Highlights

What is RIS3

What is RIS3

RIS3 (Research and Innovation Smart Specialisation Strategy) is a term that refers to the productive/entrepreneurial focus of a region, in our case the Comunitat Valenciana, on potentially competitive areas and generators of development within a global context.

 

Thus, an RIS3 agenda is a regional strategic plan for development characterized by:

 

  • Concentrate political support and regional investments on key priorities, challenges and needs for knowledge-based development;
  • Build on the strengths of each region's competitive advantages and potential for excellence;
  • Support both technological innovation and practice-oriented innovation, and target private investment;
  • Fully involve all stakeholders and stimulate innovation and experimentation.
  • Be evidence-based, and include robust monitoring and evaluation systems.

THE RIS3 POLITICAL FRAMEWORK

 

Where does this initiative come from?

 

The European Union's Europe 2020 strategy aims to combat structural weaknesses through three mutually reinforcing priorities:

 

  • Intelligent growth, based on knowledge and innovation;
  • Sustainable growth, promoting a more resource-efficient, greener and competitive economy;
  • Inclusive growth, fostering a job-creating economy that promotes economic, social and territorial cohesion.

 

Investing more in research, innovation and entrepreneurship is at the heart of Europe 2020 and a crucial part of Europe's response to the crisis. A strategic and integrated vision of innovation will maximise the potential for European, national and regional research and innovation. It is in Europe 2020 that the European Commission frames the concept of intelligent specialisation, originally promoted in the field of regional policy but strongly supported by research and innovation policy, economic growth, the information society, energy and transport... understanding that this is a fundamental instrument to ensure synergies in capacity building thanks to Community resources.

 

Therefore, the concept of intelligent specialisation emerges as a key element for locating innovation policies. Its existence was consequently proposed as an ex-ante conditionality (prior condition) for access to the European Structural and Investment Funds. This means that each Member State and each European region must have a well-developed specialisation strategy before it can receive European resources for its innovation promotion measures.

 

In the case of Spain, the Government has reflected these premises in the Spanish Strategy for Science and Technology and Innovation, 2013-2020, which is considered the intelligent specialisation document at national level.

 

In the Valencia Region, the Generalitat and the economic and social agents have worked together to develop their own regional RIS3 document: RIS3-CV