Playing the innovation subsidy game: Experience, clusters, consultancy, and networking in regional innovation support

The performance of the EU construction industry in total makes a major impact on the European Community's economy, particularly on capital formation and employment. Small and Micro Enterprises account for 97% of businesses across the construction sector in the EU, a profile broadly reflected in the individual national and regional business base of members. This paper reviews the state of regional support for innovation and technology transfer in the Small Medium and Micro‐sized Enterprises (SME) sector of the Construction industry in the European Community. Results show that at the regional level, where most construction SMEs operate, there is a marked absence of focus on construction in either innovation support initiatives or business development services. Data on the construction industry at national and regional levels across Europe is not available in sufficient quality or detail for strategic decisions concerning this economically significant sector.

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Understanding the regional innovation support systems in developing countries: the state of Sabah in Malaysia

International Development Planning Review ◽

10.3828/idpr.2013.4 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 35 (1) ◽

pp. 41-66 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Abdul Amir ◽

K. Thiruchelvam ◽

Boon-Kwee Ng

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Support Systems ◽

The State ◽

Regional Innovation ◽

Innovation Support

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Levers and Obstacles of Effective Research and Innovation for Organic Food and Farming in Italy

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10081181 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 1181

Author(s):

Stefano Canali ◽

Daniele Antichi ◽

Simona Cristiano ◽

Mariangela Diacono ◽

Valentina Ferrante ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Farming ◽

Organic Food ◽

Future Research ◽

Regional Innovation ◽

Research And Innovation ◽

World Cafe ◽

Innovation Projects ◽

Regional Authorities ◽

Innovation Support ◽

High Share

The objectives of this paper are to present the dynamic of organic food and farming (OFF) research and innovation, to outline challenges in deploying programs and accessing funding, and to define key actions to foster the development of tailored quality research on organic farming in Italy. The baseline starts from the main outcomes that emerged during the World Café held in the frame of the Salone Internazionale del biologico e del naturale (SANA Expo) in 2018, where the Italian OFF research community met to build a convergence on scope and modus operandi in the research endeavor. These outcomes were examined in the light of the key features of the research and innovation projects funded in Italy in the last 10 years, respectively by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and the regional administrations through the innovation support instruments in the Rural Development Plan programming periods. In the period 2009–2018, 70 research projects for a total funding of 21.081 million € (<0.1% of the value of the sector) were launched, addressing nine different topic areas. Over a similar period (2007–2019), 53 regional innovation projects addressing organic farming were activated for a total budget of 14.299 million € (<10% of the entire available funding). The implementation of interventions in the research and the innovation areas were often scattered in terms of the topics, disciplines, and types of supply chain/network addressed. The relatively high share of multi/interdisciplinary research and innovation projects as well as the acknowledgement of the multi-actor approach as a fundamental step toward co-research and co-innovation were upshots that emerged from our analysis. The outcomes of this study can be used by competent national and the regional authorities to design their future research and innovation policies and interventions.

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Managing Innovation Resources in Accordance with Sustainable Development Ethics: Typological Analysis

Resources ◽

10.3390/resources8020082 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 82 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Ljovkina ◽

Dusseault ◽

Zaharova ◽

Klochkov

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Innovation Systems ◽

Innovation Activity ◽

Regional Innovation ◽

Development Ethics ◽

Innovation Activities ◽

Managing Innovation ◽

Innovation Support ◽

Innovation Policies

The regional development path depends on managing innovation resources. However, increasing the quantity of innovation activity and managing innovation resources only by financial indicators does not guarantee progress in sustainable development. This paper argues that basic conditions for effective sustainability-oriented innovation activities are: (1) the accordance of relevant activities with sustainable development ethics and (2) their marked focus on systemic and long-term sustainable development targets. These parameters can be considered fundamental principles for designing and developing effective sustainability-oriented innovation systems and innovation policies. Analysis of the two basic principles precedes estimation of the effectiveness of innovation activities, innovation systems, or innovation policies. In this paper, a special typological analysis technique was applied to assess basic conditions for the effectiveness of sustainability-oriented innovation activities observed in the case of the Tyumen region, Russia. It was found that since 2009 the Tyumen regional innovation support system has not been conceptually designed in accordance with sustainable development ethics or considering a long-term vision. Therefore, the projects themselves afford only temporary solutions to regional problems by implementing innovations that mainly have short-term and mid-term social–economic effects. As a result of the analysis of fundamental conditions for sustainability-oriented innovation activities in Tyumen region, this paper proposes recommendations on necessary measures for redesigning decision-making principles of regional innovation support systems in order to significantly increase the potential impact on the development of a truly sustainable regional economy.

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Regional ‘innovation systems’ vis-à-vis ‘innovation support systems’ – Is clarification needed?

Industry and Higher Education ◽

10.1177/0950422220909301 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 34 (6) ◽

pp. 371-376

Author(s):

Thorbjörn Swenberg ◽

Johan Kostela ◽

Sigrid Saveljeff

Keyword(s):

Regional Development ◽

Innovation System ◽

Regional Innovation ◽

Political Ideas ◽

Regional Systems ◽

Political Implications ◽

Support For Innovation ◽

Widespread Phenomenon ◽

Key Terms ◽

Innovation Support

How language is used has political implications as well as communicational consequences. Regional development, using means of systematic support for innovation, is a widespread phenomenon globally that also includes numerous political ambitions and implications. This article argues that ambiguities regarding the use of terms such as ‘innovation system’ and ‘innovation support system’ need to be clarified to improve communication in this field, as well as to reveal underlying political ideas on how systematic support for innovation should be carried out, by drawing on examples from studies of regional systems. Such ambiguities contribute significantly to the often-mentioned lack of involvement and engagement in regional development on the part of higher education institutions and academics. Examining key terms and concepts of this discourse, in the interests of promoting a common and stringent use of terminology, helps to illuminate whether the desired academic involvement in innovation processes relates to ideation, implementation and commercialization, or to support for processes through the contribution of knowledge and expertise.

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