Punctuated equilibriums The added value of the ExAnte

Punctuated equilibriums The added value of the Ex-Ante Evaluator in R&D and Innovation focused Operational Programmes 4 -5 July, Vilnius, Lithuania Derek Jan Fikkers

R&D and Innovation focussed Operational Programmes “Innovative and competitive business and research environment” is the 1 st funding priority for most countries (Mendez et al. 2013) 2

The Netherlands in the 2014 -2020 period 3

The Netherlands in the 2014 -2020 period • Three main priorities: 1. Insufficient R&I intensity and uptake by businesses 2. Unsatisfactory labour market participation 3. More efficient and sustainable use of resources, in particular of renewables. • For ERDF: #1 ≈ 80% • Main challenge for the 4 MA’s: draft ERDF OP’s: 1. increase R&I intensity, and 2. enable en masse uptake by businesses 4

Pre-2014: bottlenecks in the process of drafting the OP’s • Autumn 2012: • Financial: Substantial budget cuts; • Institutional: Osmosis in the innovation system; • Early 2013: • Cultural: MA’s traditional focus on universities; • Semi-smart specialization: University focus often ≠ business focus • Continuously: • Political: sectoral advocacy coalitions • • May 2013: 80% September 2013: 100% 5

Two unconventional roles of the ex-ante evaluator § § § §§ § § I II V IV III 6

Thank you Derekjan. fikkers@technopolis-group. com technopolis |group| has offices in Amsterdam, Ankara, Brighton, Brussels, Frankfurt/Main, Paris, Stockholm, Tallinn and Vienna 7