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Excellence can be learned - PAXIS Visiting Schemes
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Introduction
PAXIS is the “Research & Innovation Programme”, managed by DG Enterprise under the 6th Framework Programme, and promotes the creation and development of innovative companies across Europe – a driving force for employment and economic growth.
PAXIS has two major objectives :
- To boost the transfer of local and regional excellence in innovation
- To provide an instrument for the co-operation and the exchange of tacit knowledge and learning among local innovation stakeholders, profiting from each other’s experience
One of PAXIS’ main targets is to develop a learning process among the European regions. PAXIS regions of excellence are available to provide their expertise to regions or economic areas interested, mainly from the New Member States or the Newly Associated Members. To encourage these knowledge transfers, PAXIS has introduced the "Visiting Schemes" tool.
The aim of this tool is to enable the transfer of experiences and expertise between the regions through the organisation of a learning workshop -visit.
Methodology
Six aspects of Visiting Schemes are identified :
- Selection of learning regions
- Selection of host regions
- Preparation
- Organisation of the workshop
- Follow-up
- Facilitation of the Visiting Schemes
1. Selection of Host Regions
The selection of the host regions is very important to the whole process. The selection criteria for the host region are mainly the indicators that justify the “excellence” of the region or economic area. These could be the dominant size of firms within the region, the sectors in which the region is strong, the availability and “excellence” of knowledge sources (e.g. universities, research institutes, R&D departments of large corporations etc.) or the successful policies or schemes that have been implemented for the support of start-up creation.
The second criterion which is required is diversification, which is necessary for other regions to learn about different patterns of regional economic development. For instance, a “good” visiting scheme should cover both large enterprises and SMEs, services and manufacturing sectors, the new and “old” economy.
An ideal selection would be a host region which includes sectors dominated by large companies and others whose economic development is driven by SMEs, with strong services and traditional manufacturing industries.
2. Selection of Learning Regions
Learning regions should seek to match their policy experience and knowledge needs with the excellence of the host regions. For instance, there would be no point organising a visit to a region which has no university to a region in which a large part of economic development is based on the competence of its academic “Excellence”.
3. Preparing the Ground
It is crucial for the success of the Visiting Schemes that the whole process starts long before the actual visits begin. This way the learning regions have the chance :
- to express their main requirements in terms of policy learning (e.g. identifying primary and secondary interests)
- to prepare themselves adequately for the learning process (e.g. familiarising themselves with the topic, specifying the focus of learning, talking to different organisations and stakeholders in the region etc.).
During this preparation stage, AM1 has a role to play. AM1 should help the learning regions to identify and express their needs. It is very likely that the learning region knows the problem (e.g. low economic development) but is not able to identify the cause of the problem (e.g. lack of entrepreneurial and organisational skills such as planning, marketing etc.). In other words, an intensive interaction should take place between the AM1 facilitator and the learning region.
This experience will then be used by the AM1 facilitator to better support the organisation of the actual Visiting Scheme . This also requires interaction between the AM1 facilitator and the host region to develop an appropriate programme for the visit.
4. Organisation of the Workshop - Scheme
The visit should give the opportunity to the learning region to understand the context of the policy intervention the host region undertook, and to increase its knowledge of specific policy actions (such as innovation finance etc.). The overall structure of the workshop-visits should facilitate this approach. As a result, a first session is needed to discuss the context of policy intervention (e.g. the regional profile) and the general policy objectives. This session needs to be followed by other more focused sessions where specific aspects of policy intervention will be discussed (e.g. supporting NTBFs, financing start-ups, encouraging interaction between universities and industry etc.). The precise focus of these sessions should follow the identification of the learning regions’ needs. Visits to specific organisations could also be envisaged.
5. Follow-up Stage
Experience has shown that, unless a thorough follow-up takes place, the learning potential will be greatly reduced. There are two follow-up actions that need to take place. Firstly, the learning region should be given an opportunity to give feedback about the whole process soon after the visit. This will be very useful for AM1 in order to improve the process. Both content and organisation matters should be asked here, while the emphasis should be on the satisfaction of the user.
Secondly, a long-term feedback should take place, several months after the visit, to evaluate what lessons have actually been learnt and applied by the learning region. This would be an opportunity for all parties to examine how much of the transferred knowledge has actually been used and in what way. Possibly information has not been transferred because the region’s structure is too rigid to take up the relevant lessons. Furthermore, even if some attempt was made to exploit the experience gained during the visit, the learning region may have realised that it has insufficient knowledge about a subject to plan a solid policy strategy.
6. Facilitation of the Visiting Schemes
The appointment of three roles is required in order to facilitate the Visiting Schemes :
- A learning facilitator from the learning region to provide input in terms of the learning region’s needs and problems
- An intermediary facilitator, from the AM1 consortium, who is going to bridge the gap between the needs of the learning region and the knowledge of the host region
- A knowledge facilitator from the host region who will be responsible for organising the appropriate supply of knowledge and expertise.
The learning facilitator and the knowledge facilitator should provide input to the intermediary facilitator before, during and after the workshop while the intermediary facilitator should take direct responsibility for the Visiting Scheme. All three posts are important for the efficient organisation of learning schemes. The knowledge facilitator should help with :
- Strategic planning of the visit in close co-ordination with the AM1 facilitator
- Identifying the areas of public policy that the host region has expertise to offer
- Identifying the people to present the host region experience during the visit
- Help with the organisation of the event (venue booking etc.).
The three people taking up these roles should remain unchanged for the whole process of the Visiting Scheme (preparation, organisation of workshop, follow up etc.) to provide the required continuity and stability.
7. Visiting Scheme – Logistic Module
Under the Visiting Scheme a visit compromises two (2) people from the learning region. These people should be key individuals working at managerial level, either at the public authorities or at key areas of the innovation system of the learning region. It is preferred that both areas are covered. If there are more than two people from the learning region participating in the Visiting Scheme, costs should be covered by other sources outside AM1.
8. Duration of the Visiting Scheme
Expected duration of the scheme is 2 days.
9. Eligible Costs to be covered :
PAXIS (through AM 1) could cover the following costs per visit :
- Travel : plane (economy fare, APEX ticket), first class train, bus
- Daily allowance (covering accommodation): Up to € 200 per day (payment based on actual costs). AM1 will pay up to two nights for hotel accommodation.
Any exceptions to the above should be discussed and examined on a case by case basis and the need must be well justified.
It is suggested that all costs are paid by the host region which in turn will invoice Logotech SA in one single invoice.
For more information, please contact Natasha Arvanitie. |
