From knowledge to competitiveness
The Economy FPS is organising a seminar for businesses on 14 September 2010 with the theme "From knowledge to competitiveness". Its objective is to introduce and initiate a debate on three tools available to public authorities to support innovation. They are standardisation, intellectual property, and public procurement. The key points for attention from the various activities (presentations, panels, and workshops) will be recorded to serve as a basis for future discussion.
Currently, innovation is hot topic that is in play throughout all sectors of the economy. More than just a trendy idea, it is in fact the single most important factor in a business’s survival.
Basically, 20 years ago all of a business’s energies went into bringing down costs and streamlining production chains around standardised products. Then in the 1990's, the shock of globalisation wiped out all of the advantages that had been acquired. It then became essential for businesses to innovate in order to survive.
Through innovation, businesses reinforce their competitive position on the markets and boost their productivity, improve product/service quality, and develop key competences. Thus, innovation gives businesses a competitive edge in terms of costs or their product offer.
While innovation may be a growth driver for businesses, the numerous setbacks it creates, both in research and in breaking into new markets, show that the process of innovation is complex and fraught with uncertainty. Why is it important to create a climate that favours innovation?
In this context, the Economy FPS has a role to play. Essentially, there are various federal economic policy tools that can support innovation, and for which the FPS possesses some competences. The seminar will address three of these. They are standardisation, intellectual property, and public procurement. The first objective is to introduce these tools to businesses, explain how they work, and above all to convince businesses of the benefits the tools offer.
This will take the form of presentations, panels, and workshops. The target audience is essentially "business" in general, as our aim is not to foster discussion amongst experts, but rather to match these tools against the reality in the field, to identify what works (good practices), and what needs improvement.
The objective of this seminar is to draft key points of attention in the various domains under discussion to serve as the basis for discussion for the Competitiveness Council in late September and to be addressed in a high level Competitiveness Group meeting.