The Asia section of the International Urban Cooperation Program of the European Union (IUC-Asia) has published the EU-China Regional Innovation Joint Study, a study on regional innovation between the European Union (EU) and China, coordinated during 2020 from Casa Asia.
Study compares European and Chinese approaches to regional innovation, also analyzing six practical cases from regions and provinces of China and the EU: Basque Country (Spain), Baden-Württemberg (Germany), Center (Portugal), Jiangsu, Shandong and Chengdu-Chongqing (China).
Thus, while in Europe the leadership of the regions predominates in the design of the different innovation strategies through smart specialization policies (RIS3), in the Chinese case the impact of the central government is much more pronounced, although the provinces and cities have an increasingly important role in the development of their own strategies adapted to the characteristics of each place. The importance of the so-called triple helix (cooperation between the government, universities and companies) for the success of any innovation plan at the regional or provincial level, both in China and Europe, has also been confirmed.
The purpose of the study is to provide proposals and initiatives for future cooperation between the European Union and China in regional innovation. Thus, the new EU urban and regional cooperation program (International Urban and Regional Cooperation), which began in 2021, will have as new features the participation of the regions (until now it was limited to cities), and the incorporation of innovation as a key element in EU-China cooperation.
In the executive summary of the study it is stated that: “It is clear from the analyzes in this study that innovation is at the heart of the EU and China's efforts to remain competitive in the era of globalization. And concludes that "“This study suggests that their different experiences in relation to promoting innovation at the regional level offer fertile ground for cooperation.”
Furthermore, it is also stated that: “In the EU, the 'Green Deal' is the new strategy to promote recovery and transition after the COVID-19 induced crisis. The EU intends to strengthen the green dimension of smart specialization, which will be further strengthened in line with the European priority of adapting sustainable development to digital transformation. In China, local governments also They integrate environmental protection objectives into local economic and social development plans. The recent history of EU-China cooperation at regional level shows that high priority is already being given to issues such ass Energys renewables, sustainable transport, energy efficiency and transition organic farming. In China, the 14th five-year plan will likely focus on technological independence and will pay special attention to aspects such as sustainable development, energy transition or innovation in the health sector.”
The study has been coordinated from Casa Asia and its authors are Robert Hassink, professor of Economic Geography Kiel University (Germany), Lun Liu, professor School of Government Peking University (China), Amadeo Jensana, director of the Department of Economy and Business of Casa Asia and Dr. Guillermo Martínez-Taberner, Head of the Economics and Business Department Casa Asia.
Further information:
https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/policy/cooperation/international/urban/#1
