National innovation systems
Sub-regional seminar on the commercialization and
enforcement of intellectual property rights
Skopje, Macedonia
1 - 3 April 2009
1
Today’s presentation









Innovation Facts
Innovation and growth
Innovation process
National innovation systems
Innovation actors
Role of the state in the NIS
Innovation supportive infrastructure
Innovation policy instruments
Future challenges
2
Innovation facts

Innovation is an old phenomenon

Humans tend to think about new and better ways of doing
things and try them out in practice
3
Innovation and growth



Innovation is essential for a country’s
competitiveness
Innovations can become products that drive
growth
Institutions are important for the support of
innovative activities
4
Innovation – non-linear process
Basic research
Need for new
knowledge
New
knowledge
Applied research
Desired new product
characteristics
Application of
knowledge to
specific subject
Development
Development
of products
Commercialization
Market feedback (desired
product alterations)
5
Complexity of the innovation
process



Overlap between basic and applied
research, as well as between development
and commercialization
Principal investigators, patents and
processes are mobile (not company
dependent)
Unexpected outcomes
6
Complexity of the innovation
process – Cont.
New knowledge creation
Universities
Academy of science
Universities
Application of knowledge
into new products
Academy of science
Innovative enterprises
Innovative enterprises
Commercialization of products
Particularized companies
7
Complexity of the innovation
process – Cont.
Invention

Innovation
Different stages and different actors need
different support
8
Complexity of the innovation
process – Cont.

Inventions need specific demand, production
capabilities, inputs, complementary inventions and
innovations to succeed at the innovation stage
9
National innovation systems



National innovation systems – different
institutions and their interaction (technical,
commercial, legal, social, and financial),
which influence the innovation process and
give direction of the technological changes
in the society.
Differs for different countries
Need to be flexible, adjust to the needs of
the society
10
Innovation actors
11
Role of the state in the NIS



States need to create the framework
conditions for incentives for innovation
With efficient instruments there can be
strong support with less state investments
Direct support assumes non-existence of
information asymmetry
 let the market make the decision
12
Innovation supportive
infrastructure






Higher education system (supply of labor)
Knowledge intensive business services
IPR Enforcement
Supply of knowledge
Entrepreneurship friendly environment
Local, regional and international interaction
possibilities
13
Innovation supportive
infrastructure - Protection of IPR and Innovation




Incentive for innovation
Knowledge transfer
Efficiency of the investments
Costs of IP protection (efficiency losses from
support of innovation, double investments in
R&D)
14
Innovation supportive
infrastructure - Innovation supportive culture



Adoptive capacity
Freedom for
experimenting
Entrepreneurship
supportive
environment
15
Innovation supportive
infrastructure - Role of the universities



Teach next generations
Conduct research
Commercialize
Provide:
•
•
•
•
A return to public investments in research
A source of new companies and jobs
Justification for new research allocations
Services to companies within the innovation
ecosystem (clusters)
16
Innovation supportive
infrastructure - S&T Parks



Provide infrastructure
Encourage entrepreneurial culture, research
cooperation and public support for research
Attract industry and promote regional
development
17
Innovation supportive
infrastructure - Financing innovation


Potential investors do not have perfect
knowledge, information asymmetry for new
innovative ideas
Institutions for innovation financing (exp.
venture capital)
18
Innovation supportive
infrastructure - SMEs



Importance of the SMEs – small companies
can drive high-tech innovation
Knowledge intensive SMEs
SMEs support:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
information on financing possibilities
creation of business plans
improvement of the SMEs infrastructure
implementation and coordination of SMEs support
organizing networking
education and trainings
consulting services
support for knowledge transfer
management and marketing research
R&D support
19
Innovation policy instruments






IPR enforcement
Technology Transfer
Technology parks and centers
Networks
Support for financing
Marketing/promotion support
20
Future challenges

Stronger NIS
Learn from each other
Regional Innovation systems

Cooperation, cooperation, cooperation


21
THANK YOU