Using Buurtzorg model as innovation clustering model for regional capacity building in an entrepreneurial context

• Smart Specialization (RIS3) is an innovative approach/strategy to bring together local authorities, academia, businesses and society to boost growth and jobs in Europe. It prioritizes domains, areas and economic activities where regions have a competitive advantage. We introduce an innovation model to facilitate translation of ideas and knowledge into regional implementation. Instead of focusing on technology, the innovator / entrepreneur himself is in focus. The proposed model is based on the Buurtzorg model which originally focusses on supporting patients in health care, and which has an onion frame: the patient is surrounded by informal network (family, etc), next is the Buurtzorg support team, and final level is the formal network (society). The individuals need are steering the health care support, rather than adapting it to the social and economic constraints of the health care system. The team consists of specialists who decide how they organize the work, share responsibilities and make decisions. The team is self-managing and with entrepreneurial spirit. We will argue in this paper that a support mechanism as innovation model may be applicable to regional capacity building, and the support acts as a clustering process. Clusters are often limited by geographical constraints, such as having a number of local actors in a certain field. Clustering may be based on other values than given by physical ones. Our model approach is based on that there are innovators who have visionary ideas which are outside their traditional business. They could potentially be of great important for regional growth since they will create value chains, jobs etc, but given the non traditional innovation character they will not be realized unless there is a support mechanism. Similar to the Buurtzorg model, there is a team of specialists that will support the innovator and the innovator informal network. The specialist team has competencies related to smart specialization, regional growth etc (formal network). When RIS3 is applied to broad areas like advanced materials or nanotechnology such a mediation becomes highly complex. Both these areas include an extremely broad range of areas, examples include anything from food (through modifying functional properties by physical and chemical changes), digital communication or connected systems (new materials’ approaches for faster processors or use of higher/faster band frequencies), to construction related materials (buildings, transport, etc). Very likely they do not have actors located geographically close to create a cluster. For synergistic effects, activities in the RIS3 within advanced materials can be linked to other fields, as well as to implementation synergies. If the smart specialization of advanced materials can interact with efforts in building competence, smart industry, sustainable production, automation, digitalization etc, the advanced materials could then find a value chain in specific avenues instead of building ones in its own area. This is a viable route to hold together the fragmented and broad character of advanced materials field, where transferring/translation activities (competence, technical, etc) are a binding agent. Therefore, the specialist team is crucial for such transfer, and a core element in an innovation model.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Statsvetenskap -- Statsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Political Science -- Political Science (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Smart specialization

innovation growth

model

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