1. VISION 2050 A long term-term strategy for Flanders
Flanders is the northern federated state of Belgium with Brussels as its capital. It is the gateway to Europe and is located at less than 500 km from the major European capitals. It shares its own capital with the EU, NATO and numerous other international institutions and companies.
Peter De Smedt
Anne Vanhengel & Christina Vogt
Dep. Public Governance and Chancellery
Flanders is the northern federated state of Belgium with Brussels as its capital

2. The challenge 1
Technology and innovation have the power to improve lives … and are characterized by a high degree of uncertainty
Governments need to understand and act upon the current transformative developments
This will not happen by itself: disruptions and change need to be identified, and ideas translated into action that can be tested, implemented and shared (OECD, 2017)
To design and implement effective ways for managing the societal changes ahead,
governments need to understand and act upon the current transformative developments societies are facing.
Technology and innovation has a strong role to play
Hence, past experience demonstrated the pathways of technology development are not without barriers
Prof Stirling presented and published strong messages:

3. The challenge 1
Some critical reflections by Prof. A. Stirling (2015) “Towards innovation democracy”
Strengthen public participation in innovation (involving legitimate judgements benefits, excellence, relevance, risk, evidence, societal impact)
Call for more stakeholder responsibility (need to be reflective in design and implementation of participatory innovation trajectories)
Need for moderating the powerful forces of closure and lock-in in science and technology (esp. through precaution in regulation)
To design and implement effective ways for managing the societal changes ahead,
governments need to understand and act upon the current transformative developments societies are facing.
Technology and innovation has a strong role to play
Hence, past experience demonstrated the pathways of technology development are not without barriers
Prof Stirling presented and published strong messages:

4. A vision for 2050 2
More than 25 years of forward looking initiatives in Flanders
is the current initiative
( )
1. Accelerating process starts by structuring the problem together with stakeholders in the transition spaces : a small network of frontrunners
2. Establish a shared meaning and negotiate a shared vision
3. Co-design and implemend several transition pathways. Transparancy, participation, co-creation (cf. private and public actors) are essential.

5. A vision for 2050 2
This forward-looking policy document sets out a vision for
an inclusive, open, resilient and internationally connected region
that creates prosperity and well- being for its citizens
in a smart, innovative and sustainable manner.
Due to the social dynamics of innovation, new socio-technical systems are emerging, however there is lack of exploitation of novel ideas and sustainable solutions.
> 20y long-term strategies strong focus techology (cf. IMEC)
5y transition management as a tool to implement an accelerate system innovations.
In march 2016, outlook for the future “Vision 2050 incl. new governance model.
7 priorities: Circular economy / Smart living / Industry 4.0 / Lifelong learning and a dynamic life-career / Healthcare and welfare / Transport and mobility / Energy

6. A vision for 2050 2
Underpinned by a future outlook (megatrends) and gap analysis (meso level)
Using concepts and principles from transition management
System innovation and system approach
Partnerships & co-creation
From long term to short term
Learning from experiments and innovative initiatives
Due to the social dynamics of innovation, new socio-technical systems are emerging, however there is lack of exploitation of novel ideas and sustainable solutions.
> 20y long-term strategies strong focus techology (cf. IMEC)
5y transition management as a tool to implement an accelerate system innovations.
In march 2016, outlook for the future “Vision 2050 incl. new governance model.
7 priorities: Circular economy / Smart living / Industry 4.0 / Lifelong learning and a dynamic life-career / Healthcare and welfare / Transport and mobility / Energy

7. A vision for 2050 2
(Geels, 2011)
Due to the social dynamics of innovation, new socio-technical systems are emerging, however there is lack of exploitation of novel ideas and sustainable solutions.
> 20y long-term strategies strong focus techology (cf. IMEC)
5y transition management as a tool to implement an accelerate system innovations.
In march 2016, outlook for the future “Vision 2050 incl. new governance model.
7 priorities: Circular economy / Smart living / Industry 4.0 / Lifelong learning and a dynamic life-career / Healthcare and welfare / Transport and mobility / Energy

