Increase the level of collaboration between the public and private sectors, carefully focus the research being undertaken, further consolidate the largest research institutions and promote market-led research are some of the priorities that should guide business innovation policy. These were the conclusions reached by participants in a round table discussion on innovation policies at the Business Innovation Conference: Barriers and public policies, organized by the IEB (May 30).
The Director-General of Innovation and Competitiveness (Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness), Mª Luisa Castaño stated that “the main priority is the conviction of the government, businesses, and the university. If all three are convinced that innovation is the key to creating a new economic model, then they have to collaborate”. Castaño also argued in favor of promoting loans instead of subsidies for firms’ R&D and considered it a priority that the university carefully focus its research, “because we cannot dedicate ourselves to everything, but should concentrate on demand”.
This point was reiterated by the Director of the COTEC Foundation, Juan Mulet, who stressed that “we have the research capabilities, but we have to connect them with market needs”. Mulet also recognized the need to “consolidate public R&D groups, which are currently too small”, reduce bureaucracy and promote public-private partnerships. The director of COTEC reminded the audience that only 12,000 companies in the Spanish state perform R&D, while fewer than 5,000 run a research and development department. Concerning the role of the university, he highlighted the need for governance, strategy and leadership to increase its contribution to society in the field of innovation. Finally, Francisco Mas (Universitat Politècnica de València) called for “smart specialization, focusing all our efforts on the needs of businesses and streamlining bureaucracy”.
In discussing current policy, the Director-General of Innovation defended the new Law of Science, Technology and Innovation passed in 2012, which foresees the creation of an agency to fund research and another to fund innovation. She also stressed that the government’s R&D+i strategy considered taxation, public procurement, the creation of employment and business leadership to be the keys to promoting innovation. At the same time, she invited businesses to take advantage of Horizon 2020, the European Union’s framework programme for research and innovation.
The Business innovation: barriers and public policies conference also discussed the obstacles firms face in their attempts to innovate. The research presented stressed the problems financial barriers pose to the performing of R&D activities, but recognized the need to consider other types of obstacles. In particular, they highlighted the effects human capital and demand behavior have on innovation.
The participants at the conference included Pierre Mohnen (Maastricht University & MERIT), who has worked as a consultant for the OECD, the European Commission, the Canadian Government and various European governments, Pablo d’Este (Ingenio, CSIC-UPV), Gabriele Pellegrino (IEB) and Maria Savona (SPRU), Agustí Segarra (URV), Mercedes Teruel (URV) and José Garcia Quevedo (IEB), the conference coordinator. Read more
