ALLON_I3
The ‘Alliance on interregional innovation investments’ project is initiated by the Regional Innovation Centre ‘Ambitious Gabrovo’ (RIC_AG), Bulgaria
Backgound of the project
European regions, especially less developed ones, are facing many challenges that could be easily overcome by interregional alliances to support the creation of new European value chains. The Smart Specialisation Strategies are at the centrе of this approach. The result of this approach can improve the competitive advantage of the regions supporting their capacity building.
Less developed regions often experience difficulties in building institutional and legal environments conducive to innovation. Usually these regions lack talents as one of the biggest challenges is the demographic one –depopulation and an increasingly elderly population. On the other hand the policy makers of the less developed regions are aware of the role of Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) in strengthening regional innovation ecosystems and strategic partnerships as key tools for addressing the innovation in their regions. It can reverse the trend by creation of new exciting and sustainable jobs.
Goal of the project
The overall goal of the project is to enhance the capacity of less developed regions to cooperate with more developed ones and ones in transition by shaping and interweaving a cross-regional innovation ecosystem with stronger value chains or new ones emerging.
The Allon_I3 thematic area is set on ICT/Digitalization + Clean technologies, energy, environment and sustainable development, which is the crosscutting shared S3 priority area of all participant regions. It reflects the dual transition concept that helps businesses become more resilient. The core project activities follow a gradation streamline starting from ‘Ecosystem building and connection’ (WP2), identifying gaps and business opportunities for reinforcing broken value chains or building new ones by providing ‘Support to the identification of investment projects’ (WP3), and wrapping up with activities dedicated to ‘Scaling-up impact’ (WP4).
The present project is perceived not as a one-off action but rather as a starting point of a long-term cooperation process that is to have its essential evolution beyond project lifespan.
Allon_I3 targets simultaneously both the policy, macro-level – by shaping the Allon_I3 ecosystem, and the micro level, i.e. support the capacity of the Q-helix stakeholders to identify and enhance the set-up and financing of innovation investment projects across regions.
Regional roadmaps will empower the regions and the Q-helix stakeholders with partnership agreements and business cases to evolve and mature in the project follow-up stage.
