Presentation by Pieter Ballon, ENoLL Secretary at Digital Agenda Assembly in Brussels 16-17 June 2011.

1. The Digital Agenda for Local and Regional Development –
What can a Digital Agenda do for me
The Flanders in Action Pact:
Flanders government, heads of industry
and heads of society signed pact to put
Flanders in the top-5 of regions in Europe
by 2020
Flanders in Action focuses on 7 breakthrough
actions: The open entrepreneur; Flanders learning
society; Innovation centre Flanders; Green and
dynamic urban region; Europe's smart hub; Caring
society; Decisive governance

2. The Digital Agenda for Local and Regional Development –
What can a Digital Agenda do for me
Flanders and Living Labs: regional platforms for
open user-driven innovation through PPPs

3. The Digital Agenda for Local and Regional Development –
What can a Digital Agenda do for me
What we learned that could be transferred to other Regions
• Can create strong incentives to invest: over 30 million €
invested in Living Labs by local stakeholders
• Strong role of regional government, PPPs with technology
providers, service providers, SMEs, academia and users
• Strength of the Region: regional innovation ecosystems
• Embedded in European Network of Living Labs
• Flanders now has largest Living Lab in Europe
What would make it easier to replicate
• Cross-border Living Lab PPP at EU level
• Better links with pre-commercial procurement and regional
programmes