8. A vision for 2050 2 for accelerating seven transition priorities
Shared vision
Small-scale experiments
Transition space
Accelerating transition
Up-scaling
A vision for 2050 2
for accelerating seven transition priorities
This figure sums up the steps in a transition management process.
This process starts by structuring the problem together with stakeholders. These stakeholders come together in the so-called transition arena’s: (= “a small network of frontrunners with different backgrounds, within which various perceptions of a specific persistent problem and possible directions for solutions can be deliberately confronted with each other and subsequently integrated”)
A governments role is to help stakeholders negotiate shared understandings and shared maening about the problem and its possible solutions.
The disucssion on the problem eventually leads to a second step: a shared vision of the transition for the future.
This then, in the third step, becomes the source from which several transition pathways are designed: ways in which the transition can actually be realized. Through experiments the government and its partners try to turn the complex problems into tame problems. In this stage of the transition it is important to note the importance of co-ownership. Transition management works with complex policy issues, involving many actors across many scales and policy domains. All actors involved will need to share ownership and responsibility. This makes transparancy, participation, co-creation and interactions between private and public actors essential.
If on the basis of the evaluatioin of these experiments the results are deemed positive, the government can decide tot start a process of upscaling.
Finally, the lessons form the experiments are taken into account in the evaluation of the transition management process itself (reflexive learning).
This in turn restarts the process of stakeholder input, a new transition path, experimentation, etc.
In other words: it is a cyclical process of experimentation, learning and adapting.
The implementation is cross-sectors and in collaboration with innovators, entrepreneurs
and stakeholders.

9. A vision for 2050 Circular economy Smart Living Industry 4.0
Lifelong-learning & dynamic professional career
Caring & living together in 2050
Transport and mobility
Energy

10. New governance model 3 Design principles
Innovation systems and experiments (next vs best practice)
Learning communities shaped by distributed responsibilities (multi actor/sector/scale)
Transition management looks from a system perspective and works with complex policy issues, involving many actors across many sectors and scales
Not on innovation and research policy but on critical societal functions
Not fixed programmes, but experimentation
Actors involved need to share ownership and responsibility (cf. distributed responsibility).
Clearly public participation and stakeholder responsibility are essential, but critical, success factors
Critical issues is process of upscaling and reflexive learning to engage in e new cycle: this new gov model is organised as a cyclical process of experimentation, learning and adapting.

11. + Partners (research, industry, society)
New governance model 3
Design principles
Innovation systems and experiments (next vs best practice)
Learning communities shaped by distributed responsibilities (multi actor/sector/scale)
macro
meso
micro
Transition management looks from a system perspective and works with complex policy issues, involving many actors across many sectors and scales
Not on innovation and research policy but on critical societal functions
Not fixed programmes, but experimentation
Actors involved need to share ownership and responsibility (cf. distributed responsibility).
Clearly public participation and stakeholder responsibility are essential, but critical, success factors
Critical issues is process of upscaling and reflexive learning to engage in e new cycle: this new gov model is organised as a cyclical process of experimentation, learning and adapting.
Minister z
Department z
Agency z1 z2 z3
+ Partners (research, industry, society)
Minister x
Department x
Agency x1 x2 y3

12. Government of Flanders
New governance model
Enabling adaptive and reflective governance supporting innovation democracy 3
Government of Flanders
Transition platform
Transition Lab
Design principles
Innovation systems and experiments (next vs best practice)
Learning communities shaped by distributed responsibilities (multi actor/sector/scale)
We belief that this new gov model will provide support to Prof. concept of innovation democracy
Network of transition spaces

13. Examples of ongoing initiatives4
Due to the social dynamics of innovation, new socio-technical systems are emerging, however there is lack of exploitation of novel ideas and sustainable solutions.
> 20y long-term strategies strong focus techology (cf. IMEC)
5y transition management as a tool to implement an accelerate system innovations.
In march 2016, outlook for the future “Vision 2050 incl. new governance model.
7 priorities: Circular economy / Smart living / Industry 4.0 / Lifelong learning and a dynamic life-career / Healthcare and welfare / Transport and mobility / Energy

15. Thank you Questions?