Draft Report of the Expert Group on International STI Cooperation to ...

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technological paradigm within <strong>the</strong>ir sector 11 ), <strong>the</strong>ir activities have a substantially greater applied research component than universities. While large firms may engage in basic research, <strong>the</strong> majority <strong>of</strong> such firms, and almost all SMEs, tend to engage in applied research and development activities. Universities and PROs, by and large, are also much more location-bound than firms, with very limited opportunities for internationalisation <strong>of</strong> R&D activities, except through collaboration. As such, STI cooperation between PROs and universities in different countries is a well-established activity, with reasonably well-established protocols governing this activity and its output. Since – by and large – universities and a good proportion <strong>of</strong> PROs are state-subsidised or state-controlled as part <strong>of</strong> national public goods, <strong>the</strong>se international STI collaborations are influenced by bilateral and multilateral inter-governmental agreements, unlike most STI collaborations by firms. More importantly, <strong>the</strong>re are long-established formal and informal institutions (rules) that determine <strong>the</strong> way in which inter-university STI collaboration is undertaken, with or without bilateral or multilateral agreements. Universities differ from PROs and firms also because <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> longer-term horizon <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir research, and as such, agreements, property rights and <strong>the</strong>ir scientific output can be negotiated with greater deliberation. Universities and PROs are location-bound and form <strong>the</strong> ‘core’ <strong>of</strong> national innovation systems. Since <strong>the</strong>y provide crucial inputs to PROs and firms (scientific knowledge and specialised human resources) that cannot be acquired from a distance, firms that require <strong>the</strong>se inputs must seek to locate close to <strong>the</strong>m, creating important knowledge clusters. This is especially important in new and emerging sectors, because knowledge transfer in tacit areas requires physical proximity (Criscuolo and Verspagen 2008). However, whe<strong>the</strong>r firm, PRO or university, leadership in one scientific or technological subdiscipline/area does not imply leadership in o<strong>the</strong>r related fields. Although <strong>the</strong>re may be several actors at or close to <strong>the</strong> frontier, leadership is rarely static amongst <strong>the</strong> peer group. Hence, universities, firms and PROs do not regard STI cooperation as a sign <strong>of</strong> weakness. Cooperation is a necessary means to keep abreast <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir relative leadership within <strong>the</strong> peer group, as much as it is to develop work jointly (Narula and Santangelo 2009). That <strong>the</strong> peer group is widely distributed across several countries requires such cooperation also to be international (Narula 2003). This is one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> reasons why “clustering” has become a strategic instrument for R&D&I. Clusters <strong>the</strong>mselves are a means for international cooperation as <strong>the</strong>y are <strong>of</strong>ten represented by cluster management organizations which focus on streng<strong>the</strong>ning <strong>the</strong> international reach <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> cluster and connecting it with clusters in o<strong>the</strong>r parts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world. 11 For example, a PRO focused on <strong>the</strong> wood and pulp sector will engage in very limited basic research, compared with a PRO dedicated to <strong>the</strong> biotechnology industry. 36
Fig. 4 Long and medium term priorities (and possible instruments ‘Science’ Long term 5-15 years Basic research Applied research Medium term 2-5 years Applied develop t ‘Markets’ Short- term 1-2 years Cooperation tends to be longterm, and pre-paradigmatic. Activity is non-commercial and is primarily dominated by large MNEs, universities and PROs. Output is in <strong>the</strong> form <strong>of</strong> publications, not patents. Technology is tacit, and property rights undeveloped - Object is to invent and share costs and risks <strong>of</strong> innovation -Equity and longterm commitments are preferred to non-equity agreements. Horizontal agreements predominate. Cooperation is motivated by market-related modifications and adaptive, with a short-term horizon. Technology is more codifiable - possible to subcontract - objective is to 'sell' innovation, and share cost <strong>of</strong> making product saleable - R&D outsourcing more likely: Both vertical and horizontal agreements. Universities Public Research Organizations (PROs) Firms R&D cooperation is not an alternative to in-house R&D, but complementary to it 12 . R&D cooperation (which includes outsourcing) does not replace <strong>the</strong> need for firms and PROs to undertake internal R&D activities, but it enhances it. This is because: 1) <strong>the</strong>re are cognitive limits to <strong>the</strong> resources available to any given firm or PRO; 2) <strong>the</strong> costs <strong>of</strong> acquiring a worldclass expertise in all <strong>the</strong> different knowledge bases needed in multi-technology products is prohibitive; 3) Even where resources are not an issue, it is simply impossible to be at <strong>the</strong> frontier in every technological area, and finally 4) firms focus on <strong>the</strong>ir core competencies and immediate attached areas while solutions <strong>of</strong>fer require more, i.e. suppliers’ innovations.. Leadership at <strong>the</strong> frontier <strong>of</strong> specific technological areas <strong>of</strong> firms and PROs shifts rapidly, particularly in new and emerging sectors (but less so in more mature industries). 12 Ibid. 37
Page 1 and 2: International Cooperation in Scienc
Page 3 and 4: EUROPEAN COMMISSION International C
Page 5 and 6: Table of contents
Page 7 and 8: Composition of <st
Page 9 and 10: List of abbreviati
Page 11 and 12: Executive summary Changes in <stron
Page 13 and 14: Research and innovation infrastruct
Page 15 and 16: allow strategic partnerships with a
Page 17 and 18: 5. Variable geometry should be expl
Page 19 and 20: ERA was discussed as part o
Page 21 and 22: • Enable EU and MS to tackle glob
Page 23 and 24: innovation policy needs to anticipa
Page 25 and 26: • Developing economies with stron
Page 27 and 28: • The general opening principle a
Page 29 and 30: third countries, while the<
Page 31 and 32: and Member States of</stron
Page 33 and 34: intrinsic objectives of</st
Page 35 and 36: Fig. 2: Measures and instruments fo
Page 37: and lead to a significantly more at
Page 41 and 42: in nature, and in general occur bet
Page 43 and 44: egulations and values that make up
Page 45 and 46: Towards a strategic approach A stra
Page 47 and 48: Exploit variable geometry Objective
Page 49 and 50: third countries, typically with <st
Page 51 and 52: c) with a strong jointly accessible
Page 53 and 54: e) funded by the E
Page 55 and 56: The need for an evidence- and analy
Page 57 and 58: 1) Understanding the</stron
Page 59 and 60: Scientific collaboration: (priority
Page 61 and 62: • International acquisition <stro
Page 63 and 64: • a collaboration of</str
Page 65 and 66: • Information on national priorit
Page 67 and 68: Conclusions and key policy recommen
Page 69 and 70: educational level of</stron
Page 71 and 72: Kaiser L., Ganea P., Gibson J., and
Page 73 and 74: Annex 1: Mandate of</strong
Page 75 and 76: Consideration should include: - def
Page 77 and 78: Annex 2: Dimensions of</str
Page 79 and 80: Annex 3: Trends, Drivers and Impact
Page 81 and 82: however, is not so far justified by
Page 83 and 84: companies from different countries
Page 85 and 86: competitors are located in
Page 87 and 88: This engineering pattern is, howeve
Page 89 and 90:
Researcher mobility schemes operati
Page 91:
SME are usually constricted due to
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