Regional innovativeness strategies and their impact on innovativeness of provinces in Poland: A spatio-temporal analysis

Kowalik, Jan Article Regional innovativeness strategies and their impact on innovativeness of provinces in Poland: A spatio-temporal analysis Comparative Economic Research. Central and Eastern Europe Provided in Cooperation with: Institute of Economics, University of Łódź Suggested Citation: Kowalik, Jan (2014) : Regional innovativeness strategies and their impact on innovativeness of provinces in Poland: A spatio-temporal analysis, Comparative Economic Research. Central and Eastern Europe, ISSN 2082-6737, De Gruyter, Warsaw, Vol. 17, Iss. 4, pp. 121-135, https://doi.org/10.2478/cer-2014-0036 This Version is available at: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/184334 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. 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If the documents have been made available under an Open Content Licence (especially Creative Commons Licences), you may exercise further usage rights as specified in the indicated licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0 Comparative Economic Research, Vol ume 17, Number 4 , 2014 10.2478/cer-2014-0036 JAN KOWALIK* Regional Innovativeness Strategies And Their Impact On Innovativeness Of Provinces In Poland. A Spatio-temporal Analysis Abstract Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS) have existed in Poland for almost ten years and in this period they have been developed, accepted and implemented in all provinces. The basic aim of Regional Innovativeness Strategies is to support regional or local authorities and other regional development organizations in defining and implementing an effective system of supporting innovativeness in the region. The current scope of realizing projects connected with RIS is different in particular provinces. The author of the paper attempts to evaluate the effects of implementation of pro-innovativeness solution included in Regional Innovation Strategies with particular consideration of their influence on the growth of region innovativeness level in Poland. Keywords: Regional Innovation Strategies, regions innovativeness in Poland, Composite Indicator of Provinces Innovativeness, spatio-temporal analysis 1. Introduction Innovations play a leading role in the creation of economic growth on the national and regional level. However, from the enterprise point of view they are recognized as a basic factor of their development and gaining a competitive * Ph.D., Faculty of Management of Czestochowa University of Technology 122 Jan Kowalik advantage. The relationship between innovations and regional development has been explained in numerous studies describing the importance of economic growth and development. 1 The awareness of the dependence between a region innovativeness and its development forces local governments to create the innovative policy, which supports activity of domestic enterprises in the scope of undertaking and implementing innovative solutions in enterprises such as technological, managerial, information flow and marketing ones. The basic tool of implementing the innovative policy on the regional level are Regional Innovativeness Strategies (RIS). Regional Innovativeness Strategies (RIS) have existed in Poland for almost ten years and in this period they have been developed, approved and implemented in all the provinces. The basic aim of Regional Innovativeness Strategies is to support regional or local authorities and other regional development organizations in defining and implementing an effective system of supporting innovativeness in the region. The strategy is created on the basis of the analysis of technological needs, capacity and potential of the research and scientific sector as well as enterprises in the scope of management, finances, training, organization and technology itself. The strategy determines directions of innovative policy and ways of building and optimizing a regional infrastructure supporting innovativeness 2 . The current scope of implementing projects connected with RIS is different in particular provinces. The author of the paper attempts to evaluate the effects of pro-innovativeness solutions implementation included in Regional Innovation Strategies with particular consideration of their influence on the growth of region innovativeness level in Poland. The study comprised all 16 provinces (regions) in Poland in the period between 2005 to 2012. The paper discusses basic aims and assumptions of Regional Innovativeness Strategies in particular provinces. 1 A wide list of publications describing the relationships between regional development and innovations can be found in the publication: Świadek A., Regional innovative system in the European Union, [in:] Janasz W. (ed.) Innovations in enterprises operations in integration with the European Union, Difin, Warszawa 2005, p. 86. 