innovation

1. The European Day of the Entrepreneur
University Sofia
25 October 2007
Sofia, Bulgaria
Dr. Roland Strauss
Strauss & Partners
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2. EID History
 Studies analysing the innovation landscape in Europe
 Three major conferences in Brussels and Budapest
 Online stakeholder consultations
 Participation in Panels and Roundtables
 Ongoing discussions with innovation stakeholders from
across Europe
 Following EU innovation policy developments and what other
innovation networks do
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3. The Innovation Challenge
 I dare to say that our future – not only in Europe but worldwide –
depends on innovation (Commissioner Verheugen)
 Innovation is to play an important role in Europe‘s future...depends on
innovation
 "Europe needs a strategic approach aimed at creating an innovation-
friendly environment where knowledge is converted into innovative
products and services." (EU Council, December 2006)
 "US and European pre-eminence in science-based innovation can no
longer be taken for granted…… the rapid rise of China, India and South
Korea will reshape the global innovation landscape, challenging
Europe's position in knowledge-based industries." (Demos U.K.)
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4. EU Policy
Competitiveness Council Strategic Priorities (December 2006)
 Intellectual Property Rights – IPR
 Creating a pro-active standard-setting policy
 Making public procurement work for innovation
 Pre-competitve public procurement
 Public procurement stimulating innovation in particular for SMEs
 Boosting innovation and growth in lead markets
 Commission to define a valid approach for fostering emergence of markets with
high economic and societal value
 Enhancing closer co-operation between higher education, research and
business
 Helping innovation in regions
 Create a European market for risk capital
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5. Dialogue Dimensions
 Fostering the dialogue between the actors of the innovation ecosystem
 large corporations and small and medium sized companies
 Universities/research centres and industry
 Public and private partners including regional innovation agencies
 Establish a continuous Dialogue between Policy Makers and Innovation
Practitioners
 Narrow the gap between Lisbon Strategy and practitioners’ needs
 Enhancing the Dialogue among Innovation Actors from across Europe
 Working towards European structures
 Provide a forum which represents the EU level innovation ecosystem
 Gather, adapt, disseminate best practices
 Build a strong virtual collaboration platform
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6. Identity
 An independent, inclusive and open network
 An EU level innovation ecosystem
 Europe’s Innovation Knowledge Community (IKC)
 At the interface of the different innovation disciplines
 Along the entire knowledge value chain with an emphasis on
‘unfolding knowledge and ideas into economic power’
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7. Three main Objectives
 Practical: providing tools and measures resulting in more and
better innovation (IKE)
 Political: Creating an environment that encourages innovation
 Bottom-up: A dialogue with decision makers on practitioners
needs
 Top-down: Support implementation of policies and
programmes
 Strategic: Contribute to a long-term strategic innovation
agenda for Europe
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8. Instruments
 European Innovation Knowledge Exchange® (IKE)
 eMarketplace / Portal
 Collecting, structuring, customising and sharing innovation
knowledge
 European ‘Knowledge Economy Forum’
 Involving Members of the European Parliament, European
Commission and innovation stakeholders
 Covering all aspects of the knowledge economy value chain from
creation to exploitation and protection
 Annual Summit meeting - Innovation/Knowledge Economy
conference
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9. Deliverables
 Collecting, developing and sharing innovation knowledge
 Fuelling the policy debate on innovation / knowledge economy
 Defining an approach/roadmap (Strategic innovation Agenda
including appropriate legislation for Europe) that delivers
 Raise awareness and improve image of innovation and
knowledge to the benefit of economy and society
 Communication campaign
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10. Innovation Knowledge Exchange® - Activities
 Develop and promote IKE eMarketplace to become the most powerful melting pot of
innovation knowledge
 Making your expert know-how widely visible
 Providing for additional business opportunities
 Buying / selling IK
 Licensing / cross licensing IK
 Complementing your existing offer
 Creating jointly new offerings
 Collaborate in ad hoc working groups and customise content according to needs to
 Strengthen regional innovation capacity
 Develop sector specific innovation strategies
 Discuss best practices on a issues of common interest
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11. Innovation Knowledge Exchange®
Innovation Knowledge / Disciplines Innovation Knowledge / Deliverables
 Innovation policy and strategy  SME requirements
 Human aspects
 Methodologies
 Entrepreneurship, managerial talent, scientific
workforce
 Trends, Analysis
 Knowledge management  Benchmarks
 Knowledge and technology transfer, exploitation,  Best practices
protection, enforcement  Blueprints, templates
 Innovation management and incubation
 Innovation financing
 Training content
 SME innovation for start-ups/fast growing companies
 Technology transfer
 Regional innovation  Other
 Innovation communication
 Innovation demand i.e. public procurement
 ICT for innovation
 Sectorial innovation e.g. ICT, Energy, Pharma etc,
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12. Policy oriented activities
 Innovation and Knowledge Policy Forum
 European Commission Directorate’s General
 European Parliament Committees
 Ad hoc roundtables
 Permanent Forum
 Annual Innovation Summit in collaboration with European Commission
 Policy areas
 Cutting red tape, eservices for business, state aid, public procurement,
tax incentives etc.
 A strategic innovation agenda for Europe
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13. Project oriented activities
 Facilitate access to research and innovation programmes
and participate jointly in funded projects
 Maximise use and create synergies of EU funding
instruments for innovation actions
 Exploitation and use of patent information
 Regional EID events throughout the year
 Organisation of trainings, seminars
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14. Regional Innovation Activities
 Regional development – a basis for creating an innovation friendly environment
 Support and reward innovation building capacity and creativity
 Workshops for ‚school age researchers‘ as part of a research project
 Communication campaigns on how innovation improves living quality
 Introduce creativity/entrepreneurial building dimensions into regional
development strategy/system
 Take advantage of the synergy potential of new EU programmes
 Complement structural funds with other relevant EU programmes and financing
instruments
 Enhancing networking power by dissemination of issues and questions
 Create a portal with questions
 Development of technology support structures for small regions (Rodriguez)
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15. Regional Innovation – Emilia-Romagna
 Strengthening of regional innovation (absorption) capacity
 Develop innovation talent
 Strengthen knowledge Infrastructure from school age
 Improve support structures, i.e. logistics, ICT
 Enhance business support services
 Develop easily applicable evaluation methodologies for the technical concept
and economic risk (for funding purposes)
 Improve industry-science relations
 Improve the capacities of human resources employed both in enterprises and
research centres to produce new knowledge
 Improve the market exploitation of research competences and results through new
entrepreneurship and the transfer of technology to existing companies
 Promote networking and the creation of a critical mass of actors and resources
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16. Objectives
 Establish European Innovation Dialogue as the voice of the
European innovation community recognised as independent
and inclusive
 Build credibility that the European Innovation Dialogue is
considerably contributing to achieving more and better
innovation necessary for growth and prosperity
 Become the counterpart for European Policymakers to
discuss measures stimulating the exploitation and use of
knowledge assets
 Advocate at the European level the interests of innovative
organisations including firms dealing with new technologies
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17. Foundation phase - activities
 Founders Meeting - 25 June 2007
 Participation in European Commission call for proposal
 Establishing EID as a non.for-profit Belgian Association
 Trade marking for IKE
 Recruitment and communication campaign
 Set-up new website with collaboration facilities
 Developing working programme and business plan
 Official launch and 1st General Assembly February 2008
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18. Strauss & Partners – contact details
Dr. Roland Strauss
Managing Director
Strauss & Partners
Brussels, Belgium
Tel.: +32 472 635 092
Fax: +32 2 343 06 76
rstrauss@strausspartners.eu
www.strausspartners.eu
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