The Public Governance of Anticipatory Innovation Ecosystems in Latvia

Annex A. Methodology

The OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation together with the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) worked together over 2020-2022 to explore how the public sector can contribute to the effective governance of innovation ecosystems in a context of complex challenges and uncertainty.

The findings in this report draw on the triangulation of data emerging from semi-structured interviews, workshops, surveys and desk research.

• Desk research, including previous OECD reports on public governance in Latvia and innovation ecosystems, grey literature (policy briefs, reports, etc.), academic literature on innovation policy, innovation ecosystems, foresight and anticipation, and Latvian government publications.

• Semi-structured interviews with over 40 public sector leaders, policymakers, experts and key private sector and research stakeholders to understand the context for R&I, Smart Specialisation and innovation ecosystems in Latvia. In late 2020 and early 2021, the OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation conducted a series of 35 interviews with key stakeholders connected to the Latvian Smart Specialisation Strategy (RIS3) and innovation ecosystem management. Interviewees included stakeholders from the Ministry of Economics, Ministry of Education, the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA), universities and research institutions, start-ups, medium-sized enterprises, state-owned enterprises, business associations and more. In August 2022, further interviews were conducted with representatives of the Ministry of Economy, Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, Latvian Council of Science and Riga Technical University to gain insight on the most recent changes in the R&I policy governance and implementation mechanisms and the rationale for these changes.

• Semi-structured interviews with representatives from 10 European innovation ecosystem initiatives to gather information on roles and governance models for innovation ecosystems. Ecosystems were selected to cover four main thematic areas that are of interest to the Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIAA) based on the Latvian Smart Specialisation strategy. The themes cover 5G/6G, bioeconomy, biomedicine and photonics. The ecosystems were: spearhead cluster flanders.healthTech, Belgium; BioWin, Belgium; Dutch Top Sector Life Science and Health, the Netherlands; PhotonDelta, the Netherlands; Unlocking Industrial 5G, Finland; 6G Flagship, Finland; BioBall, Germany; Biotech North, Norway; Lithuanian Sunrise Valley; JIC regional innovation ecosystem in South Moravia, Czechia.

• Six governance approach development workshops to test and iterate developing tools and methods to support the governance of anticipatory innovation ecosystems. These engaged representatives from multiple teams within LIAA, as well as public servants from the Ministry of Economics and the Ministry of Education and Science (Table A A.1).

• Seven ecosystem development workshops with more than 80 stakeholders from the fields of smart mobility, smart materials and photonics, bioeconomy and biomedicine. Six of these workshops took place virtually over 90-120 minutes and engaged between 5 and 45 stakeholders in structured interactive activities. An offline workshop for the biomedicine ecosystem took place over two days in Riga on 17 and 18 May 2022, and engaged 28 stakeholders (Table A A.1). Detail on the types of activities that were undertaken can be found in Chapter 4.

• A formative evaluation of ecosystem development workshops. The evaluation had two key objectives. Firstly, it aimed to analyse ecosystem partners’ perceptions on the relevance and usefulness of the workshops. Secondly, the evaluation sought to establish a method through which LIAA and ecosystem actors can periodically reflect on the applicability of the tools and activities for further ecosystem building. The evaluation relied on two core methods: 1) online survey of all workshop participants; and 2) interviews with a representative sample of participants. The short online survey was designed to gather a more aggregate and quantitative feedback from a large pool of workshop participants. The survey was sent to all participants (n=82) with a response rate of 46% (38 completed replies). In addition, 10 interviews were held with at least two participants from each ecosystem. The interviews complemented this quantitative feedback providing more in‑depth insights on how the workshop content influenced participants’ understanding of the ecosystem approach to innovation development.