2 Definition after Innovation Portal http://www.pi.gov.pl/Polityka/chapter_86578.asp (accessed 14.02.2014). Regional Innovativeness Strategies And Their Impact … 123 2. Innovativeness as a basis of social-economic region development Regional development depends on numerous factors connected with current realities of social-economic life in Poland. The most important ones include: human, material, financial and social capital, technological and organizational innovations and external flows of people, capital and goods (Churski 2008, pp. 66-72). The role of innovations in the process of development and socialeconomic progress is particularly important as innovations constitute an indispensible condition of dynamic and effective economy development (Firlej 2012, pp. 143-144). Economists assess that as much as 2/3 of the economic growth of developed countries should be associated with introduction of innovations (Kozioł 2005, p. 132). The term innovations is a fairly general one. There is no single definition characterizing the described issue and the changes undergoing in the world which surrounds us cause that the subject scope of innovations is getting wide and wider. In the economic literature we can encounter two approaches to interpreting (defining) innovations, i.e. in the broad sense (sensu largo) and the narrow sense (sensu stricto). In the broad grasp (global one) innovation is defined as any change in production consisting in acquisition of obtained knowledge. In the stricto sense grasp innovations are identified only with changes in products and manufacturing methods. We encounter the broad grasp of innovations in publications and reports issued by the OECD or Eurostat where innovations are recognized as introduction of a new largely improved product (good or service), process, new marketing method or a new organization method in the business practice at the workplace and external relationships (Oslo Manual 2005). In the stricto sense grasp innovations are defined by K. Szatkowski who states that under the term innovations we understand changes consisting in improving or replacing existing products, manufacturing methods, manufacturing means, work organization methods and work tools (Szatkowski 2001, p. 25). In such a grasp of innovations the ones connected with social and organizational changes are omitted, concentrating on the technological ones. This results primarily from the fact that the scope of technological changes in the largest extent determines transformations in the manufacturing process and economic development. The condition of innovations occurrence is the presence of propensity and possibility to implement them, i.e. innovativeness. Innovativeness is an economic category which can be discussed and defined on three different levels, namely, on the level of enterprise, region and state (economy). Under the term enterprise innovativeness we should understand their ability to create and implement innovations and the real capability of the enterprise to introduce new and modernized products, new or modernized technological or organizational- 124 Jan Kowalik technological processes. Economy innovativeness in turn is defined as the ability and motivation of enterprises to constantly seek for and use in practice results of scientific research, new ideas, concepts and inventions. Innovativeness also means improvement and development of existing production technologies, introduction of new or improved solutions in organization and management as well as improvement of information processing, gathering and making it available (Kierunki zwiększania innowacyjności gospodarki na lata 2007–2013, 2006, p. 6). Economy innovativeness depends on innovativeness of its particular regions, the level of region innovativeness in turn is dependent on innovative activeness of economic subjects located in the particular territorial area. In the subject literature the role of regions in creating a proper innovative environment (innovative policy) is stressed more and more often. The regional grasp of innovativeness and its influence on the development of regions seems to be the right one, first of all because of very well developed awareness of being a member of a given community in the European reality - local patriotism. In some countries it results from the political structure, in the others it is conditioned historically or geographically (Szajt 2007, p. 71). A region, through its specific resources, which may include: knowledge resource, ability to learn, organizational culture, infrastructure and many others, influences the competiveness of local enterprises and their innovative activeness. These competitive advantages of the local nature come from concentration of highly specialized knowledge, presence of public institutions, competition, business partners, consumers (Porter 2003, pp. 549-578). Innovations, as so called soft factors, fulfil the role of a vital stimulus in the process of region social-economic development, and thus they have influence on their competitiveness improvement. Under the term region competitiveness we should understand an advantage over other regions, being the product of service offer attractiveness directed at present and potential region users, who are the inhabitants, companies, investors and guests, and its source is modern material, institutional and intellectual infrastructure of the region (Klasik, Markowski 2002, pp. 99-100). Innovations influence improvement of region competitiveness in two ways. Firstly, they result in organizational changes, changes of manufacturing methods and marketing strategies, the effect of which is production efficiency improvement. Secondly, the result of their realization is introducing a new or largely improved product to the market (Golejewska 2012, p. 34). Region competitiveness may be manifested in direct and indirect competition (Markowski, Marszał 1998, p. 133). From the point of view of enterprises and growth of their innovativeness what seems more important is indirect competition, which comes down to building regional environment conditions for enterprises functioning in it in order to obtain competitive advantage in the aspects which are beyond the Regional Innovativeness Strategies And Their Impact … 125 subjects control. Enterprises owe their innovativeness not only to their own organizational abilities, but also to the external environment in which they function, including the institutions on regional and local level (Golejewska 2012, p. 36). 