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The RAAK scheme is managed by the Foundation Innovation Alliance (SIA - Stichting Innovatie Alliantie) with funding from the ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW).
RAAK - Regional Attention and Action for Knowledge circulation
RAAK (Regional Attention and Action for Knowledge circulation) aims to improve knowledge exchange between SME’s and Universities of Applied sciences. Subsidies can be awarded to regional innovation programmes that are aimed at the exchange of knowledge, and are executed by a consortium of one or more education institutes and one or more businesses. These regional innovation programmes have to focus on innovation demands from SME’s in the region. In addition to the aim of strengthening the bridging function of the universities of applied sciences and innovativeness of SME’s, the RAAK scheme also aims to generate and distribute policy relevant information and best practices regarding new and existing forms of collaboration and activities in the field of knowledge exchange between universities of applied sciences and SME’s. In the approach of the regional innovation programmes it should be recognisable that:
- it is the ambition to make qualitative as well as quantitative improvements in the alignment of SME’s and the knowledge infrastructure;
- the focus is aimed at improving the process of knowledge circulation between SME’s and education institutes;
- the uniqueness of the approach lies in the linking of innovation potential at the regional level and the coupling of that potential to the national and international knowledge infrastructure.
The initiative for the development of the regional consortia lies with the regional SME’s. Universities of applied sciences can (should) use their regular contacts and their own networks to determine the specific knowledge demands of SME’s. The universities should provide answers to these knowledge demands. This can be done - if needed- jointly with other knowledge institutes. Since 2006, also public sector organisations are eligible for support (RAAK-public).
Background and rationale
The background for the RAAK scheme is that the innovativeness of the Dutch business sector should be increased to remain competitive. Access to knowledge and the timely availability of knowledge is a vitally important element. SME-Netherlands (branche organisation for SME’s), VNO-NCW (Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers), the HBO-raad (Netherlands Association for Universities of Applied Sciences), TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research), the Telematics Institute (one of the four Leading Technological Institutes ) and Syntens (public intermediary to support SME with innovation advise) have jointly established the Foundation Innovation Alliance (SIA) with the aim to structurally improve the knowledge infrastructure around SME’s. The Minister of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) has asked SIA to execute the RAAK scheme, which are in effect two schemes: one aimed at the SME’s and the other aimed at non-for-profit institutes in the public sector. The bridging function of universities of applied sciences and the SME’s, the non-for-porfit institutes and the (total) knowledge infrastructure should be enhanced.
Objectives
- Intensifying co-operation between public or higher education research organisations and enterprises on R&D activities
- Facilitate the development of collaboration between enterprises and other actors with a view to joint innovation activities and knowledge exchange
Indicators
The Foundation Innovation Alliance (SIA) has formulated the ambition to increase the number of SMEs that have a structural relation with the knowledge infrastructure from 10,000 to 20,000. The performance indicators for RAAK are
- the number of SME’s that have structural contacts with a particular education institutes with regard to knowledge exchange;
- the share of teachers that is involved in knowledge exchange with SME’s;
- the share of students that is involved in knowledge exchange with SME’s.
Video
In this short film the HBO-raad (Netherlands Association for Universities of Applied Sciences) presents a practical example of the work done by a university of applied sciences: a research RAAK project carried out by a university in cooperation with companies based at the national Airport of the Netherlands. It illustrates the twofold mission of the Dutch universities of applied sciences: to offer highly rated education and applied research with a stronger orientation to professional practice.
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