EU-support for funding SPI exercises

In light of scarce resources and pressing demands on national and regional budgets, stakeholders in Europe interested in applying SPI tools often regard EU programmes as an important, if not the only, financing source for their activities. In the wake of EU 2007–2013 programmes — the Seventh Framework (FP7), the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP) and the Structural Funds (SF) — extensive opportunities for conducting projects based on SPI tools have evolved:

1. The 7th Framework Programme for Research: SPI tools such as technology assessment and foresight can be applied under all thematic priorities of FP7’s ‘Cooperation’ programme, to analyse and assess developments in technology, anticipate changes in the global research system, and to identify future European research priorities. Likewise, projects conducted under the ‘Capacities’ program can benefit from the application of SPI tools: whereas evaluation can help assess the ‘Research Potential’, i.e. the overall level of research quality and infrastructures, SPI tools such as foresight, roadmapping and benchmarking can be applied in projects under the ‘Regions of Knowledge’ initiative to elaborate (cross)regional research agendas, action plans and forward looking strategies for the development of research driven clusters.

1. In the framework of Structural Funds, SPI tools can provide support for defining and implementing concrete development goals of regions (e.g. implementation of Regional Innovation Strategies, development of regional industrial sectors and clusters). In addition, SPI tools can help groupings of regions (e.g. cross-border, transnational) develop joint visions and action plans to tackle common challenges and improve their regional development policies. The Community Strategic Guidelines on Cohesion, which set political priorities of Structural Funds investments, recommend the application of SPI tools to strengthen the strategic dimension of policies in regions, e.g. in the Guideline 1.2 (“Improving knowledge and innovation for growth”), Guideline 1.2.1 (“Increase and better target investment in RTD”), and Guideline 1.3.4 (“Administrative capacity”).

1. The CIP aims to support policy analyses, policy development and coordination in the field of innovation policy among participating countries. SPI tools can be widely applied under this programme, and especially its initiatives, the PRO INNO Europe and Europe INNOVA, to analyse and monitor competitiveness and sectoral issues, evaluate specific aspects or implementation measures in relation to the CIP’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation sub-programme, benchmark national and regional performances, and define good practices.

The common aim of these EU-programmes is achieving progress in building the European Research Area (ERA) as well as reaching the Lisbon strategy objective of becoming the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy, in particular through research, technological development and innovation (RTDI). Thereby, the Structural Funds, the CIP and the FP7 realise this goal by applying different perspectives, specific objectives and measures. Whereas, the 7th Framework Programme mainly targets reaching European research excellence in key strategic technology fields, the CIP concentrates its actions on supporting innovation. By building up regional capacities for research and innovation, the Structural Funds aim to facilitate a balanced development of the whole EU territory. The call for the effective and coordinated use of these funding schemes at the regional level strongly reinforces the need to apply SPI tools for better programme design, management and evaluation.

SEZ supports applicants during the process of elaboration and submission of project proposals in the field of RTDI by taking into account possible application fields for strategic policy and management tools. Projects are developed so as to comply with the EU funding priorities and optimised so as to pass the selection process. During the proposal development phase, SEZ can also provide support for finding suitable project partners Europe-wide. Thereby, SEZ can relay on its numerous contacts to European institutions, regional and national public authorities as well as research and transfer entities.