Targeted innovation policy and practice intelligence (TIP2E): concepts and implications for theory, policy and practice

The paper touches upon the different sides of cutting-edge science, technology and innovation (STI) policy concepts such as clusters and smart specialization and STI management such as open innovation and foresight which are of great interest to researches, scientists and managers in course of building successful business and creating dynamic regions, identifying the priorities of future, coping with uncertainty and rising risks, heated by the global challenges. In particular, we explore the dynamics and interactions of intelligent clusters, research and innovation smart specialization strategies, targeted open innovation and foresight networks within the context of entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems. Having investigated the benefits and potential threats of open innovation and foresight from different standpoints within innovation ecosystems and smart specialisation, the recent trend of shifting priority setting into technological and social dimensions with the aim of developing specialized clusters and regions is underlined. The identified tight linkage between the fruits from cluster smart specialization, open innovation and foresight enables implementing simultaneously all of them at various stages of innovation process. Thereafter the analysis of innovative collaboration forms reveals that the holistic views of open innovators and rational application of foresight are becoming the central message of the strategy development and implementation process.