IURC China Webinar: Regional Innovation & Smart Sustainable Specialization Strategies
Webinar
BACKGROUND
In the past two decades, regional innovation development policies have been widely discussed and implemented throughout the world. It is essential for the national and local governments to develop a strong innovation ecosystem, and react to the growing challenges of societies. Nowadays active circulation of know-how and innovation significantly contributes to the regional development and quality of life of the people.
The EU has implemented the Regional Innovation Strategy (RIS) since 2002 to enable sustainable, inclusive, and smart growth. Regional decision-makers endeavour to adopt regional policies to ensure local thematic priorities and foster innovation, growth, and entrepreneurship and participate in international cooperation network. The European Commission aligned the investment policies to the challenges and needs for knowledge-based regional development and increased the region´s competitiveness with the triple helix approach (interaction of academic, industry and government). Since 2014, China has been developing the strategic regional innovation ecosystem, especially in Bohai Delta, the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta. Shandong province also transformed the manufacturing sector from the automobile industry to E-automobiles and Industrial Internet. Learning from the good practices of developing innovation ecosystems in different regions, China is developing its unique regional innovation strategies with the co-evolution of multiple stakeholders.
In 2020, under the framework of the EU-China Regional Policy Dialogue, a joint study of EU-China Regional Innovation was conducted by IUC (the previous phase of IURC). The study highlighted China´s experience in the regionalization of national innovation policy and the EU´s experience in the role of regions as independent actors developing an independent vision and strategy for innovation.
This webinar is organized as a part of the IURC China thematic cluster working session, aiming to share how regions achieve green and digital transformation in regional development agendas and discuss how EU-China cooperation can help them to reach the goals.
OBJECTIVES
Through deep multilateral discussion, this thematic webinar seeks to showcase challenges and solutions of developing a regional innovation ecosystem, enhance green development, social inclusion and innovation in IURC pilot cities & regions and provide them with a networking opportunity to:
1. Share perspectives, policy initiatives, and best practices
2. Identify potential common projects and relevant stakeholders to address the transition to a green and digital economy.
Participants
This webinar will take place among：
1. stakeholders from IURC China pilot cities and regions in the thematic group of Regional Innovation & Smart and Sustainable Specialization Strategies;
2. invited participants from IURC global community.