TECHNOLOGY FORESIGHT SUMMIT - Unido

98 International Practice in Technology Foresight
substantial decrease of both investments in the R&D sector but also in personnel,
like scientists, researchers, etc. For comparison, investments in R&D
in the EU 15 is 1.94 per cent of GDP, the target is 3 per cent of GDP by the
end of 2010. But in the most advanced accession countries, like in the Czech
Republic is 1.33 which is relatively high, but in Slovakia it is 0.67, in Hungary
it is 0.80 so there is still a need for substantial increases of investments. This
is not only about R&D investments in accession countries, but the whole of
EU 15 lag behind, if compared to the US.
We discussed this afternoon the importance of investing and promoting
SMEs and this is part of the Lisbon reform agenda with the focus of promoting
especially SME growth, not in traditional industries but in the most
advanced industries especially in research, development, in e-business, etc.
It is worth to mention another factor that is definitely part of the Lisbon
agenda, the efforts of sustainable development, underlying the importance
of technology for sustainable development. It is not only technology for the
improved environment which we are most familiar with, but it is also the
advancement of technology for other dimensions of sustainable development,
definitely economic growth, but also social development and the improvement
of health education, but also for the increase of social cohesion in this
region. We have to understand that becoming part of the EU we will have to
try to comply with the new efforts and initiatives of the European Union but
at the same time we will benefit, not only from the funds but also from the
experiences, expertise from the best practices implemented in the EU 15.
Carlos Magariños
Director-General, United Nations Industrial Development Organization
Nobody knows better what has to be done in a country than the authorities,
the private sector and civil society. We are working in international organizations,
we are very conscious that nowadays increased productivity is
demanded of us and all these topics should be linked with concrete demands
and needs of the member States.
What we are trying to learn is how to improve UNIDO interventions with
these interactions in order to be more meaningful and relevant, to generate
popular support for the economic reform programmes implemented in your
countries, to improve the living conditions of the people.
I had the opportunity to work as Minister in my own country, in
Argentina, at the beginning of the 1990s. I remember the paradigm at the
beginning of the 1990s that if we open the economy and achieve fiscal balance,
we will achieve integration in the world economy, foreign direct investments
will flow and we will grow sustainable, spreading the benefits all
throughout the society. There was also the feeling that market-oriented policies
and democracy reinforced each other. Last Monday, I was invited to the
opening session of the Inter-American Development Bank Annual Meeting in