Problems-challenges

If your region - is facing transitions on (socio-economic, demographic or on fields on governance) … - is looking for new approaches and new alliances in your region … - is searching for a structured impulse of knowledge and input from educational and research institutes…

“De Kenniswerkplaats (the Studio)” might be the answer. In the North East of Fryslân De Kenniswerkplaats has been established over the last years.

Solutions

In De Kenniswerkplaats new alliances are constructed between the region (local and provincial governments, entrepreneurs, citizens) and educational institutes and research centres. In a structured way these partners learn to cooperate in new ways and transform theirselves to organizations skilled to the new assignments of today.

De Kenniswerkplaats is a place where entrepreneurs, public authorities, educational institutes (universities and universities of applied sciences), research institutes, and representatives of the local environment come together to work the challenges of the region for a better socio economical future, i.e. to bring more innovation and innovative awareness to the SME’s. This results in an innovative approach towards challenges of the region (because of social, economical and demographical transition) for which a joint innovative approach is needed.

Barriers

The most important barriers seem to be that partners have to change structure, culture and habits to cooperate in a new way. All partners are tending to fall back to their own old structures and habits which were obstructing new cooperation. So it’s very important act from a common agreement, to organize good platforms for consultation and structures to help and when needed to correct each other to stick to agreed principles.

Tools

- De Kenniswerkplaats methodology, an instrument to organize triple helix corporation. The methodology of De Kenniswerkplaats has been described in a book on how to prepare and implement De Kenniswerkplaats in a region according to the example of De Kenniswerkplaats North East Fryslân. (this book is available as Background document Kenniswerkplaats In the best practice analysis an extensive description of the project and all derived tools is included).
- The matrix of cooperation on regional themes (In the matrix on the left side (Y-as) the themes of the region (government, entrepreneurs and strategic partners) have been specified, above form left to right (X-as) the educational institutes have been specified. In the matrix is fields is indicated which educational institute signs for commitment in which regional theme