Table A A.1. Participatory workshops undertaken with stakeholders in Latvia

Date	Objectives	Participants	Online / in‑person
7 April 2021	Introduce anticipatory approaches to an innovation ecosystem in Latvia Conduct a horizon scan of future changes that could affect the ecosystem	Representatives of organisations working with photonics and smart materials	Online
28 April 2021	Map potential ecosystems Identify key criteria for ecosystem selection	LIAA team members	Online
27 October 2021	Identify potential ecosystem stakeholders Identify opportunities for engaging ecosystem partners	LIAA team members	Online
14 December 2021	Explore and identify functions to be played by government representatives to support ecosystems	LIAA team members, Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Economics	Online
22 January 2022	Develop a programme-level theory of change Create an engagement plan for stakeholders of the biomedicine ecosystem	LIAA team members	Online
23 February 2022	Engage key stakeholders in the biomedicine ecosystem Identify shared issues and objectives for the future of biomedicine in Latvia Share insights and observations from across the ecosystem Identify next steps for collaboration	Representatives of organisations working with biomedicine	Online
5 April 2022	Engage key stakeholders in the photonics and smart materials ecosystem Identify shared issues and objectives for the future of Photonics and Smart Materials in Latvia Share insights and observations from across the ecosystem Identify future steps for ecosystem collaboration	Representatives of organisations working with photonics and smart materials	Online
12 April 2022	Engage with and stress-test the 2018 ‘LIBRA’ strategy for the Latvian Bioeconomy against potential future changes Identify shared issues and objectives for the future of Bioeconomy in Latvia Increase understanding of how strategic foresight helps make the ecosystem more resilient Discuss how collaboration between partners can help to achieve the aims of the strategy	Representatives of organisations working in the bioeconomy	Online
21-22 April 2022	Test developing findings about anticipatory innovation ecosystems Prepare for ecosystem engagement workshop to be co-facilitated by LIAA and OECD in Latvia	LIAA team	In-person (Paris)
17-18 May 2022	Build an inventory of the capabilities and resources that members of the innovation ecosystem can contribute to the ecosystem Outline key elements of a shared, future-oriented vision for the biomedicine innovation ecosystem in Latvia Stress-test elements of this vision against possible and plausible future challenges Set out concrete actions to enable the biomedicine ecosystem members in Latvia to develop and shape the future through innovation Strengthen relationships across the field of biomedicine in Latvia	Representatives of organisations working with biomedicine	In-person (Riga)
14 June 2022	Engage key stakeholders in the Smart Mobility innovation ecosystem Identify shared issues and objectives for the future of Smart Mobility Share insights and observations from across the ecosystem Identify future steps for ecosystem collaboration	Representatives of organisations working on smart mobility	Online

Box A A.1. Formative Evaluation: Survey tool

Thank you for agreeing to take part in this survey about the workshop run by the OECD and Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIAA). It will take only 10 minutes of your time. Your responses will help informing the future development of tools and approaches to support the orchestration and governance of anticipatory innovation ecosystems.

Your data will be stored securely and anonymously. The results of the survey will only be reported in aggregate format. By clicking on the ‘next’ button below you confirm you give us your consent to store and process your data under the GDPR rules.

1. How would you describe your organisation?

• Government

• Industry

• Research/Academia

• Other

  If ‘other’, please describe what type of organisation:

• [open answer box]

2. Which innovation ecosystem are you part of?

• Photonics

• Biomedicine

• Bioeconomy

• Other

  If ‘other’, please describe:

• [open answer box]

3. After which type of workshop were you asked to take part in this survey?

• Online

• In-person

4. As a result of attending this workshop:

 

Questions/answer options	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly agree
I have an improved understanding of the skills, knowledge and resources of other ecosystem partners and how we can complement each other
I have an improved understanding of goals and objectives for the ecosystem
I am more aware of the benefits of collective learning through engagement with the ecosystem
I feel more confident that ecosystem partners will be able to work together to innovate
I have an improved understanding of the trends and drivers that may affect the ecosystem in the future

5. Will you participate in future innovation ecosystem workshops/activities organised by LIAA?

• Definitely yes

• Probably yes

• Don’t know

• Probably no

• Definitely no

6. As a result of participating in the workshop, do you intend to undertake any further activities (e.g., follow-up with ecosystem partners, revision of organisational strategy, etc.)?

• Definitely yes

• Probably yes

• Don’t know

• Probably no

• Definitely no

  If, yes, what type of activities?

• [open answer box]

7. Overall, how satisfied you are with the engagement, communication and facilitation methods used before and during the workshop:

 

Questions/answer options	Very dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Neutral	Satisfied	Very satisfied
Information provided prior to the workshop
Explanation of exercises during the workshop
Ensuring that different views and opinions were heard
Resources and tools provided during the workshop
Time provided to undertake workshop activities

8. Which aspects of the workshop engagement, communication and facilitation methods do you think could be improved and how?

• [open answer box]

Box A A.2. Formative evaluation: Interview tool

Introduction

This interview is part of a formative evaluation that will inform the future development of tools and approaches that LIAA can use to support the orchestration and governance of anticipatory innovation ecosystems. The aim of this interview is to gather feedback from workshop participants on the usefulness of the workshop content and engagement, communication and facilitation methods used, as well as understand participants’ perceptions on anticipatory approaches that can support innovation ecosystem development.

The interview will last 20-30 minutes. The information that you provide will be treated in confidence by the study team. We request your permission to record the discussion for analytical purposes. The recordings will be securely stored and destroyed after the completion of the evaluation study. 

Questions

• Please explain how your participation in the workshop affected your understanding of the ecosystem approach (e.g., role of the ecosystem player, common goals, collective learning, ability to work together)? Please give any examples of what you learned/understood/ understood better during the seminar

• Do you plan to implement any specific activities in your ecosystem after attending the workshop? If so, which ones? If not, why not?

• What would help you and prevent you from bringing the lessons from the workshop into practice in your ecosystem?

• Do you think that an ecosystem approach can improve innovation processes and the impact of innovation in the biomedical/bioeconomy/photonics/smart mobility sector? Why?

• How effective were the methods of communication and involvement in the workshop (e.g., pre‑workshop information, explanations during the workshop, moderation of discussions, time available for activities, etc.)?