It is in the interests of local authorities to position themselves above all as facilitators, mediators and promoters of third party dynamics.
Among the more sustainable actions, and in order to scale up, the offer of work spaces dedicated to digital innovation is a key issue. In a context of often limited financial resources, they can start to encourage the emergence of third places Third places Correspond to social environments other than home and work. These are physical spaces where individuals can meet, come together and exchange informally in response to the needs of a community present. Third places all have their own personality, depending on their location and the community that is present there. Co working spaces are considered specific third places. (coworking Coworking Type of organisation of work comprising two notions: a shared work space and a network of workers (community) encouraging exchanges and opening. Coworking spaces are considered third places. ) or the creation of innovative activity centres (potentially in connection with training organizations) run by third party stakeholders (local companies and banks) involved in digital technology. Furthermore, a municipality simply making available premises that are equipped and connected, in the form of cooperative work spaces, can also be an easy, inexpensive first stage towards facilitating working conditions, meetings, collective emulation and therefore the structuring of the local digital ecosystem.
Lastly, local authorities with more financial resources could help to fund certain buildings dedicated to innovation (incubators
Incubators
Support structure for business creation projects. Provide know-how, a network and logistics during the first stages of the life of the company. Incubators address companies that are very young or in the course of being incorporated.
Incubators stand out by the services they propose, whether or not they are profitable or by the type of projects they target.
Since the mid 2000s, “second generation incubators” have appeared known as accelerators, offering aid for the creation of a firm in exchange for shares in the new company.
or accelerators) and/or the associated offer of services to start-ups.
Intermittent events can also allow local authorities to engage their ecosystem on specific questions or problems. Often organised in the form of innovation contests (hackathon for example), these schemes allow a local authority, possibly in partnership with traditional private firms, to select the innovations they wish to support and the methods of providing support. It may be a question of a preliminary stage prior to the integration of an incubator, the presenting of a prize so that the company can expand, or support in the form of bootcamps
Bootcamps
Inspired by American military training camps and sometimes called “start-up week-ends”, these are intensive coaching and learning sessions of a few days among peers, to boost entrepreneurship projects.
, training or mentoring over the innovation development period.