11. ICT Sector in Estonia: Foresight Study

ICT Sector in Estonia: Foresight Study BEFORE (Benchmarking and foresight for regions of Europe), 2008   Download   Introduction The BEFORE Project (http://www.before-project.org) was approved in the FP6-2004-KNOW-REG-2 call for proposals of the 6th Framework Programme. The specifi c programme covered was “Integrating and Strengthening the European Research Area” and the activity areas included were “Coherent development of research and innovation policies”. The project will perform the comparative analysis (benchmarking) of effi cient support instruments for the RTD in geographical areas with demographic signifi cant imbalances. In this way also specific tools of support would be analyzed for rural companies and entrepreneurs. Also, there would develop a panel of indicators of impact of the regional RTD support policies in this type of regions, with special attention to the indicators of social impact. A special attention will be paid to the case of regions that have obtained signifi cant advances implementing RTD policies in the last years (for example, regions to which the good use of the resources has allowed or will allow to leave the Objective 1). In the consortium take part some regions of this type (Castilla y León, Brandenburg). These regions will carry out a task of mentoring on the rest of regions in the project. One of the factors for success in the present project is the achievement of wide regional consensus and the involvement of regional RTD players in the project. A strong effort will thus be made in order to obtain this actor interaction, integratingkey players in the management structure and widely disseminating project results. Also the benchmarking process will contribute to trans-national exchange of experience. Other objective of the project is to carry out foresight studies of policies and support instruments to RTD guided to future sectors, intensive in knowledge and with high added value. The sectors being covered will be aeronautical (Castilla y León), biotechnology (South Estonia), ICTs (Mid Sweden, South Estonia and West Romania), transport (logistics in Brandenburg and automotive in West Romania) and renewable energies (Brandenburg, Castilla y León and Mid Sweden). The development of these new sectors will allow to the participant regions to maintain and promote equilibrium between the competitiveness of its basic industries and businesses and the bid to introduce new economic activities in sectors with good prospects of future.  

Monday, 01 September 2008 | 5014 hits

12. Establishing a set of indicators for measuring the impact of R&D policies

Establishing a set of indicators for measuring the impact of R&D policies BEFORE (Benchmarking and foresight for regions of Europe), 2008 Download   This document is focused on the study of establishing a set of indicators for measuring the impact of R&D policies for the five regions participating in this project. This document has four parts: Part One briefly explains the methodological approach of this study, Part Two describes the state of the art of the scientific approach to the development of indicators for measuring the impact of research and development policies, Part Three makes a comparative analysis of the regional R&D systems for the BEFORE regions, Part Four designs a consensus indicator list for the BEFORE regions, and Part Five makes a summary of the main conclusions of this study. Finally, in the Annexes it is included additional information regarding complementary indicator tables and questionnaires used to elaborate this study.  

Monday, 01 September 2008 | 4697 hits

13. Report on the benchmarking process for regional innovation strategies and policies

Report on the benchmarking process for regional innovation strategies and policies EURO-COOP (Regional Innovation Policy Impact Assessment and Benchmarking Process: Cooperation for Sustainable Regional Innovation), 2008 Download   Introduction EURO-COOP is one of eight projects which are funded under the 6th Framework Programme for Research and its special programme on Regional Innovation Strategies, including new tools and approaches, under the strand for innovation policy impact assessment and benchmarking at the regional level. All of these projects aim at developing an innovation policy impact assessment system to improve the measurement of various impacts of innovation policy-making at the regional level. In each project, several regions take part in the development and implementation of impact assessment methods and benchmarking indicators. The work undertaken in EURO-COOP will contribute to the objectives of the eight projects but will additionally focus specifically on the needs of the regions that take part in the project.  

Monday, 01 September 2008 | 4814 hits

14. Comprehensive Regional Innovation Policy Impact Assessment scheme

Comprehensive Regional Innovation Policy Impact Assessment scheme EURO-COOP (Regional Innovation Policy Impact Assessment and Benchmarking Process: Cooperation for Sustainable Regional Innovation), 2007 Download   OVERVIEW This deliverable sets out the final scope and method of the ‘Regional Innovation Policy Impact Assessment’ method (RIPIA). Context A ‘Regional System of Innovation’ (‘RSI’) has many actors and stakeholders; and a regional innovation policy has many effects, direct or indirect, in the shorter or longer term. Any impact assessment has to be aware of these possibilities. Also, recent evidence suggests the importance of more intangible and fuzzy issues - communications, relationships and mutual learning between stakeholders – for the system of innovation. Therefore the RIPIA method does not aim at a simple fixed answer to the question of ‘impact assessment’. It aims more to provide a route map and working tools for investigation. This will help to explore the regional innovation agenda, the critical paths of causes and effects, the relationships of stakeholders, the qualities of governance, and the ‘organization / regional learning’ capacity as a foundation for the innovation process. The RIPIA method is designed to be run by experts in close consultation with regional stakeholders. It is designed as a flexible set of steps with a series of templates and graphic aids. It is compatible with the ‘rational management’ logical framework approach of objectives, inputs and outputs, where this is relevant. It provides a basis for benchmarking and comparison as far as possible, by identifying common and measurable issues among many other issues which are more fuzzy and intangible.  

