Innovation cooperation beyond the European Union: INNO-Views workshop addresses policy implications

The 8th INNO-Views workshop on “Emerging Economies (BRIC Countries) and Innovation: Implications for innovation policies in Europe” brought together almost 35 leading experts and policy makers on July 9th and 10th in Brussels. The workshop was hosted by the representation of the State of Baden-Württemberg to the EU.The invited experts both from European and BRIC countries discussed the opportunities and challenges of innovation collaboration between Europe and the BRIC countries. With view of the changing geography of innovation and the global challenges, Peter Dröll of DG Enterprise & Industry emphasised in his introduction the importance for Europe to open up its innovation policy strategy for international cooperation in particular with emerging economies.

The BRIC country experts Xielin Liu (Chinese Academy of Sciences), Venni Venkata Krishna (Jawharlal Nehru University, India / National University of Singapore), Carlos H. de Brito Cruz (FAPESP, Brazil) as well as Oleg Luksha and Anton Yanovski (Russian Technology Transfer Network) presented the specific characteristics of the individual innovation systems of their countries. One main conclusion was that bilateral collaboration approaches have to take into account different needs, strengths and cultures of the countries as well as of sub-regions: “There is not one Brazil, but many”, as Carlos H. de Brito stated.

In the recommendations, participants emphasised the need to define priorities for cooperation with the individual countries and to increase the mutual visibility and a mutual dialogue of Europe and BRIC economies as a basis for common understanding and trust. Of utmost importance is to improve the framework conditions for international collaboration in particular IPR and standardisation issues.

The detailed recommendations will be published at the INNO-Views workshop pages beginning of August together with a workshop summary paper. The presentations are already available for download here:

http://www.proinno-europe.eu/index.cfm?fuseaction=workshops.ws_paper&ID=29