The assignment
Saarland's Innovation Strategy "Strategy for Innovation and Technology Saarland (2016–2023)" (RIS3 Strategy), represents the central strategic and regulatory framework for Saarland's EU funding until 2023. Based on the EU Commission’s changed regulatory requirements for RIS3 strategies in the funding period 2021–2027, Prognos AG, acting on behalf of the Saarland State Chancellery, has accompanied the updating process of the regional innovation strategy and prepared the updated strategy paper "StrategyPlus 2021–2023".
Our approach
As part of the update process, the project team carried out a socio-economic analysis of the Saarland innovation ecosystem, looking at strengths and weaknesses of the key areas and then identifying fields of action. In addition to the analysis of relevant strategy documents and secondary statistics, the team also held discussions with experts from the relevant research and economic areas of the innovation ecosystem.
Core results
As a result of the "StrategyPlus 2021–2023", the Saarland-based RIS3 strategy has been adapted to the new "basic requirements" of the EU Commission for the funding period 2021–2027.
While for the 2014–2020 funding period the focus was on the identification of specialisation fields and the “entrepreneurial discovery process”, this time it is on the optimisation and updating of existing governance structures and their further development, as well as the monitoring and evaluation system.
During the “Strategy for Innovation & Technology Saarland” update process, the project team prioritised and refined the existing key areas and potential topics. “With the new StrategyPlus 2021–2023, the key areas of Informatics, Life Science & Material Science and Smart Production & Automotive will be in the focus of Saarland’s innovation strategy”, emphasizes study leader Dr Jan-Philipp Kramer. In addition, the active participation of Saarland's innovation actors in the regional design process is being stepped up, through a revised, agile governance structure. An internal monitoring and evaluation system aims to the impact of the individual funding instruments more transparent and comprehensible on the basis of suitable statistical parameters.
Links and Downloads
To the study in German (website Saarland.de)
Project team
Dr Jan-Philipp Kramer, Marie-Kristin Komendzinski, Janosch Nellen