1st Digitalisation WG Workshop: Identification of challenges in regional funds and support instruments.
The first Digitalisation WG workshop, organised on March 31, 2022, focused on the identification of the main challenges in the implementation of the follow-up funding schemes. RDAs, DIH and RTOs were invited to present the most relevant barriers that they encounter in their respective territories.
The evidences collected during this first workshop suggest that the way the dialogue is structured remains highly context-dependent. Existing institutions, the national and regional administrative structure, culture and historical trajectory of innovation policy influence the ways countries and regions organise their processes.
Despite the resulting heterogeneity, a set of findings influencing the success of the joint definition of regional support mechanism were brought forward during the discussion.
Challenge 1. Guidance for the implementation of regional funds
Regional funding schemes should be combined with appropriate tools that can guide the companies to navigate and choose the best technology to be implemented in their companies.
Considering that nowadays the tools, knowledge and technology available are very vast, a trusted brokerage service available for the regional companies has been proven to be a demanding and necessary mechanism that could help companies to allocate adequately the available funding by adopting the most suitable technology for them.
Challenge 2. Organisation and coordination of the stakeholder dialogue
An efficient organisation of the regional stakeholder collaboration requires an important role of the government as well as clear rules to ensure wide access, transparency and equal possibilities to influence the process by all relevant stakeholders.
Challenge 3. Skills and knowledge
Training activities for the regional companies designed to build capacity in identifying and managing European and regional funds has also been highlighted as a relevant practice to be implemented.
There is also a strong recognition of the importance for capacity building in RDAs, DIH and RTOs. In these cases, the dedicated training should go beyond internal processes and be oriented towards the regional stakeholder collaboration and ability to exchange knowledge and build support programmes arising from the conclusions of this learning process with the local companies.
Challenge 4. Stable and predictive funding programme schemes
Given the significant time resources implied, the companies should have access to fundings schemes that have clear rules, with a straight forward application procedure and which are predictable in time.
Funding schemes should also be designed for longer and predictable periods of time to allow companies to plan their digital transformation strategy and opt for the funds at the most suitable time for them.
Challenge 5. Alignment of regional and European funding schemes
The available funding at European and regional level should be mutually reinforcing and complementary, this approach would guarantee to the companies a certain continuity in the funds allocated for their digital progression. For example, the European open calls should be complemented with additional regional support to guarantee a continuity in the digital transformation journey of the company.
The digital transformation of the company has to be understood as an ongoing process of integration of new technologies. The regional funding schemes should guarantee that a company can progressively increase its digital readiness level by providing the necessary funds for each of the steps in the digitalisation development of the company.
Challenge 6. Follow up schemes for European open calls
Funding calls can be used as a tool to collect stakeholder feedback and information in a dynamic process that can be key to connect policymakers with regional stakeholders. This is framed variously in terms of processes of consultation, engagement, influencing or co-design. As such, funding calls clearly provide an important mechanism to link the priority areas for funding with policy decision-making.
Regions should establish an organised collaboration with the European open calls to learn about the profile of the regional companies active in these calls. Most importantly, regions could learn the companies that are being beneficiaries of these calls to provide them with an appropriate regional follow up funding scheme that could guarantee a continuity in their digitalisation process.
To explore possible solutions to the challenges identified in the previous workshop, at this 2nd meeting of the Digitalisation Working Group different RDAs, DIH and RTOs will present their regional best practices and how they have jointly implemented successful strategies to design support schemes in their territory.
Take a look at the description of the event and the agenda.
