Innovation and support to the knowledge economy: The keys to a higher competitiveness
21 May. 2012 | CzechInvest | Experts from all over the world are discussing this in Prague at a conference “how –to” of Innovations, Technology and Entrepreneurship.
The Czech Republic - together with Slovakia, Poland, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Greece and Malta - is classed as a moderate innovator. This follows from the results of the Union's 2011 comparative overview of research and innovation. As found, cooperation between the private and public sectors plays a key role in innovation. Innovation is the subject of the international conference held under the title "How-to" of Innovations, Technology and Entrepreneurship, organised by the World Bank and taking place in the Malá Strana Palace. The Investment and Business Development Agency CzechInvest and the Korean Development Institute School are the partners of the Conference. Lectures and workshops are held today on the first day, and the Conference will continue until Wednesday 23 May, when innovative workplaces will be visited in Plzeň. The event is attended by almost a hundred innovation experts from the public, academic and private sectors from all over the world.
"The Czech Republic is aware that support to the knowledge economy plays a key role in maintaining the competitiveness of the country for the future and we are therefore glad that other countries are interested in our experience in providing support to innovation or technological acquisitions. I believe that the debate among the representatives of state institutions and specialists from the private and academic sectors of the participating countries will open up further opportunities for future cooperation", says Martin Kuba, Czech Minister of Industry and Trade.
"Innovations are an important part of the New CzechInvest strategy. In addition to arranging for financial support from EU funds under the Operational Programme 'Entrepreneurship and Innovation', we offer a number of products and services of our own, which may provide inspiration to the Conference's participants. We develop specific projects to boost investments in innovation, to encourage practical applications of research and development results, to launch new products, services and technologies or, for example, to provide conditions for innovative small and middle-sized enterprises to develop in world markets", explains Miroslav Křížek, CEO of the CzechInvest Investment and Business Development Agency.
The Strategy of International Competitiveness of the Czech Republic is the key document, adopted by the Czech Government in September 2011. Subsidies from the Operational Programme 'Entrepreneurship and Innovation' (OPEI) have been available to businesses and other entities since 2007. By 15 May 2012, subsidies have been awarded under this Programme to 7,056 projects and the total amount so awarded is CZK 58.7 billion. The OPEI includes an Innovation Programme focused on support to innovation in science, research and business in the Czech Republic. Specific support is provided to the commissioning and launching of new products, technologies or services, improvement of business process organisation and protection of industrial property rights. The recipients of these subsidies include small and middle-sized enterprises, universities, research institutions and individuals, who meet all eligibility conditions. Since 2007, decisions have been made to provide support under this programme to 989 projects and the total amount so provided is CZK 13 billion.
The projects focused on innovation support under the New CzechInvest strategy, which is based on the Strategy of International Competitiveness of the Czech Republic, include, among others, the CzechAccelerator 2011-2014 and CzechEkoSystem, financed from the OPEI.
The CzechAccelerator programme helps Czech technological businesses to develop in international markets. After the successful pilot phase in California's Silicon Valley start-up incubator, the Agency has extended the project to other world destinations under the name 'CzechAccelerator 2011-2014'. Important business contacts can now be established and experience can be gathered for highly innovative projects not only on the western coast but also in the eastern part of the USA - in Boston, and also in Singapore, Israel and Switzerland. For more information, see http://www.czechaccelerator.cz/.
The purpose of the CzechEkoSystem programme is to support starting businesses and help them to implement their business plan successfully. High-quality specialised advice is easily available under this programme, helping new businesses to start and grow. Selected projects are prepared under this programme for financing from the risk capital fund (the seed fund) administered by the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade. For more information, see http://www.czechinvest.org/projekt-czechekosystem.
It is CzechInvest's ambition to make the Czech Republic a leader in innovation. It follows from the Union's 2011 comparative overview of research and innovation (mentioned above) that the current leaders are Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Finland. Those lagging behind are Romania, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Latvia. The overview is based on 24 monitored indicators, grouped into three main categories and eight areas.
- "Prerequisites", i.e. the cornerstones, on which innovation is built (human resources, open, advanced and attractive research and financing systems, and support),
- "Corporate activities" - this category includes the efforts invested by European businesses in innovation (companies' investments, links between business and intellectual property), and
- "Outcomes", which indicate how the factors mentioned above benefit the economy at large (innovators and economic impacts, including employment rates).
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For more information please contact the CzechInvest Press Centre
Štěpánka Filipová, spokesperson, phone: +420 296 342 538, stepanka.filipova@czechinvest.org
Contact to Ministry of Industry and Trade:
Veronika Forejtová, spokesperson , phone: +420 224 853 291, forejtova@mpo.cz, press@mpo.cz
CzechInvest is celebrating its 20th anniversary!
CzechInvest has been supporting the inflow of foreign direct investments to the Czech Republic for twenty years already. Since its establishment in 1992, the agency has mediated 1,798 investment projects with the total value of more than CZK 715 billion, thanks to which nearly a quarter of a million new jobs have been created. CzechInvest contributes to improving the overall business environment in the Czech Republic and strives to increase the competitiveness of the Czech economy in changing conditions. Since 2004, the agency has also operated as the implementation body for EU structural funds and has regional offices staffed by specialists in every regional capital in the Czech Republic. CzechInvest's CEO, Miroslav Křížek, was named Manager of the Year 2011 in the Business and Public Services sector.
