White Spaces Innovation in Sweden - Innovation policy for ... - Vinnova

WHITE SPACES INNOVATION IN SWEDENThe Skåne Food Innovation NetworkRe-researching the regional innovation system in early 2011, the following had evolved.First, regarding the regional food cluster (SFIN) and its evolving strategy (regionalparadigm and regime or STS), this had confronted the future shock of the ending of itscore funding from Sweden‟s central innovation agency by re-framing its trajectory. Thisinvolved three new initiatives. First SFIN‟s core concept had shifted significantly inperceiving opportunity in an „adjacent possible‟ evolution as the regional innovationnetwork selling and supplying innovation and entrepreneurship services to all regionalclusters. Thus it would sit, close to market, beneath the regional economic developmentagency and the regional administration more generally. This advisory and consultancyfunction would grow out of capabilities developed over a ten year period in managingboth a complex food cluster and building „relatedness‟ bridges to different regional andsupra-regional (Baltic Sea Region) clusters and global networks with other food clusters.Second, and to assist this process, a multi-level perspective had been embarkedupon involving lobbying central government ministries and politicians to raise standardsby changing regulations and helping create new food innovation opportunities. The aimis no less than re-invention of the public procurement process, moving it away from aningredients-led to a meal experience-led approach. One example of this concerned„Food for the Elderly‟ whereby better quality would be required from rules and expectationsregarding food from the health and social security authorities for hospitals andcare-homes. Having cluster entrepreneurs ready to demonstrate improved service qualityto ministers strengthened the lobbying effort. A third aim is to raise innovationamong large food companies by getting „silos and clusters‟ to co-operate on innovation.This involves creating arenas where innovation demonstrations („preadaptation‟) andexploration of innovation structural holes (known in the region as „white spaces‟) mightoccur („adjacent possible‟). Thus „green‟ packaging, the „sustainable hub‟ cluster, LifeSciences, Media Evolution and Mobile Heights (ICT) would be among innovative contextsintroducing and exploring innovation with each other. Accordingly, from the foodindustry perspective, transversality of this kind would allow SFIN to spearhead a morerobust export model, acting „guerrilla-like‟ to bring entrepreneurs directly into exportmarkets. In general, this „T‟ model as deployed by SFIN works upwards in the foodfocus (MLP) and outwards in the relatedness dimension, connecting fast-moving entrepreneursystems with slow moving, large corporations to increase innovation and expandglobal markets.Mobile HeightsThis cluster constitutes a platform of large firms like Sony Ericsson, ST Ericsson, EricssonGroup and TeliaSonera and ICT start-ups in incubators and the MH Business Centre.As a cluster it is already well-entrenched in a highly globalised ICT industry. Veryrapidly, with major shocks to the hitherto Nordic predominance in mobile telephony, theglobal market has been invaded and expanded by Asian producers, notably South Korea45