Jir Draho

1
Research and development as the basis for
innovation A view from the research sector

• Jirí Draho
• Czech Academy of Sciences

2
Key EU documents

• Lisbon Strategy, creation of the European
  Research Area (ERA), 2000
• EU 3 GDP 1 public 2 private
• Czech Rep. 1.55 0.62 0.93
• Aho Report "Creating an Innovative Europe", 2006
• Green Paper - The European Research Area New
  Perspectives, 2007
• The Community Framework for State Aid for
  Research and Development and Innovation, 2008

3
Czech strategy and innovation documents

• Law on aid for RD, 2002
• National research and development policy, 2004
• National innovation policy, 2005
• Long-term basic research guidelines, 2005
• Revised law on aid for RD, 2009

4
Main problems in the RD and innovation system

• Poor links between individual research areas
• Public RD support fragmented
• Inadequate spending on RD
• Lack of European research infrastructure
• Inappropriate methodology for assessing RD
  results
• Low researcher numbers
• Poor salaries
• Too few university graduates in technical and
  scientific disciplines

5
Problems in applying RD results in Czech industry

• Growth of low-tech industry
• Small proportion of industry providing high added
  value
• Low demand from businesses Czech companies do
  not ask for RD results (either domestic or
  foreign)
• Unsatisfactory system of aid for cutting-edge
  innovation
• - lack of financial resources
• - businesses struggling to survive
• - innovation buying technology and know-how
• - scant involvement of businesses in EU
  framework programmes

6
Basic aims of RD and innovation reforms

• Simplify aid for research and development
• Slash the number of budget chapters (currently
  22)
• Support and encourage excellence in research and
  ensure its results are used to promote innovation
• Make aid programmes for RD conditional on
  cooperation based on joint public and private
  funding
• Make the organisation of public research more
  flexible
• Ensure the supply of experts in research,
  development and innovation
• Get the Czech Republic fully involved in
  international cooperation in RD and innovation

7
Problem of assessing RD results Poorly
conceived changes in methodology

• Year Impact journal Technology Patents
  Utility model
• 2005 10 x (IF/med IF) 25 25 25
• 2006 4 dtto 75 50/100
  25
• 2007 5 15 x dtto 75 50/500
  25
• 2008 5 140 x F 100 40/200/500
  40
• also prototype, application of the methodology,
  working model, authorised SW
• Unused/licence/EPO, USPTO, Japan
• Factor(1-N)/(1(N/0,14), where
  N(P-1)/Pmax-1)
• P- journal ranking according to WoS
• Pmax - total number of journals in WoS
  category

8
Inappropriate assessment methods Consequences
for development and innovation

• Changes in the points rate ( CZK) in the
  2007/2003 period
• Beneficiary Patent Technology Utility
  model
• (points 2540/200/500 25100
  2540)
• Acad. Sciences 1.1 0.6 3
• Univties 2.3 1.4 27
• Businesses 10 1.1
  10
• SPO 0.7 0.8 8

9
Key faults in assessment methods

• Do not comply with the basic aims of the reforms
• - do not support excellence in either research
  or development or innovation
• - prioritise quantity over quality (thus
  promoting mediocrity)
• - adversely affect motivation of those involved
• - hamper international cooperation (institutions
  heavily involved in foreign cooperation are
  penalised by reduction of points for joint
  publications)
• Unsystematically mix up outcomes of basic and
  applied research