3. Regional Innovativeness Strategies in Poland Strategies should be understood as a consciously assumed and consequently realized in a longer time horizon way of maintaining constant competitive advantage by an organization, a region, a country (Koźmiński 1999, p. 97). In various definitions of strategies we can distinguish several reoccurring issues (Marchesnay 1994, pp. 12-13): • issue of goals - which is recognized as every behaviour focusing on formulation of long-term goals, • plan issues - strategic are all activities at the basis of which lies planning to use resources in a longer time horizon, • environment level - any behaviour is strategic if it leads to obtaining a constant competitive advantage in a long period with reference to the competitive environment, • issues and scope of a change - decisions that cause vital structural changes and changes in the management domain. In case of innovative strategies one can state that this is a set of main decisions in the following areas of operation (Kieżun 1997, p. 97): • choice of the basic direction in the scope of shaping a triple possibility: the product, the market and the technologies, • determining quantitative goals in the following domains: economic one, technological one and social-political one, • gathering and allocating financial and technical resources as well as the staff which makes it possible to realize the intended tasks. Regional Innovativeness Strategies (RIS) are a tool of shaping the innovative policy and building an effective system of innovativeness support in the region. They constitute the foundation of creating cooperation and partnership of all regional actors creating and supporting the course of innovative processes. RIS constitute the basis of building efficient regional innovativeness systems, and first of all the basis for using the European Union's funds for activities of innovative nature (Nowakowska 2007, p. 204). A regional innovativeness system is a set of interactions taking place among the knowledge domain, R+D sector, 126 Jan Kowalik economic subjects, education system, finances and public authorities, facilitating processes of adaptation and collective learning (Nowakowska 2007, pp. 302-303). In accordance with the guidelines of the European Union the most important principles of building regional innovativeness strategies are (Wieloński, Szmigiel 2006, p. 20): • partnership and public-private consensus (at all stages of work), • stress on the demand side and the bottom-up approach at their development, • orientation on activities (they should contain a plan, but also projects), • making the use of European dimension, • cyclicity. As a basic factor in creating a proper innovativeness policy in the region, regional innovativeness strategies should contain at least three areas: • development of innovativeness and entrepreneurship centres, • development of financing instruments of a new enterprise and risky innovative ventures, • stimulating and promoting technological entrepreneurship. In addition, they should comprise four groups of supporters: • businessmen, • business environment institutions, • research-development units (RDU, presently: research institutes) and universities, • local governments. Table 1 presents basic goals of RIS developed by individual regional governments in order to improve their innovativeness level and what follows, their competitiveness. Table 1. Basic goals of Regional Innovativeness Strategies in Poland Province/Straregy Basic goals Dolnośląskie Dolnośląska Innovations Strategy - supporting regional entrepreneurship clusters, - real support of the regional innovativeness system by the scientific-research facilities, - building the innovative infrastructure supporting both incubation processes and processes of innovations commercialization, - use of present resources to create a system of innovations financing (lack of legislative solutions on the national level makes it impossible to create such a system from scratch), - lowering the barriers for operations of innovators, Regional Innovativeness Strategies And Their Impact … 127 - education for innovations through thorough changes of the existing education model, - promoting innovative successes, rewarding innovations authors and in particular setting goals which require an innovative approach. Kujawsko-Pomorskie Regional Innovativeness Strategy of Kujawsko- Pomorskie Province until the year 2015 - development of enterprises towards knowledge-based economy through e-business development, supporting restructuring traditional economy areas to meet the contemporary requirements, more efficient attracting of investors from the high-tech technologies area, - building an effective system of cooperation between economy and knowledge in the region, in which the scientific-research centres realize expectations of enterprises and create new products, - pro-innovative business environment consisting of four systems comprising: common access to information for enterprises, network of