From ivory tower to factory floor? How universities are changing to meet the needs of industry

While policy recognises the need to facilitate university-industry technology transfer (UITT), international studies indicate that the setup and effectiveness of the associated instruments is highly context-specific. We examine the reorientation of Irish universities in the direction of facilitating UITT, with a substantive focus on the role of Ireland's technology transfer offices. This paper also questions how academic research is changing in line with policy rhetoric. We find that Irish university research and the management of its output are changing in a manner that is not incompatible with UITT, although with significant resource and skills constraints. These findings hold important lessons for national economic and innovation systems of comparable size, with a development trajectory shaped by foreign direct investment

Innovation Systems in the European Periphery: the Case of Ireland and Greece

Two decades ago, Greece and Ireland stood passive spectators of political, economic and technological developments at the core of an emerging European Economic Community. Away from the industrial centres of Europe, the attainment and application of new ideas, it seemed, had no place among the prescriptions of policy. The pursuit of each country’s comparative advantage dictated that they be net consumers of technological wares invented elsewhere. And while a lot has changed in the meantime, a great deal has also endured. Today, innovation is no longer confined to the fringes of industrial policy; it features prominently, throughout the continent, as ‘the solution’ to the re-discovered riddle of competitiveness. Ideas on how to best mobilise intellectual assets for innovation abound. Theory suggests that institutions are important in shaping productive efforts towards innovation; the experiences of Ireland and Greece offer a fitting testing ground. Ireland has made strides in the FDI route to prosperity, no longer labelled a cohesion country. Greece however faces pressing economic problems, in the aftermath of celebrated, largesse-fuelled growth. Over the period in question though, nowhere else have the differences between the two countries become more accentuated (and apparent), as in matters of innovation. We propose that the key to these differences lies with the drafting of policy and the consequent shaping of their institutions. We observe that importing solutions from abroad, with Greece looking to Brussels and Ireland to the US, was central to their respective experiences.

Technology diffusion in industry : an empirical investigation of technological adoption in Greek SMEs

Abstract The thesis is about the spread of technology in the economy. More specifically it concerns the adoption decisions of individual firms. The basic relationships between technology and the economy are outlined along with the main theories employed to explain them. A diffusion-centred typology of technology is constructed building on existing work. Following that, a review of literature on diffusion and its associated measuring and modelling techniques is undertaken. Valid determinants of diffusion are identified in empirical literature. The above theoretical framework is used to analyse the technological performance of the Greek economy. Traditional technology policy is looked at and a 'technological map' of Greece is constructed. The map presents an overview of the current situation with regards to the diffusion and creation of innovations. The main country-specific factors affecting the process of diffusion are also identified. Informed by both theory and Greek reality a methodology is presented for an original survey in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The empirical part focuses on the stage of diffusion concerning individual adoption decisions. An accompanying econometric model (logit) is used to explain the adoption of Internet Enabled Personal Computers (IEPCs) by SMEs. Results suggest that learning effects, the perceived availability of financial capital, perceived threat from competition, perceptions regarding the technology's life expectancy and linkages with multinational enterprises (MNEs) are strongly associated with instances of adoption. The author contributes an original insight into the adoption determinants pertinent to the Greek context. Finally, the findings of the survey and its empirical analysis are combined with secondary sources to construct tentative policy suggestions

Inclining the columns to make the temple look straight: a first glance at monetary indicators on university–industry cooperation

The analysis of university-industry cooperation (UIC) rarely considers the geographic implications of its promotion. We hypothesise that UIC may lead to a cumulative advantage of already good performers. The 6th EU R&D Framework Programme is a useful source to verify this hypothesis because of its a priori neutrality regarding UIC. Using original data on the funding allotted per participant, we build national indicators of the value of FP6-sponsored UIC across the EU27. The results confirm that richer countries involved in UIC get more funds than poorer countries. We discuss the role of policy in light of the apparent entry barriers in UIC

Is Networking a Substitute or a Complement to Regional Innovation Capacity? Evidence from the EU's 5th Framework Programme

The present policy note draws from original empirical work attempting to shed some light on the joint importance of regional innovation capacity (proxied by a novel index of regional agglomeration of knowledge intensive employment) and scientific networking (proxied by an index of interregional collaboration in FP5) on R&D productivity and draw comparisons. Our findings indicate that there are distinct paths to obtaining ¿critical mass¿ for scientific and technological research. The regional agglomeration of innovation capacity is important for the productivity of technological research whereas this is not the case for scientific research; likewise, scientific research is more productive in regions that are well connected in interregional knowledge production networks, but the same networking has no discernible effect on technological research. These findings suggest that differentiated responses will be needed, with increased networking for scientific research and a strengthening of regional innovation capacity for technological research.JRC.J.3-Knowledge for Growt

Agglomeration and interregional network effects on European R&D productivity

This paper explores the effects of intra-regional agglomeration and interregional networking on the productivity of R&D across EU regions. The paper is based on the spatial econometric modelling framework presented in Varga (2000), and further develops a methodology for estimating the dynamic effects of agglomeration and interregional networks on R&D productivity in regional knowledge creation (measured by patent applications and publications) at the level of EU regions. This empirical modelling framework is applied to classify EU regions into different tiers according to the strengths of their agglomeration effects. These effects are then compared to the network effects of interregional connectedness as reflected in regional participation in the EU Framework Programme for Research. The estimated model is used then for an assessment of the impacts of EU Framework Programme expenditures on technological development and for carrying out policy impact simulations.Agglomeration, network effects, R&D productivity

