The value of co-opetition and EUREKA Clusters, by EUREKA chairman Okan Kara
19 December 2012
North Macedonia
Mr. Kara, Turkey plans to make EUREKA a global platform for co-opetitive innovation. What exactly do you mean by this?
Okan Kara: Under the pressure of the market, competitive companies dealing with innovative solutions need to mobilize mutual resources for innovation needs; this is, as we all know, the basis for the cooperation option. Creating these cooperative networks in competition refers to knowledge sharing which creates a real economic value, and this is co-opetition. Within this scope, our vision for the future of EUREKA is to be a preferred and flexible platform for co-opetitive innovation.
Depending on the economic, social and political developments in the last two decades, the EUREKA Network realised a clear need for international expansion. In the building process of EUREKA’s future, we think that it is necessary to cooperate with countries having growing innovation capacity not only via formal membership affiliations but also through closer relations. During our chairmanship we will tackle with the international cooperation activities and the future of EUREKA within this scope.
How do you see the role of EUREKA Clusters for enabling co-opetitive innovation?
Okan Kara: EUREKA Clusters were established according to the needs, demand and vision of the European industry. They present a unique platform for the realization of co-opetitive innovation. In line with the European leadership vision on thematic technology areas, EUREKA Clusters create a significant added value for European competitors to compete on global markets. In order to carry the success of EUREKA Clusters into the future and set them as preferred platforms for co-opetition, we need to deal with the issue of synchronisation and time-to-contract in the short and medium term.
The Celtic-Plus Event 2013 will be held next March under the Turkish EUREKA Chairmanship in conjunction with the EUREKA meeting of National Project Coordinators (NPC) and the High-Level Group (HLG). What are your expectations towards the Celtic-Plus Event in Kayseri and the co-located EUREKA meeting?
Okan Kara: The Celtic-Plus Event is an important platform which brings telecommunications stakeholders together and provides fruitful discussions on new challenges for the telecommunications world. One of the most valuable parts of the Celtic-Plus Event is the project exhibition where project demos and results are discussed.
In our opinion, this exhibition will be a great opportunity to provide the High-Level Group and the National Project Coordinators with a better understanding of achievements provided through coordination and cooperation of national research funding. They will also better understand how Celtic-Plus contributes to the ICT industry through successful and impressive projects. This is an important showcase for demonstrating the high impact and achievements of Celtic-Plus projects which have significant outputs and new products enabling new markets and new business.
Potential Celtic-Plus projects suffer from varying commitment of Public Authorities to provide funding and from a lack of synchronisation of funding decisions; a similar situation exists for the other EUREKA Clusters. How do you envisage improving this situation?
Okan Kara: In order to have better synchronisation of funding decisions, the first aspect should be to have funding agencies’ call timeline and project timetables to be in sync. In most of the cases, timing of national calls is incompatible with the timing of international calls.
The second aspect should be to shorten the time between idea and project start. Speeding up the application and decision-making processes will enable a significant time reduction which leads to reducing time-to-contract. In addition, more information should be shared among the public authorities and Clusters about the national programmes and current ongoing processes to better align national applications. In conclusion, it is obvious that cluster projects need more flexible national funding processes and more budget commitment. This message has to be communicated to high level representatives on ministerial level in EUREKA countries to ensure high-level commitment and synchronisation.
Which innovation goals in which industry sectors would you like to see achieved in Turkey and in Europe as a whole within the next five years?
Okan Kara: In the National Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy of Turkey for the period 2011 to 2016, the ICT sector is identified as one of the key sectors where Turkey has a strong RDI capacity and a focal point for mission-oriented approaches. Within the next five years Turkey wants to facilitate multi-disciplined, multi-national and inter-sectorial research for market-oriented R&D activities which highlight SMEs and adopt a more innovative and strategic human resources approach by putting some more effort to the area of telecommunications, new media, future Internet, and applications and services. For sectors gaining acceleration from a national perspective such as the energy, water and food sectors; more “needs-oriented” measures will be taken in accordance with the strategies to boost R&D.
The Key Enabling Technologies strategy of the EU defines the nanotechnology, micro- and nano electronics, advanced materials and biotechnology sectors as the most strategically relevant technology fields in regard to their impact on societal challenges and knowledge intensity as well as their economic potential. The challenges faced and the goals set by the European Union are similar in nature to those of Turkey: transforming R&D results into capital, raising public awareness of the sectors in focus, laying out coordinated roadmaps among funding mechanisms of different countries, and undertaking a multi-disciplinary and human resource centred approach to enhance and exploit skilled labour.
