Guidance
"RIS3 Assessment Wheel" - A synthetic tool to position yourselves and your RIS3 *
The development of a tool for the synthetic representation of the progress made in drafting/designing a RIS3 allows condensing a huge amount of information in one visual modality. Although limitations might play a significant role, namely those linked to making a complex process appear simple, the assessment wheel can usefully support a number of activities, e.g. self-assessments, peer-reviews, expert contributions, presentations at dissemination, discussion and negotiation meetings, etc.
The wheel is built on the basis of the six steps described in the RIS3 Guide and the identification of 3 critical factors for each step.
The scaling tool (from 0 to 5) estimates the seriousness of the evidence provided in the process as far as each critical factor is concerned with the following meaning:
- 0 = no information available on the specific element
- 1 = poor
- 2 = to be improved
- 3 = fair
- 4 = strong
- 5 = excellent
A quick guide to use the wheel.
Once the assessment is complete, the final result would appear in a form of "spider graph" where the strongest and weakest positioning would be easily highlighted. This immediate visual recognition of strengths and weaknesses would allow focusing further activity such as:
- completion / upgrade of the national or regional RIS3;
- appropriate consideration of territorial features, priorities and needs in the multi-level governance process at country level;
- preparation and negotiation of funding programmes such as the EU cohesion policy operational programmes;
- reviews, comparisons and benchmarking;
- reflection on training/coaching activity needed in a particular defined segment;
- definition of co-operation activities and establishment of mutual learning / twinning tools.
Please note that the concise explanatory table below is just a quick reference tool to assist you with the assessment of the regional/national RIS3 using the steps of the RIS3 Guide. Therefore, a thorough evaluation exercise requires an assessment of the region/country according to the detailed definitions/explanations available in the RIS3 Guide and Annexes.
| RIS3 Guide Steps | Sections | RIS3 Guide reference | Short explanatory | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEP 1 ANALYSIS OF REGIONAL / NATIONAL CONTEXT |
Regional / National Assets | Step 1 (page 18) + Annex I (pages 28-33) | - regional / national assets' endowment - SWOT - innovation potential & skills for knowledge based development |
0 to 5 |
| Outward Dimension | Step 1 (page 19) + Annex I (pages 28-33) | - connectivity - knowledge, trade & skills flows - positioning in trans-regional and international value chains - trans-regional/international collaboration networks |
||
| Entreprenurial Dynamics | Step 1 (page 20) + Annex I (pages 28-33) | - start-ups, clusters, entrepreneurial networks - FDI - new forms of self-employment, etc. |
||
| STEP 2 GOVERNANCE |
Governance Structures | Step 2 (page 21) + Annex I (pages 34-44) | - identification of specific bodies and definition of their tasks, roles and responsibilities | 0 to 5 |
| Broad Participation | - interactive, consensus-based application of collaborative leadership principles - quadruple helix actors (involvement of boundary spanners) |
|||
| Management & Communication | - use of open forum discussion and citizen dialogue - e-governance |
|||
| STEP 3 SHARED VISION |
Broad View of Innovation | Step 3 (page 22) + Annex I (pages 45-50) | - are social, organisational, service and market innovation considered beside technological and science based innovation? | 0 to 5 |
| Grand Challenges | - societal inclusive, environmental and sustainable economic development | |||
| Scenario Analysis | - risk assessment and contingency plan for possible future changes | |||
| STEP 4 IDENTIFICATION OF PRIORITIES |
Revision of Past Priorities | Step 4 (page 22) + Annex I (pages 51-52) | - critical revision of past experiences (from RIS to RIS3) - dynamic identification of actual or potential areas with competitive advantages |
0 to 5 |
| Consistency | - alignment with context analysis and harvesting of entrepreneurial discoveries and DAE | |||
| Critical Mass | - concentration of resources to the limited number of priorities | |||
| STEP 5 POLICY MIX |
Roadmap | Step 5 (page 23) + Annex I (pages 53-58) | - including action plan and pilot projects | 0 to 5 |
| Balance | - appropriate mix of targeted and horizontal measures | |||
| Framework Conditions | - e.g. allowing for support to experimentation, etc. | |||
| STEP 6 MONITORING & EVALUATION |
Output & Result Indicators | Step 6 (pages 24-25) + Annex I (pages 59-64) | - selection of a limited number of output & result Indicators linked to priorities with clearly identified baselines and targets | 0 to 5 |
| Monitoring | - mechanisms, supported by appropriate data collection, to verify how the activities in the RIS3 are delivering the output and result targets | |||
| RIS3 Update | - revision of priorities and policy mix as a result of the monitoring exercise |
*The final layout of the RIS3 assessment wheel was elaborated by the S3 Platform on the basis of the original contribution and proposal by Christian Saublens, Executive Manager of EURADA – the European Association of Development Agencies.