Transcript Innovation Systems: The Portuguese Case in the European

Innovation Systems: The
Portuguese Case in the
European Union Context
Cristina Sousa
ISEG – UTL
2004 Globelics Phd School
Lisbon 25 May – 3 June
Two Important Concepts

Innovation: process of combination of
different resources and capabilities,
resulting in something new to the firm

System of Innovation: includes
organisations and institutions that
interact to produce, diffuse and use
innovations, and the interactions between
them
The Portuguese Case



Small open economy in the context of EU
Existence of performance’s gaps at
several levels, including in innovation
performance (catch up region)
Industrial structure dominated by SMEs in
low and medium technological intensity
sectors
A Sketch of the Portuguese IS
Financial System:
Education/Learning System
Ensino Superior: Universidades e
Politécnicos
Ensino Secundário
Escolas de Especialização
Tecnológica
Escolas Profissionais
Institutos de Formação
Centros de Reconhecimento,
Validação e Certificação de
Competências
Bancos e Seguradoras
Mercados Financeiros
Emp. Capital de Risco
Business Angels
Centros de Transferência de
Tecnologia
Centros Tecnológicos
Parques de C&T e Complexos
Tecnológicos
Institutos de Novas Tecnologias
Intermediários Tecnológicos
Empresas de Consultoria
Associações Empresariais e
Sindicais
Firms
Public Organisations (Promotion,
Co-ordination, Management e
Funding of R&D and Innovation
R&D System:
Laboratórios Públicos
Centros de Investigação
Universitários
Unidades de Interface Universidade
– Empresa
Outras Unidades de I&D
Support Organisations:
Regulating
Organisations:
INPI
IPQ
Ministério da Ciência e do Ensino
Superior
Ministério da Economia
Ministério do Trabalho e da Seg. Social
Gabinetes de Gestão dos Sistemas
Operacionais (POCTI, POE)
Agências Estatais: IAPMEI, AdI, FCT,
ICCTI, OCTES, FCCN)
Objectives
Identification of the different roles,
capabilities, strengths and
weaknesses of the those elements
 Try to capture the learning and
knowledge accumulation processes
that the several agents undertake,
considering the different types of
knowledge and learning
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Objectives (II)
Identification of linkages among the
agents and characterisation of
social, economic and institutional
environment
 Special attention is given to the
patterns of innovative behaviour and
learning of Portuguese firms

A General Characterisationof
Portuguese SI
Growing in the number of agents
 Weaknesses in terms of capabilities
of agents and in terms of interaction
between them
 It shows a low creation of
knowledge capability

Capabilities at the Firm
Level
Identification of Firms Innovative
Capabilities (Different types of
firms)
 Innovative capabilities are
associated with the capacity to
create new knowledge and with the
capacity to assimilate knowledge
that was created in other places

Capabilities at the Firm
Level

majority of Portuguese firms concentrates
their competence development in
capabilities associated with using
efficiently technological knowledge to
assimilate, using, adapting already
existing technologies. They not explore so
intensely capacities associated with the
creation of new technologies and the
development of new products and
processes
Firms innovative capabilities

are influenced by competencies in 6
areas: external relationships,
organisational change, new
products/services, learning,
technology and innovation
management, and adoption of new
technologies