Open Innovation in a Globalised World

Submitted by Administrator on 9 February, 2010 - 10:35

Feb 26 2009

Event Date:

26 February, 2009 - 01:00 - 27 February, 2009 - 01:00

Venue:

Brussels

Implications for innovation policies in EuropeThe workshop brought together 30-40 leading experts and policy makers for a two day period to explore the current evidence about open innovation models and globalisation and discuss the rationales and current practice for policies to support European innovation systems.

General recommendations towards European policy makers could be summarised as follows:

“Fight fragmentation”: Europe’s fragmented markets are the most important barrier for cross-border collaboration and innovation:
- Fight fragmentation of markets and reduce regulations and red tape to foster transnational activities across Europe in particular for SMEs.
- Integrate EU, national and regional policy programmes to ensure complementarity instead of competition.
Focus innovation policies on global competitive advantage
- Develop 12 to 15 world class clusters (instead of 300 local networks).
- Invest in world class research poles and don’t invest in followers.
Strategic policy commitment for open innovation
- A strategic policy commitment of the European Commission and European Member States would help to raise awareness of open innovation as complementary business approach in Europe and lower barriers for the implementation of open innovation structures.
- European innovation and economic policies should prepare for a well-balanced competition between companies practicing closed and open innovation business models.
Face global competition with self confidence
- Attract high level company research instead of protecting European markets.
- Open the Lead Market initiative to global competition.
Reinforce the role of public authorities and policy in the innovation system
- Create supportive general framework conditions by e.g. creating attractive conditions to attract global firms and partners, stimulating innovation by demand side policy and raising awareness of the opportunities offered by open innovation strategies.
- Provide framework conditions enabling and fostering trans-national co-operation across Europe and between the business world and knowledge providers.
- Accept to be a partner of the innovation system: Make use of the power of a main customer bringing forward innovation through competition (instead of safeguarding well established solutions).
Improve co-ordination, integration and harmonisation of policy and support measures
- EC should take a co-ordinating role of policy and support measures and initiatives (i.e. vertical and horizontal).
- More effective co-ordination of EU, national and regional policies: Need for clear differences and complementarities concerning the focus of policies at the various levels. Improve allocation of different resources at various levels.
- Establish a “European Innovation Council” assigned to a European Innovation Commissioner.
- Develop recommendations and strategies for an improved co-operation and a more harmonized European approach e.g. with view of regulation, taxation, standards, IPR etc.
- Improve integration of different policy fields e.g. competition or labour policy with innovation policy in order increase efficiency of the overall innovation system.