Image
Roadmap for the Regional Agenda of Sustainable Materials for Asturias
Published on 09 April 2019
Spain
Principado de Asturias
This is the good practice's implementation level. It can be national, regional or local.
About this good practice
One of the main characteristics of the Asturian economy is its specialisation in an intensive industrial activity within an area with more than 50% of its territory under a singular environmental protection. This was the reasoning we used in our RIS3 Strategy to select Sustainable Materials as a priority.
Asturias RIS3 provides for the drafting of a Regional Agenda for Research and Innovation in Sustainable Materials. The regional challenge we want to face is to develop ideas based on scientific evidence to boost the use of residues as a raw material in the process industry, minimising the impact in a way that make business sense.
To achieve this, it was necessary to agree on a roadmap identifying the main markets and value chains of interest; the work developed for its elaboration, already completed, was carried out by a working group set up for this purpose.
This working group was created in September 2016 by IDEPA in cooperation with the Association of Chemical and Process Industries of Asturias (AIQPA). To date, 83 people from 39 entities have participated in this entire process. The Roadmap was presented to Asturias RIS3 executive committee on 26 Sep 2017.
The Economic Development Agency of Asturias (IDEPA), a public entity dependent on the Regional elaborated the Regional Strategy for Smart Specialisation (Asturias RIS3) and is in charge of its deployment, assuming the Technical Secretariat.
Asturias RIS3 provides for the drafting of a Regional Agenda for Research and Innovation in Sustainable Materials. The regional challenge we want to face is to develop ideas based on scientific evidence to boost the use of residues as a raw material in the process industry, minimising the impact in a way that make business sense.
To achieve this, it was necessary to agree on a roadmap identifying the main markets and value chains of interest; the work developed for its elaboration, already completed, was carried out by a working group set up for this purpose.
This working group was created in September 2016 by IDEPA in cooperation with the Association of Chemical and Process Industries of Asturias (AIQPA). To date, 83 people from 39 entities have participated in this entire process. The Roadmap was presented to Asturias RIS3 executive committee on 26 Sep 2017.
The Economic Development Agency of Asturias (IDEPA), a public entity dependent on the Regional elaborated the Regional Strategy for Smart Specialisation (Asturias RIS3) and is in charge of its deployment, assuming the Technical Secretariat.
Expert opinion
In designing regional Smart Specialisation Strategies (RIS3), the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (EDP) aims to identify regional strengths and weaknesses. In Asturias, the RIS3 chose to prioritize the sector of Sustainable Materials. The Economic Development Agency of Asturias (IDEPA) and the Association of Chemical and Process Industries of Asturias (AIQPA) launched a roadmap to draft the Regional Agenda for Research and Innovation in Sustainable Materials that included working groups involving the most relevant regional stakeholders to identify the main markets and value chains in sustainable materials.
Suggestions for potential Good Practice transfer:
-The creation of working groups in strategic regional sectors to draft a regional roadmap can be applied across different European regions with different institutional contexts.
-As pointed in the Good Practice, a coordinator must ensure that the working groups meet regularly to identify potential weaknesses in the regional sectors and to discuss priority areas and action plans for addressing those weaknesses.
-In the context of the regional Smart Specialisation Strategies (RIS3), working groups are good instruments to act as anchors in the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (EDP).
-The experience of Asturias can serve as basis for regions trying to form working groups in strategic regional sectors.
Suggestions for potential Good Practice transfer:
-The creation of working groups in strategic regional sectors to draft a regional roadmap can be applied across different European regions with different institutional contexts.
-As pointed in the Good Practice, a coordinator must ensure that the working groups meet regularly to identify potential weaknesses in the regional sectors and to discuss priority areas and action plans for addressing those weaknesses.
-In the context of the regional Smart Specialisation Strategies (RIS3), working groups are good instruments to act as anchors in the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (EDP).
-The experience of Asturias can serve as basis for regions trying to form working groups in strategic regional sectors.
Works at
Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform
Resources needed
2 people from IDEPA involved in the elaboration of the roadmap and coordination of the WG (4 person / month).
Evidence of success
Stakeholders, members of the WG, identified the three pillars on which the Regional Agenda for Research and Innovation in Sustainable Materials is being developed: Industrial Symbiosis, Key Infrastructures and Sustainable Opportunity Windows. The next step is an Innovation Camp to be organised in March 2019 to prototype outputs linked to each pillar.
Potential for learning or transfer
What can be transferred to third parties is the experience concerning the composition and organisation of the working group, as well as the method used for the collection of information and for the selection of value chains. There is also learning potential in relation to how to embed this activity in the process of implementing RIS3 priorities, following an entrepreneurial discovery procedure and evidence based method.
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Organisation
IDEPA
Spain
Principado de Asturias
Contact
Engineer