Saturday, 01 September 2007 | 3414 hits

15. Peer-reviewing European Good Practices in Innovation Promotion for SME

Peer-reviewing European Good Practices in Innovation Promotion for SME EUROPEER SME (2008) Download   Preface The EUROPEER SME project in the European context The Lisbon Strategy, decided by the EU Heads of States and Governments in March 2000, sets out to make the EU “the most competitive and dynamic knowledgedriven economy by 2010”. The “Open Method of Coordination” (OMC) was introduced at the same time to help Member States progress jointly on their reforms. Subsequently, the EU Heads of State and Government decided in 2003 that EU investments in Research and Development (R&D) should approach 3% by 2010 (the Barcelona target), and that the OMC should be applied to reach this target. The Community’s Committee for Scientific and Technical Research (CREST) was given the task to oversee the OMC process. CREST has worked through a number of OMC expert groups in yearly cycles. To reinforce andcomplement the OMC application to investment in research, the European Commission launched the OMC-NET scheme in 2005. The scheme is implemented through calls for proposals for Coordination and Support Actions (CSA). It offers Member States or their regions the possibility to develop policy coordination activities on issues of their own interest with support from the European Commission. EUROPEER SME is one of ten projects financed in the OMC-NET pilot call which was launched in 2005 under the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6). The EUROPEER SME project (a) fostered mutual learning and elaborated best practices on national and regional R&D support programs to Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), (b) optimised the exchange of best practices by identifying conditions for transferability and developing transfer schemes, and (c) diminished overlap and strengthened the coordination of R&D policies directed to SME. The EUROPEER SME project used peer reviews as its working method. The method of peer reviews implies that the partners present in the peer groups are equal, which is crucial for mutual learning. The project comprised 14 partners from ten European countries. Therefore, EUROPEER SME had and has an important transnational impact. The impact of the project has been valuable on different levels. In particular the mutual learning and peer reviews have initiated a vivid exchange between project partners, and several partners are preparing the implementation of new instruments as a direct result of the project. However the impacts go far beyond the core group of project peers. The instruments themselves as well as the transfer method have met great interest from various actors in the field in European countries and beyond.  

Monday, 01 September 2008 | 4464 hits

16. Policy Recommendations Innovation Financing in the European Medical Device Sector

Policy Recommendations Innovation Financing in the European Medical Device Sector INJECTION (2007) Download   Introduction The Policy Recommendations document outlines the knowledge obtained by the InJection network on innovation financing for the medical device industry and provide recommendations for potential actions, which can be implemented by the European Commission through instruments available. The challenges pertaining to the medical device industry are part of a wider complex of factors that influence the current challenges in the European medical device and health care industries. Consequently, the challenges described in this document alongside the concrete recommendations outlined, require action on several levels and are thus aimed at both short-term implementation and long-term inspiration on the level of European Policy development. The recommendations have been prepared on the basis of the work by the InJection network in analysing the European medical device and health industry with in-depth analysis of European health care systems, medical device industry, entrepreneurial and innovation support systems, financing and venture capital systems in European member states, as well as the global markets and global value chains in the medical device sector. The recommendations have further been discussed and edited by European policy experts and from the public and private sector, as well as industry specialists and representatives from the financing sector from the major European regions for purposes of validating and testing the recommendations to ensure quality and comprehensiveness on a pan-European level.  

Saturday, 01 September 2007 | 3515 hits

17. The RegStrat Guide to Strategic Policy Intelligence Tools

The RegStrat Guide to Strategic Policy Intelligence Tools EU-project RegStrat - Strategic Policy Intelligence Tools for Better S&T Investment Strategies in Europe's Regions (2008) Download   In a rapidly changing and complex socio-economic-political environment, decision-makers need to address the challenges of competitiveness, accelerated technological change and globalisation of a more and more knowledge-based economy. However, they often lack a comprehensive knowledge base and a structured stakeholder input to take informed RTDI-related decisions. To help regional actors develop novel strategies and approaches to RTDI decision-making, the RegStrat project explored new ways to apply SPI tools such as Foresight, Technology Assessment, Innovation Audits, Evaluation and Benchmarking.  

Monday, 01 September 2008 | 4830 hits

18. Supporting Policy Making with innovative assessment tools

Supporting Policy Making with innovative assessment tools Support to mutual learning and coordination in research policy making (RTDOMCNET), 2009 Download   Introduction The importance of science and technology for socio-economic development is widely acknowledged and has become a core field of activity for policy makers in many countries. While scientific efforts are still being undertaken to better understand the mechanisms of knowledge generation, technology transfer and commercialisation, a large array of different policy programmes and initiatives have already been conceived. Among the most important fields of action are: targeted investment in public R&D, promotion of scientific careers, incentives for investment business R&D, reduction of bureaucratic obstacles and fostering of closer interactions between universities, public research organizations and firms (the actors of the "triple helix"). While not directly focusing on the regional level, the increasingly popular triple helix approach illustrates the changing nature of the interactions between the research sector, the business sector and the state. It states that, held together by a complex set of organisational linkages, those spheres begin to overlap, and each sphere is increasingly able to assume the role of another1. While universities take on entrepreneurial tasks and firms develop academic dimensions, the role of public institutions in promoting research has risen beyond the provision of the rights framework. In this context, the trend towards the devolution of power to the regional level increasingly provides also regional policy makers with a mandate for RTDI policy. However, the relationship between general strategies for research and innovation and the concrete decision-making processes for the implementation of policy initiatives tends to remain particularly weak at the regional level.  

Thursday, 01 January 2009 | 4723 hits

19. Made in Estonia

Made in Estonia by Marek Tiits, Rainer Kattel and Tarmo Kalvet ISBN: 9985965809 (paperback), 9985965825 (PDF) Electronic PDF version: Made in Estonia (1,5 MB) Order Made in Estonia from Amazon.co.uk! The book is also available in Estonian version.

Thursday, 23 March 2006 | 4680 hits | Read more

20. The Nation of Merchants

The Nation of Merchants Marek Tiits (editor) This book is currently available only in Estonian.  English version is forthcoming in 2008. Estonian version: Kaupmeeste riik

Tuesday, 10 April 2007 | 4915 hits | Read more