Frequently Asked Questions

What is BSR Stars?
What is StarDust?
What is the rationale behind the BSR Stars?
Why is the macro-region (the Baltic Sea Region) important when it comes to innovation?
What are the requirements when it comes to projects within BSR Stars?
What is the connection between StarDust and BSR Stars?
What is the difference between BRS Stars and StarDust?
What is the difference between a partner and an associated partner in StarDust?
What is the goal of StarDust?
Why should I (as a company, researcher, public administration) be interested in joining StarDust?
Is it possible to become involved in StarDust?
Why is collaboration on innovation important in the Baltic Sea Region?
Other questions?

What is BSR Stars?
The BSR Stars is a transnational innovation programme involving ten countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Poland and Island). The programme took it´s starting point in national efforts when it comes to supporting strong clusters and innovation milieus as a way to boost competitiveness.

The countries involved in BSR Stars started discussing how national clusters could be further strengthened by creating links to other strong clusters in the neighboring countries ten years ago. By creating trust and exchanging knowledge between policy makers in EU initiatives such as the BSR InnoNet stakeholders (ministries and innovation agencies) started working on a transnational programme on innovation milieus, clusters and SME-networks in 2009. This programme, called the BSR Stars, was later chosen to be a flagship programme within the EU Baltic Sea Region Strategy. The BSR Stars programme is a long-term commitment (2009-2019) and will be constantly developed and renewed by its owners, i.e. Ministries and Innovation Agencies in the ten countries.

The long term vision of the programme is to establish the Baltic Sea Region as a functional region with an internationally competitive position in a number of strategically prioritized areas. This will be done by linking strong research environments, clusters and SME-networks from the different countries into new strategic alliances with a global market.

What is StarDust?
The StarDust project brings academic, business and public world together to find better solutions for the Baltic Sea Region. The overall objective is it to find new answers for societal challenges that the people around the Baltic Sea are facing. Increasing water pollution and an ageing population are just two examples of those.

StarDust turns these challenges into opportunities for growth. The core of StarDust is five so-called pilot projects that focus on five societal challenges that have been identified. They operate in the fields of clean technology & future energy, wellbeing & health, future transport, and digital business & services. Every pilot project brings different expertise and perspectives together and combines researchers, representatives from cluster initiatives, SME-networks and public actors from different countries around the Baltic Sea. Their mission is to find new, competitive and innovative solutions for transnational cooperation within these areas.
StarDust is the first step in realizing the ideas of BSR Stars. StarDust is co-financed by the EU Baltic Sea Region Programme and mobilizes 34 partners from ten countries.

What is the rationale behind the BSR Stars?
For countries in the Baltic Sea Region and for Europe there is an increased competition from growth regions in other part of the world such as China. Countries in the Baltic Sea Region are relatively small and can gain by joining forces when it comes to innovation.

There are many strong foundations for transnational cooperation in the BSR, but the region does not yet function as a macro-region with a shared resource base (when it comes to research and innovation infrastructure, brains and finance etc). The support and facilitation of transnational linkages between clusters, SME-networks and innovation milieus could help to strengthen economic and functional links within the BSR.

Why is the macro-region (the Baltic Sea Region) important when it comes to innovation?
Closeness matters when it comes to innovation. Neighbouring countries can create relations and a joint home market for new product and services. The Baltic Sea Region can become a larger home market especially for SMEs and cooperation on innovation issues can create a larger critical mass of research and innovation resources as well as complementarities.

What are the requirements when it comes to projects within BSR Stars?
Projects within BSR Stars should be based on innovation possibilities with a global demand (and thereby a large future market potential). Areas chosen should also build upon existing strengths in the Baltic Sea Region and strongholds in more than one country. There should also be a clear potential to create added value by transnational cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region. Strong leadership, a strong strategic idea and a clear innovation focus are other important aspects.

What is the connection between StarDust and BSR Stars?

StarDust is a first step in achieving the long term goal of BSR Stars. StarDust is financed by the EU Baltic Sea Region programme with 6,5 million Euros for a period of three years (2011-2013). StarDust is seen as a milestone in achieving the full-scale implementation of BSR Stars. The lessons learned from the projects and methods used in StarDust will be used in the longer term development of BSR Stars.

What is the difference between BRS Stars and StarDust?
BSR Stars is a long term (10 years) transnational innovation programme with the vision of reaching a global position within selected fields. StarDust is a project and a first step towards this goal and the five pilot projects financed within StarDust are given the possibility to start the journey to reach a global position.

What is the difference between a partner and an associated partner in StarDust?
A partner in StarDust is contributing financially to the project and also get financing from the EU Baltic Sea Region programme. Partners have responsibilty of their own activities and their own budgets. All partners carries their own costs. An associated partner is supporting the project without being financially involved.

What is the goal of StarDust?
StarDust aims at creating a number of globally leading research and innovation hubs within the areas chosen. StarDust also have the goal of developing methods for trasnational cooperation that can be used in the BSR Stars.

Why should I (as a company, researcher, public administration) be interested in joining StarDust?
Being part of StarDust means that you get access to new networks in the Baltic Sea Region. This can imply new business relations, new and strenghtened relations to different research and innovation organisations in the countries involved, increased understanding of users needs in the macro region and new ideas on how to develop solutions for a global market.

Is it possible to become involved in StarDust?
It is possible to become involved in StarDust if finance is provided for the participation. StarDust is an interreg financed project and parts of the activites are open for new participants.

Why is collaboration on innovation important in the Baltic Sea Region?
Some of the societal challenges or our time demands solutions from more than one country. There is a multitude of areas where the BSR-countries can cooperate in order to develop new solutions. Two examples of future challenges lies within energy and environment. The Baltic Sea in itself is an area of concern where countries have to take joint action. Another argument is related to the nature of innovation. Collaboration with strong partners in other countries means increased knowledge spillovers, to companies and to national and regional innovation systems. Knowledge spillovers are important prerequisites for innovation.

SMEs can gain from increased linkages to other companies, to research institutions and to skilled labourforce within the whole BSR-region. Innovation is often a process in which several partners are included. A larger network facilitates new contacts. SMEs can also gain access to a larger market potential and possiblilites for commersialisation of R&D. For research institutions a larger critical mass of R&D can be created and new research and development projects. Research institutions will gain from cooperating with other institutions in the region and will also come in contact with companies outside the national boarder.

For societal partners cooperation between the countries can lead to joint action in order to solve future challenges for society. Concrete action will also promote political action and cooperation between the member states. Increased linkages between the Baltic Sea Region countries and its companies, research institutions and societal partners makes the region more attractive to partners outside the region and to investments.
Other questions?

Please contact the BSR Stars Project Manager Karin Nygård Skalman, email: Karin.NygardSkalman(a)VINNOVA.se