Innovation and SMEs in Interreg policy: too early to move beyond bike lanes?
van den Broek,Jos Rutten,Roel Benneworth,Paul
van den Broek,Jos
Rutten,Roel
Benneworth,Paul
Abstract
Since 1989 the European Commission’s policy on border regions has slowly shifted focus. Current Interreg policy is increasingly focused upon innovation and cooperation between SMEs. In this paper we question whether this emphasis on firms and innovation neglects the build-up of other kinds of activities and institutions antecedent to effective firm innovation cooperation. We argue that antecedent developments should occur prior to stimulating innovation cooperation between firms, highlighting that building effective environments for regional innovation in cross-border regions encompasses four qualitatively different micro scale phases of development, each requiring qualitatively different policy measures. This four-phase model is applied to a case study of a Dutch-Flemish Interreg programme, using documentary material, a policy-maker survey and a documentary analysis of funded projects to explore incoherences between strategy and reality. We highlight a gap between the strategy’s strong ex ante focus upon innovation, policy-maker perceptions of necessary improvements, and the projects selected for funding.
Description
Funding Information: Jos van den Broek is grateful for the time and support from ERAC BV to conduct this research.
Date
2020
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Research Projects
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Keywords
BORDER, CBRIS, COOPERATION, EU, Innovation, Interreg, SMEs, SYSTEMS, borders, policy, SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
Citation
van den Broek, J, Rutten, R & Benneworth, P 2020, 'Innovation and SMEs in Interreg policy : too early to move beyond bike lanes?', Policy Studies, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/01442872.2018.1539225