EIMS Studies
Innovation Measurements and Policies: Proceedings of International Conference
Luxembourg, 20-21 May 1996
Abstract
Starting from the results of the first Community Innovation Survey (CIS 1), this international conference brought researchers, policy makers and practitioners together to share their cumulative wealth of knowledge in the field of innovation, with a view to draw conclusions to shape future research and policy. Similarly the need for innovation indicators to identify future requirements was addressed.
The first survey has greatly aided the development of future surveys. Analysis of the results highlighted both the gaps that still remain and draw attention to the need for clarification and simplification of existing methodologies to allow cross country comparisons.
Preliminary results have yielded valuable insights into possible directions for innovation policy, confirming or dispelling previous assumptions: For example, policies that assist innovation by small companies may improve employment, but caution should be applied, with respect to the possible effects of reshuffling of employment from one type of firm to another as a result of down-sizing or outsourcing. Similarly favouring product innovation rather than process innovation may be erroneous as both may be of equal importance to job creation.
The results have shown the importance of maintaining strong support for the public research infrastructure. It is an engine of new ideas with which leading firms tend to co-operate. Co-operative R&D policies should be targeted, as broad policy measures may be less effective. Co-operation could be better suited to allowing firms to catch-up rather than furnish leading firms with a competitive edge.The evidence thus confirmed the vital role that information dissemination plays. Many firms will benefit more from adopting new technologies developed by others instead of going it alone.
Financial constraints were not considered to be the prime barriers to innovation but rather lack of access to technical expertise and opportunities to co-operate. Policiespromoting innovation should focus on highly innovative firms and on those companies in the middle ground: Encouraging poorly innovative firms to conduct creative innovative activities would probably be wasteful compared with the acquisition of existing technologies and technical expertise as mentioned previously.
The conference has shown the value of innovation surveys in helping to define policy. It has also shown the need to continue the work and build on both the collection and the analyses of the data so that all concerned can benefit fully from this wealth of information.
Conference Proceedings:
A printed version is available in Book shops
Catalogue information
ISBN/ISSN: 92-828-2043-2
Price: 31.50 EUR
Empirical studies and the Community Innovation Survey (CIS)
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