I would like to conclude by emphasizing that Europe is confronting new “Grand Challenges” and new “Societal Needs”, clusters provide a platform to address these challenges and needs by supporting multi-disciplinary projects through their flexible bottom-up approach.
Okan Kara: Under the pressure of the market, competitive companies dealing with innovative solutions need to mobilize mutual resources for innovation needs; this is, as we all know, the basis for the cooperation option. Creating these cooperative networks in competition refers to knowledge sharing which creates a real economic value, and this is co-opetition. Within this scope, our vision for the future of EUREKA is to be a preferred and flexible platform for co-opetitive innovation.
Depending on the economic, social and political developments in the last two decades, the EUREKA Network realised a clear need for international expansion. In the building process of EUREKA’s future, we think that it is necessary to cooperate with countries having growing innovation capacity not only via formal membership affiliations but also through closer relations. During our chairmanship we will tackle with the international cooperation activities and the future of EUREKA within this scope.
How do you see the role of EUREKA Clusters for enabling co-opetitive innovation?
Okan Kara: EUREKA Clusters were established according to the needs, demand and vision of the European industry. They present a unique platform for the realization of co-opetitive innovation. In line with the European leadership vision on thematic technology areas, EUREKA Clusters create a significant added value for European competitors to compete on global markets. In order to carry the success of EUREKA Clusters into the future and set them as preferred platforms for co-opetition, we need to deal with the issue of synchronisation and time-to-contract in the short and medium term.
The Celtic-Plus Event 2013 will be held next March under the Turkish EUREKA Chairmanship in conjunction with the EUREKA meeting of National Project Coordinators (NPC) and the High-Level Group (HLG). What are your expectations towards the Celtic-Plus Event in Kayseri and the co-located EUREKA meeting?
Okan Kara: The Celtic-Plus Event is an important platform which brings telecommunications stakeholders together and provides fruitful discussions on new challenges for the telecommunications world. One of the most valuable parts of the Celtic-Plus Event is the project exhibition where project demos and results are discussed.
In our opinion, this exhibition will be a great opportunity to provide the High-Level Group and the National Project Coordinators with a better understanding of achievements provided through coordination and cooperation of national research funding. They will also better understand how Celtic-Plus contributes to the ICT industry through successful and impressive projects. This is an important showcase for demonstrating the high impact and achievements of Celtic-Plus projects which have significant outputs and new products enabling new markets and new business.
Potential Celtic-Plus projects suffer from varying commitment of Public Authorities to provide funding and from a lack of synchronisation of funding decisions; a similar situation exists for the other EUREKA Clusters. How do you envisage improving this situation?
Okan Kara: In order to have better synchronisation of funding decisions, the first aspect should be to have funding agencies’ call timeline and project timetables to be in sync. In most of the cases, timing of national calls is incompatible with the timing of international calls.
The second aspect should be to shorten the time between idea and project start. Speeding up the application and decision-making processes will enable a significant time reduction which leads to reducing time-to-contract. In addition, more information should be shared among the public authorities and Clusters about the national programmes and current ongoing processes to better align national applications. In conclusion, it is obvious that cluster projects need more flexible national funding processes and more budget commitment. This message has to be communicated to high level representatives on ministerial level in EUREKA countries to ensure high-level commitment and synchronisation.
Which innovation goals in which industry sectors would you like to see achieved in Turkey and in Europe as a whole within the next five years?
Okan Kara: In the National Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy of Turkey for the period 2011 to 2016, the ICT sector is identified as one of the key sectors where Turkey has a strong RDI capacity and a focal point for mission-oriented approaches. Within the next five years Turkey wants to facilitate multi-disciplined, multi-national and inter-sectorial research for market-oriented R&D activities which highlight SMEs and adopt a more innovative and strategic human resources approach by putting some more effort to the area of telecommunications, new media, future Internet, and applications and services. For sectors gaining acceleration from a national perspective such as the energy, water and food sectors; more “needs-oriented” measures will be taken in accordance with the strategies to boost R&D.
The Key Enabling Technologies strategy of the EU defines the nanotechnology, micro- and nano electronics, advanced materials and biotechnology sectors as the most strategically relevant technology fields in regard to their impact on societal challenges and knowledge intensity as well as their economic potential. The challenges faced and the goals set by the European Union are similar in nature to those of Turkey: transforming R&D results into capital, raising public awareness of the sectors in focus, laying out coordinated roadmaps among funding mechanisms of different countries, and undertaking a multi-disciplinary and human resource centred approach to enhance and exploit skilled labour.
I would like to conclude by emphasizing that Europe is confronting new “Grand Challenges” and new “Societal Needs”, clusters provide a platform to address these challenges and needs by supporting multi-disciplinary projects through their flexible bottom-up approach.