Implementing RIS3the case of the Basque Country

Resumen

The aim of this report is to get into the heart of the processes that are underway in the Basque Country as it seeks to move from the design to the implementation of its RIS3. It is based on interviews with 35 people from government, business, research and other agencies who are intimately involved with different aspects of the Basque RIS3 process. These interviews have been combined with a review of the many working documents being produced by the RIS3 process to generate the reflections that are contained in this report. It is explicitly not an evaluation report, however, and doesn’t pretend to enter into a detailed analysis of every aspect of the Basque RIS3. Rather, it aims to succinctly document, explain and analyse the most significant developments in the process of implementing the Basque RIS3 since it was approved at the end of 2014 in the shape of the Science Technology and Innovation Plan 2020. In particular, therefore, the report focuses on two key features of the implementation process to date: the deepening of regional governance mechanisms for RIS3 and the stimulation of entrepreneurial discovery processes. By doing this the report hopes to provide a focal point for learning both in the Basque Country and elsewhere, and to identify areas where particular challenges are present as the RIS3 process moves forwards.