Vidzeme Planning Region (VPR) in Latvia presented their ecoRIS3 Action Plan at a Forum which was attended by representatives of several national and local scale organisations related to innovation and business development, as well as researchers and entrepreneurs on the 15/10/2019. The VPR expert, also a researcher of The University of Latvia Liga Brasliņa encourage participants to think – what we can do better to support innovation in the region? The issue has been the leading motif for developing an Action Plan within the Interreg Europe project EcoRIS3 to promote innovation in regional businesses, involving research capacity in the development of new products and services.
Entrepreneurs in Latvia often lack the advice and expertise on how to use the existing innovation support system for company growth. One of the options proposed in the Action Plan is to ensure that the entrepreneurs have access to specialist advice (Innovation Project Manager) to help to move through the various stages of implementation of the innovation projects. It is also planned to organise an Innovation Laboratory to bring the industry and researchers together for the open discussions to define business challenges and together with research institutions find solutions.
The VPR has carried out a study concluding that the regions SMEs do not apply for innovation support measures, as well as the support of the development of research and innovation though this is a way how to create high added value products. Entrepreneurs often lack the information about the available state aid measures as a whole and an understanding of their implementation. When looking from an entrepreneur’s point of view, the study indicates that participation in such aid measures entails high costs and that public grants for innovation creation are complex and involve a high bureaucratic burden.
This Info Day was a part of the dissemination of the results of the Action Plan created within the EcoRIS3 project, in which participants were introduced with the content of an Action Plan and asked to apply for testing of the services of the Innovation Laboratory and Project Manager.
This year VPR has been organised a series of meetings with stakeholders – public authorities, science and research institutions, as well as the business sector to introduce and discuss Action Plan. The outcomes were useful, and recommendations were included in the document. VPR will continue with the implementation of the Action Plan in Vidzeme region and additional activities will be announced soon.
Activities took place within the Interreg Europe programme project “Policies & Measures to Support Local & Regional Innovation Ecosystems” (EcoRIS3). It aims to promote better policies and measures to generate solid interactions between key stakeholders to orchestrate sustainable innovation ecosystems within RIS3 strategies responding to the challenges and gaps identified.
Image: Action Plan dissemination event - Info Day in Cēsis, Latvia 15/10/2019 organised by Vidzeme Planning Region
For further information please see www.vidzeme.lv or contact Laima Engere, "EcoRIS3" project manager in Vidzeme, Latvia by e-mail: [email protected].
