Watch:
MetaForesight seeks to promote intelligence of EU regions through the exploitation of knowledge achieved with the application of foresight, benchmarking, r&d, market watch, technology skills, in the diverse information systems developed throughout the EU regions.
It is a step forwards the learning procedure: it consolidates existing knowledge to an integrated information system, which sustains regional intelligence. The concept of integration is two-fold: at the regional level, the system involves all components of a regional system: businesses, research and academic community, human resources, market trends; at the EU level, the system fosters knowledge transferability.
The origin is to exploit benefits from several foresight models and significant number of information technology systems that have been created in the European regions, aiming at the development and enhancement of regional intelligence. Such information systems include foresight reports, benchmarking software applications, R&D data bases and applications matching demand and supply of technology, on-line technology and market watch applications, data bases of technological skills information etc.
The role of these information systems is extremely valuable as they sustain the efforts of regional companies to operate into an environment of intelligence and guide the authorities to formulate appropriate regional policies towards the knowledge-based economy. However, one may easily notice that these systems are partial and not linked; each one is addressed mainly to a restricted number of end users and provides information in a specific field of interest (business information, r&d results, etc.).
MetaForesight seeks to fill this gap: it concerns the design and development of an integrated regional information system, linking data included in different applications and information systems and providing extended search capabilities. The intended will integrate five fields of intelligence to a unique territorial intelligence application:
1. regional foresight
2. R&D results data-bases
3. company benchmarking
4. technology and market watch
5. regional technology competences and skills
To develop the application, existing methodologies and data will be evaluated; it will include auxiliary modules, such as benchmarking, foresight, technology and market watch. It will provide an integrated search and data reporting in the fields above, either within each participating region or cross-linking data from the participating regions.
The application will be tested and evaluated in one region, and after the appropriate improvements and corrections, it will be provided free to European regions aiming to produce a homogenous EU regional intelligence system. A practical guide on the use of the application will be produced to facilitate implementation in interested regions. Other promotion activities are also foreseen, including the development of the project leaflet, the maintenance of specific space for the project in the web site of each partner, the organisation of a final conference of the project. On-going evaluation of the project is also foreseen to monitor the progress of work and provide insights for possible correction actions, improvements and modifications.
Sources:
MetaForesight Project’s Website