Dr. Edna Pasher (edna@pasher.co.il) proposes to present an evaluative study: ‘Effectiveness of ICT RTD Impacts on the EU Innovation System’ conducted for the European Commission, DG INFSO Evaluation and Monitoring Unit, by ALTEC SA and Edna Pasher PhD & Associates. The aim of this study was to assess how effectively EU ICT RTD and deployment initiatives are being exploited in the European systems of innovation at member state and regional levels. It has explored the patterns of value creation for organisations, networks and regions in the context of EU-funded, ICT-related Framework Programmes (FP). The study builds upon the results of earlier studies performed for the same DG Unit, by Rand Europe1 and CESPRI/Bocconi University2,3. The focus of the study was on understanding regional innovation as an ecology that converts ICT-FP generated knowledge and value creation into long-term competitiveness and economic growth. We have conducted this assessment through an integrated use of four different methodologies, namely Intellectual Capital Assessment, Value Network Analysis, the PACE toolkit (Project Assets, Core competences and Exploitable items) and macro-econometric Multivariate Statistical Methods. We have adopted an empirical approach, combining a quantitative elaboration of data available for all EU regions – including evidence on FP5, FP6, eTEN4 and eContent5 participation provided by the Commission services – with a more in-depth analysis of 10 ‘typical’ NUTS 2 regions6. These were selected according to predefined quantitative criteria, and allowed us to supplement the above mentioned methodologies through qualitative research based on case studies and field interviews. The study was conducted between January and October 2007 under the direction of Peter Johnston, Head of Unit, and Frank Cunningham, Evaluation Specialist, from the Evaluation and Monitoring Unit at the DG Information Society and Media of the European Commission. A total of 85 interviews were conducted with project participants and local stakeholders in the 10 regions of Europe: Auvergne-France (4), Braunschweig-Germany (12), Crete-Greece (8), Jihov'ychod-Czech Republic (11), Kent-UK (7), Kujasko Promorskie-Poland (15), Liguria-Italy (3), Pais Vasco-Spain (7), Smaaland-Sweden (8), and Vlaams Brabant-Belgium (10), plus 10 interviews in the State of Israel which was used as a benchmark for Intellectual Capital evaluation. This study was the result of a joint collaboration among the study’s working team: Verna Allee, Alessandro Innocenti, Adamantios Koumpis, Androklis Mavridis, Francesco Molinari, Edna Pasher, Sigal Shachar, Oliver Schwabe, Dimitris Tektonidis, Mimi Tresman, and Apostolos Vontas. The full report ia avialable here: http://www.value-networks.com/caseStudies/EU%20Innovation%20System.pdf