Study to assist the ERA Board: “Research and Innovation Strategies and Investments in Grand Challenges”
Following the very positive feedback received on the final report of its previous study for the ERA Board (see below), JIIP has been asked to carry out another study for this high-level advisory committee. The aim of this new research project is to analyse and recommend on R&I funding mechanisms that specifically address the so-called Grand Challenges, with a specific focus on “energy/ climate change” and “healthy ageing”. In includes an in-depth analysis of funding programmes in 13 countries in Europe and beyond as well as of some non-governmental foundations. One of the key findings is that even though there seems to be a broad political consensus on the conceptualisation of the grand challenges and a clear recognition of the importance of the issue, this has so far only had little effect on the design of R&D policies in Europe. A particular problem of Europe is also the neglect of the innovation and diffusion dimension and the missing link between the research and the innovation dimensions. The development of an integrated systemic approach, which is essential in this context, is much more advanced in Asian countries, who have a tradition of national priority setting.
Based on these findings, the study comes up with the following five recommendations:
- The EU should see its role and its added value in coordinating and “topping up” the very scattered and relatively small-scale initiatives that exist at national and in particular at regional level. Specifically in the current situation that is characterised by budgetary constraints, member states seem more and more willing to accept such a coordination role of the EU.
- The innovation and diffusion dimension should be much more emphasised in the debate and in joint actions.
- The different roles and coordination needs for S&T and innovation/diffusion should be recognised.
- Relatively independent (“arm’s length”) agencies should act as (temporary) change agents.
- Stakeholders should be encouraged to organise themselves better at EU level and to engage in a constructive way.
The results of the study will now be used by the ERA Board to formulate their advice regarding the future of R&I funding in Europe.
Evaluation and international comparative study of Seinäjoki city-region’s innovation environment
During the last decade or so, the Seinäjoki region in Western Finland has strongly promoted its research and development infrastructures and developed its innovation environment. Currently it is one of the fastest growing regions in Finland. In order to get a more in depth view of the strengths, weaknesses and developmental options, in Spring 2011 the regional development agency Frami Ltd. commissioned a study to assess the current state of the region’s innovation environment. The study was carried out by a consortium led by VTT and consisting of TNO, Tecnalia and Nordregio as partners.
The study included an extensive qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the Seinäjoki city-region’s innovation environment and its comparison with four European regions: Skellefteå, Bilbao, Leuven and Eindhoven. The study was carried out by using an impact assessment model focusing on investments and inputs related to innovation, key activities and processes in the innovation environment, outputs of the activities as well as their broader impacts for instance at the level of the regional economy.
DG ENTR: “Sectoral Innovation Watch”
The project Sectoral Innovation Watch was a very wide-ranging and comprehensive project aiming to provide policy-makers and innovation professionals with a better understanding of sectoral innovation dynamics across Europe, which is essential for the development of an effective innovation policies at regional, national and European levels. The central part of the study was an examination of current innovation dynamics in nine sectors. A second major element consisted of foresight of sectoral innovation challenges and opportunities, identifying markets and technologies that may have a disruptive effect in the future. A third exercise was the identification and analysis of bottlenecks that influence sectoral innovation performance, paying special attention to the role of markets and regulations. In addition to these three main tasks focusing on sectoral innovation, five horizontal, cross-cutting themes related to innovation were explored. Cross-sectoral issues and challenges as well as implications for European companies and public authorities were discussed in two foresight and five thematic workshops. The results of SIW have been published in nine sectoral reports, five horizontal reports and summarised in a final synthesis report. Read more…
Study to assist the ERA Board: “A European Research Area of excellence”
In its first 2009 annual report, the European Research Area Board (ERAB) set the vision and goal for realising “An ERA to deliver excellence … where risk-taking in research, regardless of its public or private origin, will be the guiding principle for ERA policy”. In other words, ERAB wants to see more frontier research with more impact in Europe. To support ERAB in finding pathways to realise the vision the European Commission commissioned a study to the Joint Institute for Innovation Policy, which was carried out around the summer of 2010. The study explored how EU research funding models should be developed in order to contribute better to the realisation of more frontier high-risk research in Europe. Please click here for a short summary.
DG InfSo: “CIP-ICT-PSP (Second Interim) Evaluation Support Study”
In the CIP ICT-PSP Final (Second Interim) Evaluation Support Study, a team including JIIP partner Joanneum Research, together with IISA, DTI and WIK, supported the expert panel chaired by Graham Vickery, with Terttu Luukonen and Slavo Radosevic as members and Robbert Fisher as rapporteur, by providing the evidence base for the evaluation report that was presented to the Commission in July 2011.
The study included a survey amongst the CIP ICT PSP participants (40%+ response), six in depth case studies (thematic and per instrument), interviews, focus groups, descriptive analyses and an analysis of project review reports.
Government of the Basque Country: “eCo-BERRI, Policy and competitiveness for promotion of eco-innovation in the Basque Country”
The main objective of this project was to design and develop a multidimensional analysis framework to foster ecoinnovation in the Basque Country region by providing it with a tool for the industrial intelligence monitoring. Three sectors – construction, steel and renewable energies for the sustainable building – were studied in order to validate the analysis and intervention models. Read more…