Stockholm 15-01-2001 6CP workshop Innovation Policies for a new Era

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INNOVATION STUDIES & -POLICY IN THE 21st CENTURY

Impacts from trends in economy and society

Prof. dr. ir. Ruud E. Smits

Stockholm 15-01-2001 6CP workshop Innovation Policies for a new Era

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CENTRAL THEME

Consequences and challenges of major trends in economy and

society for innovation research and -policy

Stockholm 15-01-2001 6CP workshop Innovation Policies for a new Era

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S&T, ECONOMY & SOCIETYInseparable

• Innovation Systems• Seamless web• Social Construction Of Technology • Co-evolution • Mode 1 Mode 2 • Technological culture

Stockholm 15-01-2001 6CP workshop Innovation Policies for a new Era

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AN EXAMPLE OF A TECHNOLOGICAL CULTURE

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OUTLINE

• What and why?• Four Major Trends3 Consequences for

Policy & Research4 To wind up

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INNOVATION: WHAT & WHY?

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WHAT?Inventions and innovations

An innovation is a succesful application of an invention

Innovation processes are complex processes of change

characterised by co-evolution of scientific, technological, societal

and economic systems

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WHY?To innovate is difficult

• Nuclear energy • Intelligence in the ‘net’ or in the PC?• Innovation in SME’s• Computers in the schools• Genetically modified food• Failing new high tech firms • Automation catastrophes

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4 MAJOR TRENDS

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1. STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN OUR ECONOMY

• Shift from agriculture industry (knowledge intensive) services

• Advent of Cultural Industry• Revolution in agriculture: from mass

production to specialties• Increase knowledge intensive goods

and services

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INCREASE KNOWLEDGE INTENSIVE GOODS AND SERVICES

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QUESTIONS & CHALLENGES

• Dynamics innovation in services• Role knowledge intensive (business) services

in innovation• Role IT in the New (?) Economy• Knowledge infrastructure: agriculture,

services, IT• How to quantify/measure not only input, but

also (intangible aspects of) throughput and output of innovation processes?

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2. THE AGE OF THE LIFE SCIENCES

• 21st century belongs to biotechnology:– revolutionary changes in health-care system– many new technology based firms (NASDAQ)

• Changes in innovation processes:– public-private markets– risky product-development– many important ethical issues

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THE AGE OF OF THE LIFE SCIENCES

Many ethical issues:

• (human) Cloning• Bio-patenting of human material• Xeno-transplantation• Genetic screening & privacy• Preserving biodiversity• Research with human embryos

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QUESTIONS & CHALLENGES

• Dynamics innovation in life sciences• Innovating in public-private markets• How to handle ethical issues?

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3. ADVENT OF THE NETWORK SOCIETY

• End of ‘top down’ steering• From discrete loosely coupled to fuzzy

strongly coupled systems• Optimizing systems in stead of parts• Growing importance of:

. Strategic alliances

. Flexibility

. Interface between organisations and systems

• IT and sustainable development: driving forces and facilitators

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QUESTIONS & CHALLENGES

• How to innovate in chains, clusters and networks?

• How to handle competition versus co-operation?

• How to mobilise the creative potential of users?

• New role of government: concept & instruments

• Role of intermediaries

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4. CHANGES IN KNOWLEDGE INFRASTRUCTURE

• From supply- to demand driven• 2nd order Knowledge Infrastructure:

knowledge intensive business services• Distributed Knowledge Base:

. Types of knowledge

. Sources of knowledge

. Users of knowledge

. Transfer of knowledge• From Mode 1 Mode 2

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QUESTIONS & CHALLENGES

• New institutions, relations, missions in research system

• Role of multidisciplinary research in monodisciplinary research systems

• Quality control in a non-academic setting• Role intermediaries, KIBS, 2nd order KIS• Instruments to effectively involve users• Status of researchers• New, broader set of indicators

Stockholm 15-01-2001 6CP workshop Innovation Policies for a new Era

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MAJOR TRENDSTo wind up

• Structural changes in the economy:– services– new sectors– knowledge intensive products and services

• 21st century: life sciences• Advent of network society/economy• Changing knowledge infrastructures

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CONSEQUENCES FOR INNOVATION POLICY AND -

RESEARCH

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CONSEQUENCES FOR INNOVATION POLICIES

Further development integral innovation policySTARTING POINTS:• Taking whole innovation system into account• Network character, important role

intermediaries• Interaction with users, learning, awareness,

mobilising creative potential users• Distributed nature knowledge base• Multi-layered structure: international, national,

regional, local

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CONSEQUENCES FOR INNOVATION POLICIES

Further development integral innovation policyACTIONS:• Redesign roles and relations of actors and layers:

. Government partner

. Users & KIS interaction (intermediaries?)

. Politics stimulating debate• Improving strategic intelligence: technology

assessment, foresight, clusters, indicators• Re-design KIS: consequences mode1 mode 2• New instruments: participative and communicative

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INNOVATION RESEARCHCases

• Innovation in services• Innovation in life sciences• IT and sustainability• IT and the (New?) Economy

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INNOVATION RESEARCHTheory

• Two main streams:. Processes (SCOT, evolutionary,...). Systems (Hughes, David, Freeman, Lundvall,..)

• Two problems:. Seperated. Description in terms of entities in stead of

systems

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INNOVATION RESEARCHTheory

• Role of intermediaries in innovation processes

• Innovation in chains, clusters, networks and systems

• Development of indicators (throughput, output, intangibles)

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INNOVATION RESEARCHAnalysis and support of decision-

making• Content:

. Insight in potential & assesment & implementation. Technology assessment, technology foresight, clusterstudies, indicators

• Process:. Support actors in innovation processes in networks. Scenario’s, gaming, group decision support systems, strategic workshops

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TO WIND UP

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TO WIND UP• Innovation is the work of man, but....

• ....making science and technology work is by no means easy, and.....

• ....very dependent on:. the further development of integral innovation policies . deeper insight in relation between processes and systems. adequate indicators and strategic intelligence

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MEDIATOR BETWEEN TECHNOLOGICAL ARTEFACTS

AND USERS

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INNOVATIONTo wind up

• Science and technology are the work of man, and by this policy makes sense

• Influencing S&T in the direction we want is not easy

• Succesful innovation is far more than pure S&T

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FROM MODE 1 MODE 2

MODE 1• Academic context• Disciplinary• Homogeneous• Hierarchical & stable• Academic quality

control• Accountable for

academic world

MODE 2• Application oriented• Transdisciplinary• Heterogeneous• Heterarchical and

variable• Broader quality control• Accountable for society

as a whole