Generalitat of Catalonia

The mission of the Research and Innovation Plan 2005-2008 and the definition of its aims are based on the analysis of the weak and strong points of the Catalan research and innovation system. The Research and Innovation Plan hinges on the statement that there is a need for action to improve the capacity for research, development and innovation of the different agents that make up the system, but also the interrelations between them all.

The essential advances in Catalonia’s capacity for research and innovation will only take place if there is a large increase in resources and if the system’s bodies and institutions are suitably organised. These belong to three basic institutional areas: scientific/technological, business and public administration. The Research and Innovation Plan seeks to foster greater, better co­ordination between the agents that make up these three areas so as to attain continuous dynamics with feedback of innovation and economic growth. In fact, innovation is a complex process whose bases are the multiple relationships between the agents that make up the business environment, the scientific and technological environments and the Public Administration.

However, an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the Catalan research and innovation system reveals that, despite the progress of recent years, Catalonia is noticeably behind in comparison to the leading countries in the European Union. Thus, Catalonia, according to the indicators for expenditure on research and development or the number of patents, is characterised by reduced effort in the field of research and innovation, far behind the levels achieved by the European Union’s most advanced countries. This unfavourable situation can be observed in both public and private sector research and development systems and the business sector, and in the structures that mediate technology transfers to the private sector and the structures that are designed to provide support for private sector innovation.

In the scientific and technological field, in which the public system of research and development is found, consisting of public universities and research centres (promoted by the Government of Catalonia and other institutions, or belonging to the Spanish Council for Scientific Research - CSIC), the main weak points are the system’s lack of critical mass, marked atomisation of actions and the existence of research centres and groups that are too small in size. In this respect, there are also difficulties to incorporating scientists and for young researchers to develop their careers in research, which makes both the generational turnover and the consolidation of emerging research groups most difficult. In addition, despite women constituting over half of the graduate student population and over 55% of university degree holders, their presence at top levels of the world of scientific research and technology is very scarce indeed. This leads to the wasting of the resources given over to their training and the underestimation of the human resources that women contribute, and so making equal opportunities for men and women effective is a fundamental strategic action if there is a desire to successfully accomplish the building of the European Research Area.

Despite these weaknesses, the marked increase in scientific productivity that has taken place in Catalonia in recent years should be noted, as shown by the indicators corresponding to the number of articles published in international journals, which shows the possibilities and capacity of the system to augment its investigative production. Likewise, the values corresponding to the number of quotations per article, which are indicative of the quality of the research, continue to remain below the European average.

In the business world and, despite the fact that the distribution of expenditure on research and development by agents presents a percentage participation by companies which is similar to that of the advanced countries (35% public, 65% private), efforts in research, development and innovation are far lower than in the more advanced countries of Europe and the rest of the world. In this respect, the principal weak points are, in the first place, a productive structure in which small and medium-sized businesses predominate, which have a limited capacity to carry out innovative strategies; this structure is also characterised by the scarce presence of companies in high-tech sectors and technology­based companies. Secondly, is the meagre innovation culture in companies and weaknesses in the management of innovation, which implies scant product innovation, the limited use of advanced production technology and ICTs, and the infrequent adoption of co­operative relationships between companies. These weaknesses are accentuated by the insufficient development of support infrastructures for innovation, such as technology centres and other entities. Particularly worthy of mention is the scarcity of centres of a sectoral nature and the scant participation of the private sector as an instigator of such structures.

Offsetting these weaknesses, it should be noted that in recent years there has been a positive trend with increased occupation, higher than the European average in high and medium-high-tech manufacturing activities and in knowledge-intensive services, which has also led to an increase in high-tech exports. Thus, in Catalonia, certain sectors and certain technologies present great potential for growth, as is the case of biotechnology, the aerospace industry or the renewable energy sector. In practically all sectors there are companies, albeit only a few, that have shown their ability to innovate continuously and to incorporate knowledge. In this respect, Catalan companies have higher levels of participation than the Spanish average for public calls for the promotion of research and development, both for European Union framework programmes and programmes of the Spanish State General Administration.

To adequately organise the research and innovation system and favour the transfer of knowledge and technology, structures that act as mediators between the different agents are necessary and in particular, between the public research system and companies. In this area, in recent years there have been some important advances in the transfer of knowledge and technology, with an increased activity of university technology transfer centres and the networks created in the context of the Innovation Plan 2001-2004, such as the network of support centres for technological innovation (IT network) or the technology springboard network. Thus, new structures, like science parks, have improved relationships between universities and companies. Likewise, despite these advances, the co-ordination of the different agents of the research and innovation system (companies, universities, public research and development centres, public administration and support infrastructures for innovation) is still insufficient, especially in regard to the lack of alignment and bonding between university research and innovation in companies, due to the serious weaknesses in the knowledge transfer processes.

Likewise, it should be said that despite having highly trained human capital (doctors, engineers and scientists), although in a lower proportion than in the leading regions of Europe, their incorporation into enterprises is scarce, thus limiting the transfer of knowledge and technology.

When analysing the Catalan research and innovation system, consideration should also be given to the important role that the area and its agents have on the system itself: the financial agents, private or public capital risk operators, private investors, and banks and savings banks, which still have limited functions and may be critical for the building and promotion of new projects for company innovation, the appearance of technology-based companies and the channelling of private funds into the creation of new fabric. Thus, the internal market, if it becomes more sophisticated and more demanding, may also be a driving force and an engine of innovation, as society itself can be, which by demanding sustainable growth models and evolving towards new social paradigms of participation, knowledge and creativity, may act as a promoter and a catalyst of the system.

Finally, it should be mentioned that public policies have a decisive influence on the fomenting of research and innovation. Here, four superimposed levels are at play: the European institutions, the Spanish State Administration, the Catalan autonomous Administration and the local agencies promoting the economy (linked to town councils, provincial councils or regional councils). The resources put aside to foment research and innovation both by the State and the autonomous Administrations, in spite of the growth in recent years, have been greatly limited to stimulate the important advance required by the research and innovation system. What’s more, their efficiency and results have hardly ever been assessed. Thus, there has been little co-ordination between the different policies on research and innovation of the Government of Catalonia and between them and those at other levels of government, particularly those of state policy.

In short, despite advances, the Catalan research and innovation system still presents weaknesses both as regards its agents’ capacity for research and innovation and the co-ordination between them. Also, public policies, despite devoting more effort to fomenting research and innovation, have proved to be insufficient in order to progress towards Catalonia’s technological convergence with the European Union’s leading countries