REGIONAL INNOVATION STRATEGIES IN EUROPE A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF EMILIA-ROMAGNA AND FRIULI-VENEZIA-GIULIA

Abstract: The globalisation processes changed in a short period of time the framework of the world economy competitiveness and bring new opportunities and challenges. In this new scenario, the European enterprises can only compete by taking full advantages of the new opportunity offered by knowledge-based economy. In fact, Europe cannot compete on the base of reducing labour costs, polluting environment or overexploiting raw materials. Indeed European economy productivity and growth should be based on use of frontier technology and ability to produce high-tech goods, manufactures and services (Lisbon Strategy, 2000). In this perspective, innovation is considered to vital importance, to have in Europe enterprises able to compete on a global scale and to take fully advantages of new market opportunities offered by ICT exploitation. EU expect such a transition will boost fast economic growth, creates better jobs, while at same time maintains and improve the European welfare model and the environment protection (Lisbon Strategy, 2000). The thesis wants to compare innovation policy programs in two Italian regions: Emilia-Romagna and Friuli-Venezia- Giulia. The proposal of the work is to analyse how the Regional Innovation Strategy of the two chosen cases were implemented in the last program period 2000-2006. Which structures have been created? How the money was allocated? What can we learn from the past? Which opportunities were missed and what can be done? Are they really innovative? The last part of the thesis is dedicated to compare the Regional Innovation Strategy of the chosen regions. Which differences we can detect? What are the similarities between the two cases? In order to understand this, I will study what characterize an innovative region and which forces drives innovation in a particular region. The thesis will be based on Lisbon Strategy (political perspective) as point of departure to explain the role of innovation and innovation policies as peculiar importance to European social, economic and environmental development. Furthermore, regional innovation strategies (policy perspective) will be discussed to explain how the two chosen European regions have implemented their strategies to boost their development trough innovation. In particular the Regional Innovation System theory (theoretical perspective) will be assessed. The method used is to analyse economic data in the two regions, analysis of documents from EU, national and regional level, comparative analysis of innovation policies in EU, national and regional policy documents. Tables and figures will be presented and used as an element in the work thesis. The expected results of the work are: understanding how the two chosen European regions have implemented their innovation strategies and compare regional innovation strategies of two selected regions (existent similarities and differences).