institutions acting for innovativeness, pro-innovative system of education, pro-innovative climate and a way of operation of government in the region. Lubelskie Regional Innovativeness Strategy of Lubelskie Province, Innovative Lubelszczyzna – Transforming Ideas into Actions - growth of entrepreneurship in the region - improved effectiveness of classic agriculture, - development of organic products sector, - growth of competitiveness of scientific-didactic offer. Lubuskie Regional Innovativeness Strategy of Lubuskie Province - making the use of knowledge potential and R+D for the growth of the region's economy competitiveness, - building a system supporting innovations and modern innovative infrastructure in the region, - supporting entrepreneurship and innovative activity of enterprises. Łódzkie Regional Innovativeness Strategy of Łódź Province – RIS LORIS 2005 - 2013 - increase in expenditures on R+D, - increase in regional R+D potential effectiveness, - creating conditions facilitating high-tech industries development, - significant increase in the level of knowledge-intensiveness of traditional industries and agriculture, - development of information society services and knowledgebased economy. Małopolskie Regional Innovativeness Strategy of Małopolskie Province 2008-2013 - increase in innovativeness of enterprises in the province, through, among others, developing tools supporting financing of innovative activity of enterprises and increased participation of enterprises and research institutions in international researchdevelopment programmes and transfer of technologies, - reinforcing network contacts of institutions connected with the region innovativeness and a better use of their potential, - increased importance of innovativeness in regional policy. 128 Jan Kowalik Mazowieckie Regional Innovativeness Strategy for Mazowsze 2007-2015 - cooperation increase in the processes of innovations and innovativeness development, - growth in internalization of Mazowieckie province enterprises, - growth of resources and effectiveness of financing proinnovative activities in the region, - shaping and promoting pro-innovative and proentrepreneurial attitudes in the regions. Opolskie Regional Innovativeness Strategy of Opolskie Province 2004-2013 - creating an effective regional system of innovativeness support - increased use of the potential of scientific-research institution in the province, - increase enterprises competitiveness in the region through an increase in innovativeness of enterprises from the Small and Medium Enterprises sector. Podkarpackie Regional Innovativeness Strategy of Podkarpackie Province for the years 2005-2013 - open and effective network of creating and supporting innovativeness, - increase in the potential of educational institutions, - strengthening innovative enterprises in the region and creating new ones. Podlaskie Regional Innovativeness Strategy of Podlaskie Province 2005-2013 - strengthening the Podlasie economy competitiveness through innovations, - establishing institutional mechanisms of innovativeness support of Podlaskie province, - pro-innovative transformation of scientific-research institutions potential in Podlaskie province, Pomorskie Regional Innovativeness Strategy of Pomorskie Province (RIS-P) - building consensus and partnership for the development of information society and innovativeness in the region, - shaping innovative culture and pro-innovative education, - supporting development of the area outside the Tri-City agglomeration through innovations, - supporting the development of Small and Medium Enterprises in the region through the use of innovative potential of the Tri-City agglomeration. Śląskie Regional Innovativeness Strategy of Śląskie Province for the years 2003-2013 - increased share of high innovativeness enterprises in the total number of small and medium enterprises, - increased use of research-development potential, - ensuring an effective Regional Innovativeness System based on mutual trust, creativity and perfection. Świętokrzyskie Regional Innovativeness Strategy of Świętokrzyskie Province for the years 2005-2013 - improving educational system which shapes open, innovative and entrepreneurial attitudes - development of research activity in order to trigger internal factors of region development, - building the infrastructure of information society, - development of business environment institutions, Regional Innovativeness Strategies And Their Impact … 135 Streszczenie REGIONALNE STRATEGIE INNOWACJI I ICH WPŁYW NA INNOWACYJNOŚĆ WOJEWÓDZTW W POLSCE – ANALIZA PRZESTRZENNO-CZASOWA Regionalne Strategie Innowacji (RSI) istnieją w Polsce blisko dziesięć lat i w tym okresie zostały one opracowane, przyjęte i wdrożone we wszystkich województwach. Podstawowym celem Regionalnych Strategii Innowacji jest wspomaganie władz regionalnych lub lokalnych oraz innych organizacji rozwoju regionalnego w zdefiniowaniu i wdrożeniu efektywnego systemu wspierania innowacyjności w regionie. Dotychczasowy zakres realizacji projektów związanych z RSI jest różny w poszczególnych województwach. W pracy podjęto próbę oceny efektów wdrażania rozwiązań proinnowacyjnych zawartych w Regionalnych Strategiach Innowacji ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem ich wpływu na wzrost poziomu innowacyjności regionów w Polsce. Słowa kluczowe: Regionalne Strategie Innowacji, innowacyjność regionów w Polsce, syntetyczny wskaźnik innowacyjności regionów, analiza przestrzenno - czasowa