Regional Pilots Lessons Learned from the Smart-Up BSR Thematic Pilots – A Guidebook compiled by Aalto University Team Output 5.5 2 Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................................................... 4 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 5 2. Thematic pilots ........................................................................................................................................ 6 3. Lessons from the Analysis of the Smart-Up BSR pilots ........................................................................... 12 DENMARK – Aarhus Smart City ........................................................................................................................ 12 Estonia – Tallinn Smart City .............................................................................................................................. 20 Finland – Helsinki-Uusimaa Active and Healthy Aging on the Move ................................................................ 25 Finland – Kymenlaakso Smart Ports ................................................................................................................. 30 Latvia – Regional Capacity Building ................................................................................................................. 37 Lithuania – Smart, Green and Integrated Transport in Smart Ports ................................................................ 43 Poland – Cross-regional Hackathon for Smart Port .......................................................................................... 51 Russia - St. Petersburg Smart City .................................................................................................................... 53 4. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 65 ANNEX I – Template for pilot reports ............................................................................................................. 66 ANNEX II – Original pilot reports documents ................................................................................................. 68 DENMARK – Central Denmark Region (City of Aarhus) ............................................................................... 68 FINLAND – Helsinki-Uusimaa region ............................................................................................................ 85 FINNLAND – Kymenlaakso region ................................................................................................................ 87 LATVIA – Ministry of Education and Science / University of Latvia ............................................................. 95 LITHUANIA – Smart city / Smart Port ......................................................................................................... 102 POLAND – Smart-Port - Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot Metropolitan Area ........................................................... 114 RUSSIA – St. Petersburg Smart City............................................................................................................ 117 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This output has been developed based on the pilot reports provided by the Smart Up BSR project partners. This consolidated report as a guidebook for regional pilots is a result of reiterative processes between partners during the activities related to regional pilots. Regional lessons learned are based on pilot implementation processes that constituted the innovation ecosystem experiences of Smart Up BSR partners. The contributing partners are listed below. 4 1. Introduction This report consolidates regional lessons learned in the specific Smart-Up BSR regions based on pilot implementation processes that constituted the innovation ecosystem experiences of Smart Up BSR partners. The presented results function as a guidebook for other regions both in the Baltic Sea macro-region and elsewhere in Europe. With a view of how transformational processes can actively be promoted cross-regionally and at macro-region level, this guidebook includes a selected group of activities around the concept of thematic piloting (active healthy aging, smart city, climate change, circular economy) as a method to increase innovativeness at inter-regional level. Thematic piloting in the four chosen themes derives from the goals of the European priorities. More importantly, as the pilot overview and analysis for the Smart-Up BSR regional pilots show, thematic piloting can be considered a major playfield for sustainable and entrepreneurial economic transformation that requires capacity building in the Baltic Sea Region. The contributions of the Baltic Sea regions within the Smart-Up BSR project lead us to insights on what lessons can be learned and what tools are needed for regional implementation. 5 2. Thematic pilots The European approach to a digital future is based on three main pillars which have the role to ensure opportunities for citizens and businesses and governments in a multi-level digital transformation. The three pillars are of crucial importance for local and regional implementation as they ensure that the EU’s digital strategy will foster technology innovation that works for the people, that businesses operate in a fair and competitive digital economy, and that a democratic and sustainable society includes citizens with better control and protection of their data, with the opportunity to develop a health data space to foster targeted research, diagnosis and treatment, and the ability to fight disinformation online and foster diverse and reliable media content. By creating better conditions for the BSR regions to cooperate in the innovation and entrepreneurship activities, the target is not only to support individual regions but also to enhance measures for the BSR to reach the level of smart and innovative macro-region. Examples from the chosen spearhead topics include Activity Healthy, Smart City, Climate Change, and Circular Economy. Based on the innovation camp processes some of the partnering regions have focused their special interest on one or several of these themes to further develop Smart Specialisation policy implementations. Active Healthy Aging The increasing number of older adults is becoming a challenge for many Baltic Sea Region countries, in a similar way as the number is increasing overall in other European countries. There is no doubt that the age profile of society in Baltic Sea Region is rapidly evolving and the proportion of people of working age is shrinking, while the number of older people is expanding. Active and Healthy Ageing (AHA) is about “optimizing opportunities for good health, so that older people can take an active part in society and enjoy an independent and high quality of life” (Swedish Institute for Public Health). This approach emphasizes how older people can contribute in valuable ways to the successful functioning of the society. However, this requires platforms and networks which not only support a healthy and active lifestyle but also build up crucial knowledge and in addition form new skills and experiences. This requires a system-wide support to introduce necessary health promotion interventions on societal level, and construct opportunities for more active involvement of older people to solving societal challenges & tasks, which can pave the way for new policies and new interactive services. 6 AHA can only be achieved by engaging the various stakeholders in finding solutions to their needs and in engaging them to adjust their attitudes on what creates a functional framework of policies, practices, industries and communities that promote healthy and active ageing. Stakeholders are for instance ICT professionals, caregivers, healthcare professionals, elderly and their family members. AHA solutions can be created by consistent interaction leveraging regional and national networks. Cross-regional collaboration can lead to sustainable solutions in AHA networks that benefit all Baltic Sea Region AHA stakeholders. As emphasised in the EUSBSR promotion of health policies1 there is also a connection between the environment and health and well-being of residents in the Baltic Sea Region. Addressing such overarching challenges can therefore not be limited to the local or national level of action and cross-regional cooperation becomes essential to tackle this problem and to ensure prosperity to the region. Climate Change and Plastic-free Baltic Sea Region The Baltic Sea regions are putting sustainability at the top of their agenda. There are several regions in the BSR which operate according to a green mindset and which host a world-class research environment. Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Latvia are already generating sustainable solutions for various industries and administrative areas. Poland, Lithuania and Russia are steadily working towards creating opportunities for innovations with sustainability as a development focus. BSR cities are preparing and implementing action plans to adapt and mitigate climate change based on the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. Linking and upgrading infrastructures, technologies and services in key urban sectors (transport, buildings, energy, ICT) in a smart way will improve the quality of life, competitiveness and sustainability