With 85 million inhabitants the Baltic Sea region makes up 17 percent of the EU's total population. Part of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR), Policy Area Innovation strives to promote a globally competitive position within research and innovation for sustainable economic growth in the Baltic Sea Region.
Three overall objectives guide this macro-regional cooperation: "Save the Sea", "Connect the Region" and "Increase Prosperity".
The Nordic Council of Ministers is assigned with the responsibility of coordinating the policy area together with Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications in Estonia and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education in Poland.
Overall the key challenges for the region remains to translate strong enabling conditions and firms' competing on innovation into larger outcomes in terms of innovation and economic impact.
Solutions to address common challenges facing the Baltic Sea Region will depend on the efficient use of natural resources and circular economy. There may not be a ready market for a solution that emerges from a challenge-driven innovation; a market may need to be created, which will often involve public sector intervention.
Macro-regional collaboration, such as by facilitation of policy area innovation, can help overcome some of the lock-in effects of knowledge-driven innovation systems at the regional, national, and industry specific levels.
Innovation is of key importance to the Baltic Sea Region (BSR). As a driving force of increased prosperity, it is highly relevant to realising the potential of all of the 13 policy areas and 4 horizontal actions established by the EU Strategy of the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR). Putting the EUSBSR into action, the Policy Area Innovation Strategy Guide, 2016 – 2020 sets out member states' priorities for the coming years with respect to innovation policy and interventions. The strategy guide identifies three cross-cutting themes that activities under policy area innovation should focus on: Digitalization, SME internationalization and talent management and entrepreneurship.
The way we respond to digitalisation - the fundamental process for change in society and business - will make a huge difference to innovation. The Baltic Sea Region has the potential to become the first digitally Integrated market.
SMEs in the Baltic Sea Region are already deeply involved in global markets and are Thus at the forefront of providing innovative solutions for the challenges facing global communities.
Talented people are at the heart of innovation processes. Any strategic action in the BSR will rely on the entrepreneurial skills of people in the innovation systems - from within academia, business and innovation organisations.
Smart specialisation is a strategic tool introduced by the European Commission into European regional policy. The role of policy area innovation is to promote the processes of smart specialisation so that they are taken to the macro-regional level.
Innovation often requires large-scale Investments in research infrastructures. Due to the relatively small size of the Baltic Sea Region, regional collaboration is neccesary to further enhance the value that these Investments bring to the region.
Many Baltic Sea Region clusters have emerged out of one or more of the three different driving forcers of innovation identified above (Market- knowledge - challenge). However, further advancement of Baltic Sea Region clusters is needed to support the innovation process within SMEs.
The SUBMARINER Network promotes innovative approaches to the sustainable use of marine resources and offers a cooperation platform to related actors and initiatives in the Baltic Sea Region.
Lead: The Ministry of Economic Affairs Schleswig-Holstein (Germany) together with the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management and the Maritime Institute in Gdańsk as co-leaders.
ScanBalt® fmba is Northern Europe's Leading Accelerator for Inter-regional Cooperation envisioning the region as a Global Hotspot for Health and Bio Economy. ScanBalt creates value by promoting innovation and business, fostering inter-regional collaboration, reducing barriers, enhancing visibility and attracting resources.
BSR Digi co-lab: Transnational Digital Collaboration in the BSR is a set of projects which are relevant and directly connected to priorities of Digitalisation, described in the PA Innovation Strategy Guide 2016-2020. Two funded sub-projects are in loop of flagship, e.g. DIGINNO (Digital Innovation Network) and IoB (Internet of Business).