ISSN 1995-459X print E-ISSN 2312-9972 online ISSN 2500-2597 online English
Editor-in-chief Leonid Gokhberg
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2008. vol. 2. No. 1
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Strategies
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4–15
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The article deals with benchmarking in the field of innovation in European countries. The concept of benchmarking is widely used at the firms’ level as well as in the field of research, innovation, knowledge. Experiences promoted by the European Union aimed at positioning the various countries and regions with the aim of implementing economic wealth and social cohesion policies through enhanced innovation performance are analysed. Many indicators are used in benchmarking exercises – more than one hundred in the various regular publications; they are presented in two modalities: individually, through tables and graphs, and in a synthetic form through the calculation of composite indicators. In the article, examples of the two modalities are reported. In particular the methodological features of composite indicators are addressed, and their strengths and weaknesses are dealt with. It is concluded that, having innovation benchmarking become a widely spread tool in the formulation of innovation policies, it is appropriate that it is further developed from a methodological point of view and that analysts and policy maker use it in a more skilful way, being aware of its strengths and weaknesses. |
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16–22
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In Barcelona, the European Union set ambitious targets for the European Research Area, calling for research expenditures equivalent to 3 % of Europe’s GDP by 2010. This paper analyses the implications of these targets, assesses the influence of the member states, and examines the role of the private sector in reaching the targets. |
Innovation and Economy
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24–29
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Open innovation is the process of joint market promotion of new products and services and creation of new business opportunities by the knowledge exchange between partners. In recent years this innovation practice is becoming more common. The paper describes the preconditions for its emergence and forms of implementation. General recommendations for public policies on fostering open innovation are provided. |
Science
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30–41
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The expansion of international S&T cooperation is one of the prerequisites for achieving the ambitious goals of innovation development facing the Russian Federation. The significance of international cooperation in science and technology has increased in the context of globalization of science and the integration processes taking place within the European Union. Bibliometric analysis of joint publications of scientists from Russia and EU countries allows to assess current state and trends of cooperation, to identify areas of research with close relationships between the Russian and European scientists, to determine the perspectives and priorities for joint S&T activities. |
Government
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42–50
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Centers of excellence is one of the key elements of a modern innovation system. In general, this term refers to organizations that conduct research and development in breakthrough fields and have the unique logistical, intellectual and human resources. Their work is of high quality and efficiency, thus they can serve as benchmarks for other institutions of similar profile. The article describes the formal and informal criteria of qualifying scientific and innovation organizations as the centers of excellence, the main features of these centers, and their typology and development prospects in Russia. |
Master Class
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52–59
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The FISTERA study included a large-scale online Delphi survey, in which over 500 experts contributed their views as to the future development of IST (Infirmation Society Technologies) in the EU. The study was particularly concerned to examine how far specific applications of IST could contribute to a number of European objectives (inspired by the Lisbon Agenda), and to elicit views as to the major challenges that will be confronted, areas where research is needed, and how far European capabilities exist to be excellent in these topics. This chapter outlines some of the highlights of the study, illustrating these with a selection of results. |
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60–69
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The paper describes the Germany’s experience of conducting Foresight. The results of major projects and lessons learned are discussed. It is interesting to consider the practice of simultaneous implementation of the German and Japanese technology forecasts. Particular attention is paid to the permanent program FUTUR, which results in numerous studies and policy reports. The advantages and disadvantages of methods used are listed. The paper also provides main provisions of the German high-tech strategy, the list of technological priorities and the most important programs for their development. |
Programmes
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73–77
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The Seventh Framework Program is open to the participation of researchers from all over the world, but it presumes distinctive mechanisms of cooperation, procedures and opportunities for different groups of countries. The article presents an overview of specific programs of cooperation of EU with other world regions such as Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the countries of Western Balkans, Central and Southern Africa, the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. The main challenge for their implementation are enormous differences in economic and infrastructure capabilities, laws and traditions of the countries involved. Despite the relatively small budget, according to the author, these programs are able to provide a significant contribution to the solution of many problems and to coordinate joint efforts, thus building bridges between the scientific communities. |
Presentation
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