PPMI has finalised the roadmap for the integration of the Lithuanian industry into European value chains. The purpose of the Roadmap was to suggest a set of policy interventions that could foster the integration of the Lithuanian industry into European and global strategic value chains and to explain how these suggested policy interventions can be implemented in practice. When implemented, these interventions will facilitate the Lithuanian industry’s effort to upgrade within the European and global value chains and create more added value over time.
The Roadmap suggests seven directions for policy interventions, namely: joining the EU level industrial networks, attracting more targeted FDI, strengthening the role of economic diplomacy, supporting business accelerators and incubators, establishing industrial innovation missions, focusing the role of the Digital Innovation Hubs on solving real-world business problems and ensuring skills needed for the industry.
This Roadmap builds on the findings, conclusions and recommendations stemming from the analysis of the Lithuanian industrial landscape and close involvement of relevant stakeholders. The findings were based on the extensive analysis of available data: microdata of the Lithuanian firms, macro data from international databases that allowed to compare Lithuania with other EU countries and finally, interview data with Lithuanian companies, business associations and policymakers.
The analysis of strategic documents relevant for the Lithuanian industrial policy reveals that there is no single strategy to prioritise the support for the key industrial economic sectors, technology areas and value chains. Based on the expert analysis and extensive discussions with the stakeholders, the Roadmap suggests the key strategic sectors and technology areas for the policymakers to focus on:
- Industrial information and telecommunication technologies;
- Engineering industry;
- Health technologies and biotechnologies;
- Chemicals;
- Energy and sustainable environment;
- Innovative and high added value traditional industry.
To implement the project, the study team used following analytical methods:
- Collected and analysed micro-data on all Lithuanian enterprises. Such data will provide insights about the financial, trade, human resources and other relevant aspects of Lithuanian companies;
- Collected and analysed sector-level financial and human resources data as well as the sectorial composition of Lithuanian industry (based on NACE rev. 2 classification);
- Collected and analysed country-level data to compare the Lithuanian industry with other 26 European economies in terms of a level of technology upgrading and integration into European value chains;
- Implemented in-depth interviews with the selected Lithuanian companies;
- Reviewed relevant research.
The project team also ensured close collaboration with the relevant stakeholders. The stakeholders will be involved through:
- A virtual visit/meetings with relevant officials from Czechia;
- Four stakeholder engagement events: workshops/expert panels dedicated to each key deliverable to draw on the expertise external to the team;
- Interviews with and analysis of the Digital Innovation Hubs in Lithuania;
- Interviews with experts and other stakeholders.
