European Program : FP7- CAPACITIES – REGIONS OF KNOWLEDGE - Research and rural economies including economies undergoing structural changes (support actions)
List of participants:
France: Centre d'Etudes Spatiales de la Biosphère (Coordinator); Association Pays Portes de Gascogne ; Communauté de Communes de la Lomagne Gersoise; Magellium SAS
Spain: Institut de Ciència i Tecnolgia Ambiental de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; Fundacion Forum Ambiental
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Concept and objectives
The ultimate objective of this project is to explore the possibilities to make emerge a European Cluster of research, as an inter-territorial network of Living Labs for the applications of satellite technologies., build on the basis of a network of public and private agents working on various rural territories in the European Union. These change agents meet around a common will to develop in their zone of action the concept of Living Labs.
The Living Labs is designed here to be an instrument performing the adaptation to the structural changes tested by the local economy. It must make it possible to give the day to a new dynamic and competitive knowledge economy, based on the ability to experiment, on the scale of the territory, research and technological development projects whose strong potential of valorization depends on the transferability of the results towards the regional companies (mainly SMEs). At the same time, it promotes these companies to join the dynamics of Academic research activities.
The concept of Living Labs also answers the difficulty for the economic agents to move from a "technology push" approach, initiated by the research, to the one consisting in promoting their supply with new services as an answer to a demand. The Living Labs, through a function of demonstrator, aims to create the conditions of emergence of a market demand and to initiate a "technology pull" dynamics for new usages.
The construction of the network will be carried out through the partnership in the implementation of a Strategic Schedule (Action Plan) including different objectives :
-scientific objectives: to draft the specifications of the design and the development of an Environmental Information System - EIS. This is an integrated flexible tool suitable for the territories partners specificities, which gathers in a single system, a geo data base (created via the satellite technologies), a territory specific data base and a basic data base (cartographic, historical or invariant local data). This EIS should be considered as the cornerstone which constitutes the first stage and on which the services and the applications previously evoked will be able to develop.
-economic objectives: to test the concept of Living Labs as a tool for economic innovation within the concerned territories. To promote Academic research laboratories and private companies partnerships, especially SMEs, interested in the use of the EIS in their sphere of activity. This will also supply new services meeting needs for performances and professionals high level guarantees.
-structuring the territories objective: the contribution to the EIS research tool design will be the foundations to lead to the structuring of a European cluster of research, made of private and public agents working in the territories taking part in the project, as it will also contribute to organize the inter-territories relationship to the definition of a common strategy of development.
-methodological objective: to test the ability of this method to gather territories being subjected to economic structural changes and to duplicate it on other territories, in any activity or research area requiring the results to be tested in the fieldwork.
Expected Results:
1. To better integrate the Research actors with the regional economy with the leadership of the Living labs as a steering committee to coordinate all the actions on their respective territories.
2. To reinforce the networking and the reciprocal training thanks to the systematic exchange of information: synergy between actors, actions and projects
3. To increase the transnational and transborder co-operation: collaborations which lead to the constitution of a stable partnership which will allow the participation in other European calls
Expected goals:
1.1. Regional economic growth in the targeted sectors: agriculture and vine growing, environment, services in rural area (to the person but also with the professionals intervening there), regional planning (decision-making aid, geographical information), etc.
1.2. Response to the needs of the local economy: evolution of the practices and natural stock management; anticipation and risk management; anticipation of the changes (development of models able to provide scenarios of evolution of the territories).
2.1. Dynamics generated by the drafting of a generic document, by the use of a methodological support and by the elaboration of a contractual document between actors (local level/level inter regional)
3.1. Mobilization of local, national and Community funds for the implementation of actions of support for the economic development of the areas concerned.
3.2. The concept of Living Labs is considered like an economic tool for innovation. Its definition and its characteristics must be clearly established to be able to appreciate feasibility on the partners territories and the transposability: on other European territories interested by this project, and which could adhere to the initiative, and potentially related to other fields of research or economic branches of industry, which could take this initiative like a methodological tool for the structuring of their specific needs.