The occupational domain and initial earnings of recent Irish graduates: Is a science and technology degree good for you?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the hypothesis that those with a university qualification in science and technology (S&T) enjoy favourable labour market outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – Analysis is based on individual-level data detailing the labour market experiences of Irish university graduates upon entering employment. A Gini-Hirschman index is used to estimate the number of occupational options open to graduates of a particular educational background. Additionally, an ordered probit model of earnings is estimated, which is controlling other factors, measures the effect of S&T education on the distribution of earnings. Findings – S&T graduates have a wider occupational domain. Additionally, tabulations indicate that on the whole they tend to earn more. Application of an ordered probit model controlling for other factors suggests that engineering graduates enjoy a clear earnings advantage; however the opposite appears to be the case for science graduates. Originality/value – The paper presents original insights into the occupational outcomes of Irish technical graduates. The relatively lower earnings of science graduates bring into question the current preoccupation with the supply side and suggest that a closer look at the demand for such skills may be warranted. These findings may be interesting for policy seeking to influence skill structure and for further studies investigating the returns to components of skill

Metropolitan Edison and cosmopolitan Pasteur? Agglomeration and interregional research network effects on European R&D productivity

This article examines empirically the relative influence of static and dynamic agglomeration effects on the one hand and research networking [measured by Framework Programme (FP) participation] on the other on regional R&D productivity in the European Union. We found that agglomeration is an important predictor of R&D productivity in the case of market-oriented (Edison-type) research while interregional scientific networking is an important determinant of R&D productivity in the case of science-driven (Pasteur-type) research. Importantly, the two determinants are never jointly significant. This finding indicates that in a knowledge production context, and contrary to what may happen in other areas of economic activity, agglomeration and scientific networking are neither substitutes nor complements but operate at distinct parts of the knowledge production process. Our findings uncover the principal components of regional knowledge production processes across European regions in a dynamic setting. They therefore allow us to explore counterfactual scenarios and characterize the effects of policy interventions. A simulation of the likely impacts of FP6 funds on regional R&D productivity demonstrates that the dynamic effect is greater in regions with high agglomeration

Technology diffusion in industry : an empirical investigation of technological adoption in Greek SMEs

The thesis is about the spread of technology in the economy. More specifically it concerns the adoption decisions of individual firms. The basic relationships between technology and the economy are outlined along with the main theories employed to explain them. A diffusion-centred typology of technology is constructed building on existing work. Following that, a review of literature on diffusion and its associated measuring and modelling techniques is undertaken. Valid determinants of diffusion are identified in empirical literature. The above theoretical framework is used to analyse the technological performance of the Greek economy. Traditional technology policy is looked at and a 'technological map' of Greece is constructed. The map presents an overview of the current situation with regards to the diffusion and creation of innovations. The main country-specific factors affecting the process of diffusion are also identified. Informed by both theory and Greek reality a methodology is presented for an original survey in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The empirical part focuses on the stage of diffusion concerning individual adoption decisions. An accompanying econometric model (logit) is used to explain the adoption of Internet Enabled Personal Computers (IEPCs) by SMEs. Results suggest that learning effects, the perceived availability of financial capital, perceived threat from competition, perceptions regarding the technology's life expectancy and linkages with multinational enterprises (MNEs) are strongly associated with instances of adoption. The author contributes an original insight into the adoption determinants pertinent to the Greek context. Finally, the findings of the survey and its empirical analysis are combined with secondary sources to construct tentative policy suggestions.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Europe's Top Research Universities in FP 6: Scope and Drivers of Participation

The present note characterises the participation of universities in the European Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development (FP) with a substantive focus on the profile of participation of the top research universities on FP6. A commonly held belief is that top research universities prefer not to participate to the FP. Purported 'cumbersome' administrative procedures, 'low content of basic research' and availability of other, 'more attractive' sources of funding have been put forward as possible explanations. Another stereotype is that the principle of symmetric representation of member states' interests, often leads to charitable participations to organisations from less well-off countries. The present policy note takes a step back and puts such commonly held beliefs to the test. Collectively our findings lend support to the view that FP 6 has managed to involve excellent universities regardless of where they come from, maintaining overall neutrality despite political pressure for either "cohesion" or "juste retour". Europe's top research universities account for the lion's share of higher education participations to the FP6 and act as leading coordinators and key partners. Top research universities participate more in thematic priorities that are close to the knowledge frontier. NoE was the main instrument used by top research universities, in accordance with policy expectations. These findings need to be seen under the light of the study's limitations. First, the quantitative bibliometric criteria employed in the construction of our sample of top research universities may underestimate important research activities that do not usually register on standard bibliometric indicators. Second, the narrow definition of universities chosen may not be representative of the full range of academic research in Europe. Nevertheless, the fact that our sample compares favourably with well-known university rankings makes it likely that our results hold more broadly. We conclude identifying a number of areas worthy of further investigation.JRC.J.3-Knowledge for Growt