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Monitoring and evaluation
of the North Rhine-Westphalian innovation strategy (RIS3)

Client

Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Industrie, Klimaschutz und Energie des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen

Year

ongoing

Partner

IMP3rove


As part of the funding provided by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the state of North Rhine-Westphalia has developed a regional innovation strategy. ERDF funding aims to reduce economic and social disparities between the various regions of Europe. In order to achieve this goal, measures to support innovative and intelligent economic change are subsidised by the ERDF.

The North Rhine-Westphalian innovation strategy is based on the guiding principle of smart specialisation (Regional Innovation Strategy for Smart Specialisation = RIS3). It focuses on those topics that are of particular relevance for economic and social development in the region and in which the players in the state already have strengths.

Prognos is supporting the state in the development and implementation of a monitoring and evaluation system to measure the success of the innovation strategy for the 2021-2027 funding period.

Monitoring & evaluation: How successful is the regional innovation strategy in NRW?

According to the requirements of the EU umbrella regulation for ERDF funding 2021-2027, monitoring & evaluation systems for smart specialisation strategies must be developed. These systems are intended to measure performance in relation to the strategy's objectives.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia commissioned Prognos to develop and implement a monitoring & evaluation system for the regional innovation strategy of North Rhine-Westphalia 2021-2027.

The state has identified seven fields of innovation that are considered to be particularly important for the future of the innovation centre:

  1. Innovative Materials & Intelligent Production
  2. Connected Mobility & Logistics
  3. Environmental & Circular Economy
  4. Energy & Innovative Construction
  5. Innovative medicine, health & life science
  6. Culture, Media & Creative Industries, Innovative Services
  7. Key Technologies of the Future & ICT

Digitalisation, sustainability (including climate protection and resource efficiency) and innovative business models play a central role in all seven fields of innovation. The state has defined strategic goals for each of the seven fields of innovation.

On the one hand, Prognos developed the methodological and conceptual basis for regular monitoring of target achievement and evaluation of the strategy. On the other hand, we realise the operational implementation in close connection with the overall evaluation of the operational programme for ERDF/JTF funding 2021-2027 in NRW, in which Prognos is also involved. By measuring progress and successes, we support the implementation of the RIS3 strategy in NRW.

In addition, the insights generated help to continuously improve and update the regional innovation strategy (RIS3) for the next funding period.

Our approach

The monitoring and evaluation system for the regional innovation strategy of North Rhine-Westphalia 2021-2027 (RIS3) relates to all fields of action of the innovation strategy.

Prognos' remit is divided into two strands:

Monitoring: 

  • We regularly collect data on RIS3-relevant funding activities of the various departments of the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia. 
  • The monitoring data is compiled and published in an annual report. 
  • The monitoring is based on various data sources, such as funding instrument-related projects or predefined key performance indicators (KPIs) for the innovation fields.

Evaluation: 

  • The knowledge gained from RIS3 monitoring is then utilised in the evaluation, which represents the accompanying assessment of the innovation strategy. 
  • The evaluations focus on both RIS3 process implementation and RIS3 effectiveness.

Links and downloads

Further information on RIS3 in NRW (website, in German)

Our work in the NRW.innovativ competence centre

To the monitoring reports:

Monitoring report 2023

The overarching aim of this monitoring report is to take stock of the implementation of the Innovation Strategy 2021-2027 of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The 2023 monitoring report is the first to present the implementation status of various RIS3-relevant activities for the years 2021 and 2022.

To the report (PDF, in German)

Project team: Lennart Galdiga, Felix Ginzinger, Dr Jan-Philipp Kramer, Vincent Vogelsang

Last update: 16.08.2024

Do you have questions?

Your contact at Prognos

Lennart Galdiga

Project Manager

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Dr Jan-Philipp Kramer

Partner, Head of EU Services

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