Workshop No. 4: Entrepreneurship

Study highlights importance of changing attitudes to innovation

Brussels, 27 March 2012 – Today, the study Social attitudes to innovation and entrepreneurship has been made public.  The study provides novel insights into entrepreneurship and social attitudes to innovation and underlines how different social factors influence attitude towards innovation. Understanding these differences is therefore essential to improve the framework conditions for innovation.

The study team UNU-MERIT, (Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology), recommends a number of actions to change social attitudes including long-term subsidies lowering the cost price of innovative products, awareness-building measures to emphasise the benefits of innovations, and the introduction of labels to act as guarantees of their quality and potential use. Besides, the study focuses on aspects to be considered when collecting statistical data meant to assess social attitudes toward innovation and entrepreneurship.

On 19 January 2012, the study was presented and validated during a one day workshop which was attended by over 60 participants from a wide range of backgrounds, including policy makers, entrepreneurship specialists, consultants, academics and business leaders. Debate during the workshop focused on demand for innovation and consumers’ acceptance or resistance to innovative products or services depends on specific social and cultural dimensions, analysed in detail.

The Innovation Intelligence Study, which was developed within the PRO-INNO framework INNO-GRIPS II, is part of a series of six studies tackling various aspects of innovation in light of European policy challenges. The study “Social attitudes to innovation and entrepreneurship” is prepared by the Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT).

Agenda

Agenda Files: 

Agenda INNO Grips IV_Final.pdf