Key is to turn data into action!

The newly published analysis report “How is Västerbotten’s Innovation Ecosystem Doing?” provides a concrete example of how ASTRIC’s project outputs support strategy uptake in practice.

The report applies the METRIC framework to assess Västerbotten’s regional innovation ecosystem across key dimensions such as human capital, entrepreneurial capacity, actors and connections, and market conditions. As such, it directly reflects the co‑created evaluation solutions developed in ASTRIC (Output 1.1) and demonstrates how selected indicators and data sources can be used in real regional contexts.

The insights from the analysis contribute to capacity building and cross‑border cooperation (Output 2.1) by showing how innovation capacity measurement can inform dialogue between public authorities, higher education institutions, and innovation support organisations.

Most importantly, the report serves as an evidence base for regional place‑based strategies and action plans (Output 3.1), supporting policy development, strategic prioritisation, and long‑term uptake of evaluation results. It also illustrates how project results can feed into broader strategic processes beyond the project lifetime.

Together, the report demonstrates how ASTRIC’s outputs move from analysis to action, supporting all three strategy uptake pathways foreseen in the project.