, the draft contains: context analysis; technological priorities; main integrated roadmaps and an action plan (indication of policy tools and financial framework). 5. Final RIS3 document/institutional validation after a peer reviewing with foreign regions.
Expert opinion
The good practice describes the methodology adopted for the strategic design of Tuscany’s Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3). The design methodology has involved regional stakeholders through a 5-step model for strategic planning that included (1) a foresight exercise by innovation poles on regional strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) to develop scientific and technological sectoral roadmaps, (2) external expert assessments of the roadmaps, (3) thematic workshops to validate the roadmaps, (4) drafting the S3 with defining institutional contexts, priorities, and action plans, and (5) the S3 validation by international peer regions. The S3 strategic design included many meetings, workshops, and sessions that respond to the basis of the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (EDP). The good practice highlights the importance to engage external experts to validate and legitimise strategic choices in the roadmaps and foresight exercises and to limit vested private interests. The good practice offers a practical methodological approach for the strategic design of S3 that could be used in many regions. Policymakers must pay attention to promote inclusive and continuous entrepreneurial discovery process (EDP) involving quadruple helix stakeholders throughout the S3 implementation in order to adapt and to reorient strategic roadmaps.
Works at
Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform
Resources needed
A total of about 200.000,00 euro: covering costs of internal personnel, external experts, workshops and working groups organisation, communication and visibility actions (covered by Tuscany Region ROP ERDF funds).
Evidence of success
40 initiatives (entrepreneurial discovery process) organised by 13 regional IP; 119 roadmaps proposed by the IP; 12 EE engaged for roadmaps assessment and evaluation; 1 plenary session with stakeholders exposing the whole processes; 10 open thematic workshops; 1 final session presenting the main findings of the thematic workshops; 2 peer reviewing workshops with foreign regions, supported by the JRC-S3 Platform; over 300 stakeholders involved; RIS3 validated after a large participative process.
Potential for learning or transfer
The methodological scheme proposed represents an interesting tool for public administrations in charge of strategic planning and, in particular, for regional RIS definition, updating, monitoring and evaluation. The described methodology addresses strategic planning uncertainties, both in terms of problem setting and solution finding with a scheme based on foresight and large participation processes, combining both wide participation and shared vision construction processes.
The proposed model could be also easily applied by regions in order to implement discovery and participatory processes to enhance regional opportunities through interregional partnerships, with a view of designing regional policies leveraging on constructed interregional advantage.
The proposed model could be also easily applied by regions in order to implement discovery and participatory processes to enhance regional opportunities through interregional partnerships, with a view of designing regional policies leveraging on constructed interregional advantage.
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Organisation
Tuscany Region
Italy
Toscana
Contact
Project Manager