This paper is designed to examine the Regional Innovation Policy , consisting of existing schemes of systematic exploitation of innovation, so-called Regional Innovation Systems, and entailing public procurement for innovation and cluster-policies in combination with a mapping of the actors in the Regional Innovation System in the Baltic Sea Region, all in regard to Small Medium Enterprises due its pre-dominance in the fields of research and practical implementation of economic innovation. While the scope of this paper includes the effectiveness and efficiency of the "European Union Baltic Sea Region Programme" (EU BSRP) in reference to one of its priorities, "fostering innovation‟ for economical growth in the Baltic Sea Region, the programme's relative novelty in design and strategic relevance, given by the fact of promulgation of a "European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region" (EU STRAT BSR) parallel to implementation of EU BSRP, point out to a demand for further investigation on the fact that the EU BSRP is an innovation by itself concerning regional policy as "macro-regional cooperation" within the framework of the EU. This paper will address firstly the EU STRAT BSR and its potential effects on the strategic environment in the Baltic Sea Region in particular and on European level in general by scrutinizing the second programmatic "pillar", making "[…] [t]he Baltic Sea A Prosperous Place", due to its reference character for the economic yield of the strategy. This short description and analysis of EU STRAT BSR is followed by an outline of the EU BSRP by providing an account of innovation policies in the Baltic Sea Region.Two research questions will serve as a guideline along the descriptive part and as reference to the analysis: Is political innovation in terms of transnational macro-regional cooperation also innovative and rewarding from the perspective of current economic research on innovation and according policies, meaning: Does it foster growth? And secondly, for the sake of the scope of European Studies, are EU STRAT BSR and EU BSRP able to perform even up to their political Level of Ambition?
Table of Contents
1. Outline of the EU STRAT BSR
a. Political Approach
b. Structure
c. Challenges
2. Outline of the EU BSRP
a. Political Approach
b. Structure
c. Challenges
i. Regional Innovation Policy
ii. Public Procurement and Innovation
iii. Clusters
iv. Dilemmas
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines the Regional Innovation Policy (RIP) within the Baltic Sea Region, focusing on how the EU Baltic Sea Strategy (EU STRAT BSR) and the Baltic Sea Region Programme (EU BSRP) function as tools for macro-regional cooperation to foster economic growth and innovation for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
- Analysis of the strategic framework and political approach of the EU STRAT BSR.
- Evaluation of the EU BSRP as an instrument for trans-national innovation policy.
- Examination of innovation-related challenges, including cluster development and public procurement.
- Application of the "Triple Helix" and "Porter's Diamond" models to assess institutional effectiveness.
- Investigation into the impact of regional cooperation on SMEs and economic development.
Excerpt from the book
ii. Public Procurement and Innovation
The underlying assumption for all subsequent effectuations is the following: Public Procurement and Innovation (PPI) is a useful instrument to stimulate innovation. Accordingly, public procurement has gained increasingly interest among policy makers lately. The EU BSRP formulates the following rules on public procurement in its statutes: Even if the number of potential suppliers is limited, the applicable, in fact the respective national public procurement rules have to be applied. Each project partner is responsible for ensuring that its procurement complies with the relevant national or EU public procurement rules, and the lead partner organization has the overall responsibility for the project. That means that the EU BSRP as an exogenous institution is offering support for projects of endogenous actors.
If discussing public procurement in the framework of the EU BSRP, it is rewarding for the analysis to employ the classifications offered by the typology developed by Hommen and Rolfstam which define a matrix of two dimensions of innovative procurement, the first dimension being the type of social need motivating the procurement process, the second indicating its role in relation to the market. This taken into consideration, EU BSRP is categorized in the so-called Hommen-matrix in the following way:
Summary of Chapters
1. Outline of the EU STRAT BSR: This chapter introduces the geopolitical background of the Baltic Sea Region and outlines the strategic pillars and organizational structure of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.
2. Outline of the EU BSRP: This chapter details the political framework, management structure, and the specific challenges of the Baltic Sea Region Programme, specifically regarding its role in innovation policy, public procurement, clusters, and theoretical dilemmas.
Keywords
Baltic Sea Region, EU STRAT BSR, EU BSRP, Regional Innovation Systems, RIS, Innovation Policy, Macro-regional Cooperation, Small and Medium Enterprises, SME, Triple Helix, Public Procurement, Clusters, Porter's Diamond, Regional Development, Trans-national Cooperation
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this paper?
The paper focuses on the interplay between the EU Baltic Sea Strategy and the Baltic Sea Region Programme, analyzing their effectiveness in fostering innovation and regional economic growth.
What are the central themes of the research?
Key themes include macro-regional governance, regional innovation systems, the application of EU-wide strategies to specific sea-basin areas, and the challenges of trans-national institutional cooperation.
What is the primary research goal?
The primary goal is to determine if political innovation in terms of transnational macro-regional cooperation is economically rewarding and whether these strategies can realistically meet their ambitious political targets.
Which scientific methods are utilized?
The author employs comparative institutional analysis and theoretical frameworks such as the "Triple Helix" model and Michael Porter’s "Diamond Model" to evaluate regional competitiveness.
What topics are covered in the main body of the text?
The main body covers the political approaches and structures of both the EU STRAT BSR and EU BSRP, followed by specific analyses of challenges like regional innovation policy, cluster development, and public procurement.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Major keywords include Baltic Sea Region, Regional Innovation Systems (RIS), Macro-regional Cooperation, SME-support, and Trans-national Governance.
How does the "Hommen-matrix" contribute to the analysis of the EU BSRP?
It helps categorize the EU BSRP's approach to procurement, identifying it as a facilitator that acts as a co-operative and catalytic agent to stimulate innovation and market creation.
Why is the "Russian question" considered a prime vulnerability for the strategy?
Russia is a key strategic partner and competitor in the region; its status as a non-EU member complicates institutional integration and the long-term success of the macro-regional cooperation model.
What conclusion does the author draw regarding the strategy's level of ambition?
The author concludes that while the strategy is a positive step, its current level of ambition is only realistically achievable as a long-term goal, provided that internal cohesion and specific socio-economic challenges are addressed.
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- Johannes Wiedemann (Autor), 2010, The European Union Baltic Sea Strategy and Baltic Sea Region Programme, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/162306
