Open Innovation 2.0 Yearbook 2013 - European Commission - Europa

‘smart specialisation platform’ supports regions
and Member States in better defining their research
and innovation strategies. As there is no ‘one-sizefits-all’
policy solution, the new facility helps the
regions to assess their specific research and innovation
(R & I) strengths and weaknesses and build
on their competitive advantage. This is, for the
regions, another step on the path to achieving the
objectives set by the Member States in the field of
research and innovation as part of the Europe 2020
strategy.
European Network of Living Laboratories
Since the Finnish EU Presidency in 2006 [21], the EU
presidencies have promoted open, ecosystem-based
human-centric RDI in real-life contexts such as living
laboratories that engage people. Currently, the
network has over 300 identified members as urban,
regional, public service or industrial reform-driven
living laboratories in Europe [22] and globally. The
network started its operations by identifying competitive
open RDI ecosystems for solving major societal
challenges of our time such as well-being, energy
efficiency, smart city development and participative
media. However, the next big challenge is to develop,
across borders, the network efficiency that is needed
for scalability of pre-market research and innovation
for entrepreneurship. This includes institutional, leadership,
funding and other network-efficiency-related
challenges. Furthermore, if this is done successfully,
this network may fundamentally boost the internationalisation
of new services, businesses, firms and
industries. This also means not only solving the major
societal problems in Europe but also boosting single
market development.
Currently, the European Network of Living Labs
(ENoLL) is experimenting in providing European
network efficiency in RDI across borders for entrepreneurship.
ENoLL members have already piloted
with European firms, academia, cities, and citizens,
the network efficiency of RDI methodology and
scalability: this work is carried out through EUfunded
projects such as SAVE ENERGY, Apollon and
Concorde (FI PPP). Based on these experiences, the
network may be capable of developing basic and
applied research methodologies for experimentation
and piloting at large scales in real life. The
potential of European-wide RDI networks should
be taken into account when developing RDI capacities
for solving societal challenges. There is a need
to strengthen the consequent RDI infrastructure
and research and education — even in universities.
Students would be a fantastic resource to ‘put
into action’ and learn how to conduct ‘hands-on’
RDI with people in order to make the world a better
place in which to live.
Distributed leadership for
shared value creation
Collaborative RDI means distributed leadership that
is based on trust and shared responsibilities among
people, firms and public agencies. Nonaka and
Takeuchi [23] argue for prudent distributed leadership
where wisdom is embedded in every individual
practice and action. This means capabilities such as
competence in grasping the essence of a problem
and knowing how to draw general conclusions from
random observations and mastering, as a craftsman,
key issues of the moment and acting on them immediately.
This also implies that values such as beauty,
goodness and truth are applied, tested and recreated
together in every action — not put on others. This
inspires people to create and apply high-level values
and aspirations as well as bonds that sustain collaborative
action. This may contribute to what Michael
Porter [8] discusses as a need for shared value creation.
In collaboration, firms, academia, public agencies
and people bridge economic and social cliffs
that, according to Porter, exist due to the presumed
trade-offs between economic efficiency and social
progress. The shared value creation involves creating
economic value in a way that also creates value for
society by addressing its needs and challenges [8].
We believe that collaborative RDI around the major
societal challenges of Europe’s social and economic
foundations brings about major social and economic
transformative innovations with entrepreneurial
spirit and activities, jobs and growth that
by their very DNA deploy collaboration for shared
value creation.
References
[1] European Commission (2010), Communication from
the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council,
the European Economic and Social Committee and
the Committee of the Regions, Europe 2020 Flagship
Initiative — Innovation Union, COM(2010) 546 final of
6 October 2010.
[2] Barroso, J. M (2011), Innovation Priorities for
Europe, Presentation by the President of the European
Commission to the European Council of 4 February 2011
(http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/pdf/innovation_en.pdf).
[3] European Commission (2011), Innovation
Union Competitiveness Report 2011, Executive
Summary (http://ec.europa.eu/research/
innovation-union/index_en.cfm?pg=executivesummary&section=competitiveness-report&year=2011).
[4] European Commission, Eurostat, R & D Expenditure,
Data from September 2010.
[5] R & D (2012), ‘2012 Global R & D Funding
Forecast: R & D Spending Growth Continues While
Globalization Accelerates’ (http://www.rdmag.com/
articles/2011/12/2012).
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