Catalonia and the link to the global innovation system

Museum International, 2000

Unidad de Políticas comparadas. Grupo de Ciencia …, 2000

Science and technology policy-making and the study of its effects on innovation are requiring a" more sophisticated understanding of the ways on which science and technology interact"(to quote, as an example, N. Rosenberg, Science and Public Policy, vol. 18, ...

European Journal of Business and Management Research, 2020

2020

The report described the Spanish and Catalan R&D systems in general and in the knowledge fields of economy and energy. The analysis suggests a dual system: on one side, there is the triple helix subsystem with universities, research centres, technology centres and enterprises, in which other actors – from the quadruple helix - are only intervening sporadically. This sub-system is steered by a complex net of public bodies and public bodies under private law, in which the enterprises have gain relevance. Other actors including cities has low relevance in this subsystem. On the other side, there is the smart subsystem mainly formed by cities and enterprises, with a low participation of universities and research centres. In this twofold system, the universities are developing manifold actions in the fields of social compromises, gender equality and ethics, but not integrated in the concept of responsible research and innovation. They developed this action in the frame of alternative concepts as ‘University Social Responsibility’ (USR), 'HR Excellence in Research Award', and the UN Sustainable Goals. The interviews showed that the RRI concept is practically unknown by the academics and is, in so far, not applied in practical research. The different elements of the RRI concept are present but in a limited form compared to the broad RRI-concept outline in different EU-document. In the Catalan R&D system public engagement is mostly interpreted as knowledge transfer to business and public administration or the third mission concept. Even in the triple helix configuration, the direct implication of business and public administration in university research, in the sense of co-creation, is still exceptional. This is even more the case in regard to the empowerment of the citizens despite the initiatives and projects on citizen science developed. Many strategic work is done in the area of gender equality, but the the interviews and analysis of documents shows the tendency to limit gender policies to human resource management assuring equality at different hierarchical levels. And even under this perspective, the public reports on the situation of gender balance in universities indicates the low success rate of such policies. The transversal integration of the gender perspective in R&I contents is practically absent in the Catalan public universities, except on some knowledge fields as economics, where the reference to gender as an analytical variable is a need, but also in other areas as health. Catalan universities have created ethics committees and ethic observatories to assure and control the fulfilment of the ethic criteria, and in case of misconduct sanctioning the researchers. Broader ethical questions, for which the RRI concept is intrinsically asking to increase the acceptation of crucial innovations in society or ethic question asking for research independency in triple and quadruple helix configurations, are not very present. In a nutshell, although the step forward done by the Catalan public universities in consolidation of a triple helix system, we observe a lack in the progress towards quadruple helix configuration with a higher participation of society in the sense of empowerment of the citizens. We observe steps made in the dimension of social compromise, gender equality and ethics, but not within the frame of RRI. So far, there is a considerable margin to advance in the implementation of RRI in the Spanish and Catalan R&D system, for which the development a test of training modules could be a substantial support.

The document Southern Catalonia, Knowledge Region argues that Catalonia needs to develop its own internal regional policy, which would provide a framework for a decision-making system of regional planning and development. This system would also cover the southern region. The document describes the features that this system should have, taking as its source the European cohesion policy, which focuses on regional development based on smart specialization (RIS3) and allows to identify regions with economic and social knowledge-based activity. European regional policy, therefore, identifies Southern Catalonia as a Knowledge Region, and provides an operational definition of the region. There is, first, a bottom-up need that arises from the concerns and demands repeatedly expressed by the various levels of society whenever a decision with strategic regional scope has had to be taken (on infrastructure, health, tourism, industrial development, etc.). And, as the document shows, there is also a top-down need: European policies need to be implemented more effectively to allow for cohesive growth. The document discusses the desirability of defining the attributes of the NUTS2 region, and analyses the advantages of doing so (and the disadvantages of not doing so), the main strengths and weaknesses of the region and the difficulties that need to be overcome. With this document, Universitat Rovira i Virgili’s Chair for the University and Knowledge Region rises to the challenge of facilitating and contributing to the organization of a system of governance for Southern Catalonia as a region of knowledge. The document also describes the action plan that is being put into practice by the URV Chair for the University and Knowledge Region to help define the Southern Catalonia region.

Analiza las principales líneas para las políticas tecnológicas y de la internacionalización llevadas a cabo los últimos años en la economía española

Science and Public Policy , 1997

In this article, reforms in Spain during the last decade provided an opportunity to discuss how mid-size industrial countries can be more effective in their efforts to support scientific and technological activities. Using as a general framework the four core functions of Kline and Kash-climate setting, surveying, coordinating and gap filling-and reviewing government actions, we came up with some policy proposals. The authors understand that it is time for a second wave of reforms centered around the ideas of a) removing constraints on the mobility of researchers and on the flow of private resources to public universities and laboratories; b) decentralization of policy setting and management to regions and industry associations, following diffusion oriented strategies; c) development of a professional pool of S&T analysts within the administration directly accountable to political officials and involvement of a wider range of constituencies in planning and evaluation; d) integration of quality teams in larger structures and dissemination of resources to enterprises with the potential to engage in small-scale innovations.

International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 2008

The present paper analyses the link between firms' decisions to innovate and the barriers that prevent them from being innovative. The aim is twofold. First, it analyses three groups of barriers to innovation: the cost of innovation projects, lack of knowledge and market conditions. Second, it presents the main steps taken by Catalan Government to promote the creation of new firms and to reduce barriers to innovation. The data set used is based on the 2004 official innovation survey of Catalonia which was taken from the Spanish CIS-4 sample. This sample includes individual information on 2,954 Catalan firms in manufacturing industries and knowledge-intensive services (KIS). The empirical analysis reveals pronounced differences regarding a firm's propensity to innovate and its perception of barriers. Moreover, the results show that cost and knowledge barriers seem to be the most important and that there are substantial sectoral differences in the way that firms react to barriers. The results of this paper have important implications for the design of future public policy to promote entrepreneurship and innovation together.

Science and Public Policy, 2011

The Spanish innovation system has grown since the 1980s following a predominantly supply-side model where R&D capacities have concentrated in universities and public research organizations. Since then efforts have been made to stimulate cross-sector linkages. These have relied on universityindustry projects, various forms of interface organizations, technology centres and programmes to encourage mobility. However, initiatives have encountered some significant drawbacks. Due to a lack of progress, a range of centres and other collaborative arrangements have emerged since 2000 to try to foster greater collaboration and firm based innovation. The process of policy change and their institutional structure are examined in the context of current and potential impact on the national innovation system.

1993

In the last ten years, Spain has faced a modernization process after a complex democratic transition and major change, involving a more European outlook in terms of its structures and behaviour. To modernize meant to measure itself by European standards and to enter institutions. Spain signed its entry into the European Community in 1985. This article is about science and technology in the context of the broad process of modernization and change supported by the Spanish Government. Science and new technologies were at the forefront of the political concerns of the early socialist governments, in contrast to the previous regime or to the government of the U.C.D. (Unión del Centro Democratico -- a centrist party). Furthermore, its actions brought about a quantitative and qualitative change in science and technology with respect to the past. However, the situation in recent times has changed drastically