This deliverable sets out the final scope and method of the ‘Regional Innovation Policy Impact Assessment’ method (RIPIA).
A ‘Regional System of Innovation’ (‘RSI’) has many actors and stakeholders; and a regional innovation policy has many effects, direct or indirect, in the shorter or longer term. Any impact assessment has to be aware of these possibilities. Also, recent evidence suggests the importance of more intangible and fuzzy issues – communications, relationships and mutual learning between stakeholders – for the system of innovation. Therefore the RIPIA method does not aim at a simple fixed answer to the question of ‘impact assessment’. It aims more to provide a route map and working tools for investigation. This will help to explore the regional innovation agenda, the critical paths of causes and effects, the relationships of stakeholders, the qualities of governance, and the ‘organization / regional learning’ capacity as a foundation for the innovation process. The RIPIA method is designed to be run by experts in close consultation with regional stakeholders. It is designed as a flexible set of steps with a series of templates and graphic aids. It is compatible with the ‘rational management’ logical framework approach of objectives, inputs and outputs, where this is relevant. It provides a basis for benchmarking and comparison as far as possible, by identifying common and measurable issues among many other issues which are more fuzzy and intangible.