Diapositiva 1

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Assessing competitive advantages in SMEs and
Employers Associations. Using Technology Watch
Reports to improve regional competitiveness
IRE Network Bilbao, 29th 30th January 2008
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1. Diagnosing the situation
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The importance of Benchmarking exercises in
assessing innovation policies impact at Regional
level
There exist many sources of innovation
indicators OECD (Country Statistics
Publications), European Commission (Trendchart
Innovation Policy), COTEC Foundation (Annual
Reports), Madrid System, Innobarometer of the
Community of Madrid

• It is necessary
• To collect selected indicators available,
  reliable, coherent for all regions
• To compare ongoing innovation policies focused on
  SMEs and Associations
• To extract conclusions and assess impacts a
  picture of the Innovation environment
• Using the electronic developed, estimate impacts
  in other regions
• To define, deploy innovation policies and then,
  assess real impacts in the regions

According to this procedure, Madrid Region has
been performing from 10 years ago this exercise,
helping to define innovations policies
InnoWatch Tool will help greatly to perform this
sequence and to compare impacts in different
regions
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Main results of the Madrid Region Innovation
analysis

• Strengths
• High concentration of RD Institutions
• Large amount of Small and Medium Enterprises
• Many and well supported Innovation Agents
• Most sectoral employers associations located in
  Madrid

• Weaknesses
• Competence from emergent economies
• Stronger quality and environmental regulations
• Low Technology Transfer rate and Entrepreneurship
  Culture
• SMEs representing most of the entrepreneurial
  tissue
• Low abilities to define future scenarios in
  technology

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The importance of Technology Watch and Strategic
Information
In this context it is of highest interest for
both companies and Business Organizations to have
updated and relevant information on technological
developments affecting

• Productivity
• New Product or Process Development
• Design and Quality requirements
• Environmental regulations and recycling
• Research Groups in Madrid and in Spain
• Patents and Intellectual Property Protection
  activities
• Access to New Markets

in order for them to face globalization and
increase competitiveness
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The above has defined a Regional Innovation
Strategy based on the following main lines of
action
1. Support Basic and Applied research in
Institutions and Companies 2. Favour the
improvement of Research and Technological
Innovation infrastructures
3. Facilitate the access to strategic
information 4. Promote networking activities
5. Promote innovative spirit 6. Drive the
creation of New Technology Based Firms 7. Promote
new ways for financing innovation 8. Spread
Madrids image as a Region with strong knowledge
capacities and infrastructures 9. Transparency in
Management, Continuous Evaluation, Participation
and Consensus and Co-ordination
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Some Indicators influencing the diagnosis and
selected innovation policies
Not all indicators selected in the InnoWatch Tool
would similarly influence this analysis and then,
it is important to know those affecting the
implementation of a concrete policy
In this case, the indicators selected for
comparison between regions and the influence in
the selected policies (in red) would be, between
others

• Public RD Expenditure the capacity of the
  Region to generate new scientific and
  Technological knowledge, to be transferred to
  companies
• Private RD expenditure the capacity to generate
  new innovative knowledge in cooperation with the
  research sector and to implement the results to
  increase competitiveness
• Number of Innovative companies, able to take
  advantage of Public and private RD expenditure
• Number of Patents applied by both the Academia
  and the Enterprises, as a reflect of new usable
  knowledge

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2.An example of Innovation Policy to be assessed
Technology Watch Actions
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A specialised policy to provide Companies and
Business Organizations with Strategic and
Technology information
Office for knowledge transfer
Technology Transfer Technology Asessment Technolog
y watch (Innovation Circles) Innovative clusters
support
Office for Technology-based business creation
Ideas identification Institutional Strategies
Training Advnced services Business Angels
Network - madrid
Office for the European Research Area
Training in european projects management Researche
rs mobility (ERAMORE) Facilities in Madrid and
Brussels
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Innovation Circles
Objectives

• Ellaborate information to Business Associations
  in order for them to provide SMEs with strategic
  knowledge affecting their competitiveness and
  productivity
• Consolidation of knowledge structures in SMEs in
  order for them to facilitate the decision making
  process
• Collaboration between research institutions and
  business associations
• Creation of a sectoral cooperation space among
  research and business at regional level
• Boosting participation in RD and innovation
  projects

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COMPANIES A S SO C I ATIONS
CEIMs Commissions of Industry, Environment
Energy
CEIMs Commission of Innovation New Technologies
CEIMs Department of de Innovation New
Technologies
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3. Characteristics of the Services
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Four Technology Watch Areas
Biotechnology, Life Sciences, Agrifood Managed
by National Council of Scientific Research,
Polytechnic University of Madrid and Scientific
Park of Madrid
Energy, Environmental Sciences Biotechnology,
Life Sciences, Agrifood Managed by University
King Juan Carlos, University of Alcalá and
Energy, Environmental and Technological Research
Centre
New Materials, Nanotechnology, aerospace
technologies Managed by University Carlos III and
National Institute for Aerospace Technologies
Information and Communication Technologies Managed
by Polytechnic University of Madrid
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Main Services in Technology Watch (I)

• Sectoral Technology Watch Reports
• Client a Business Association, who defines the
  topic in accordance with its affiliated
  companies.
• Dissemination Compulsory to the sector in order
  to reach as much companies as possible
• Publication Only is clients are interested or
  the topic has an horizontal interest
• Company Technology Watch Reports
• Client a company interested in a specific topic
  acquisition of new equipment, application to RD
  Projects, patent applications
• Dissemination Under clients permission
• Publication Restricted
• New Technology Based Companies Reports
• Client a NTBF to assess technology and market
  viability in order to apply for funding,
  technological or commercial partnership or other
  services
• Dissemination Restricted
• Publication Restricted

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Main Services in Technology Watch (II)

• Personalized Alert System
• To provide updated information to companies or
  Associations concerning technology, markets,
  regulations
• Other services
• Sectoral Events Organization, support for
  technology internationalization and fairs
  organization, search for partners, funding

Characteristics of TW Reports

• Costs
• Free of charge for companies, NTBF and
  Associations
• In-company time and human resources
• Between 2-3 months from de initial contacts to de
  final report
• Intermediate reports are required for evaluating
  objectives and contents
• Companys or Association RD manager, CEO of
  person in charge of innovation activities

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4. Number of Actions and Impacts on Companies and
Associations
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Some Figures and results of the activity (I)
1 Specially NTBFs 2 Technologu Bulletins and
Special reports
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Some Figures and results of the activity (II)
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Some Figures and results of the activity (III)
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5. Assessing the impact of the Technology Watch
Services
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Assessment of the expected results

• The initial selected indicators for assessing
  this concrete Innovation Policy
• Public RD Expenditure
• Private RD expenditure
• Number of Innovative companies
• Number of Patents applied

• According to its design and deployment,
  modifications in the ratios and figures would be
• An increase in the number of Innovative
  companies a higher number of SMEs, and also
  large companies, have an improved information on
  the most strategic areas of RD to invest in
• An increase in the private RD expenditure
  companies, by themselves or via Association
  information, have an improved capacity to define
  RD areas and who to cooperate with to carry them
  out
• An increase in the number of patents applied for,
  as a direct results of the RD cooperation and
  the increased effectiveness of the RD design

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Thank you for your attention
Daniel de la Sota Rius dsota_at_ceim.es Director of
Innovation New Technologies CEIM Confederación
Empresarial de Madrid-CEOE