CLIQ - Creating Local Innovation through a Quadruple Helix
CLIQ network focused on the role of local authorities in medium sized cities in driving innovation to support the Lisbon goals for jobs and growth.
CLIQ network exchanged, explored and disseminated best practice in ways to promote innovation and improve competitiveness within the specific context of cities with populations of 50,000-250,000. The long term aim of CLIQ is to optimise the benefits of globalisation and innovation to SMEs and entrepreneurs in medium sized towns.
CLIQ had 16 partners from 10 countries, all representing or based in medium sized cities. The partnership included 11 local and regional authorities as well as representatives of other innovation stakeholders such as Chambers of Commerce, Research institutes and Incubators, to reflect the different roles, competencies and perspectives within the Quadruple Helix.
Quadruple Helix is a DNA helix formed by four chains oriented in the same direction. We used this image to illustrate our basic view of the roles and objective of the main innovation actors. The Quadruple Helix model includes the civil society in addition to the traditional combination of innovation actors: research organisations, businesses and public authorities (Triple Helix). In our view also the civil society, the citizens should be included in driving innovation in cities and regions of Europe.
Our goal was to improve local authorities' innovation policies, to integrate innovation, entrepreneurship and internationalisation processes and to improve regional competitiveness. This has been achieved by developing close links between quadruple helix partners at local level and exchanging models of civil society engagement in innovation.
The CLIQ network operated as a live open innovation system and disseminates processes and results throughout the lifetime of the project. It examined and exchanged good practice between regions on supporting SMEs to innovate, to define and benchmark medium sized city local authorities' roles in driving innovation.
