2. R&D / Innovation

R&D / innovation

3% of the EU's GDP (public and private combined) to be invested in R&D/innovation

Some crucial aspects to be taken further into consideration before examining how innovation works in reality and what a European Commission can do in such a setting as a world economy in decline and high tech induced innovation still a matter of vantage points i.e. Silicon Valley works, but not an imitation thereof as attempted through Ruhr 2010 in that former industrial area.

Here are some claims made by the Commission to justify this measure:

1. Patents as sign of innovation

The commission says that launching an EU-wide patent system could save companies 289m euros (£262m; $392m) annually. So far no target date has been set for such a system.

2. Improvement in social communication

European firms face translation costs of about 3,000 euros on each patent, making them 13 times more expensive in the EU than in the US, the commission says.

Current research shows following ranking by countries with regards to the correction between innovation and cultural participation:

Ranking Innovation Scoreboard 2008
(UE15)
1 Sweden
2 Finland
3 Denmark
4 Germany
5 Netherlands
6 France
7 Austria
8 UK
9 Belgium
10 Luxemburg
(UE27 average)
11 Ireland
12 Spain
13 Italy
14 Portugal
15 Greece

Ranking Active cultural participation Eurobarometer 2007 (UE15)
1 Sweden
2 Luxemburg
3 Finland
4 France
5 Denmark
6 Netherlands
7 Belgium
8 Germany
9 UK
10 Austria
(UE27 average)
11 Ireland
12 Italy
13 Spain
14 Greece
15 Portugal

Source: Pier Luigi Sacco, "Culture and smart growth". Presentation at the Cultural Forum, Brussels, Oct. 29/21, 2011

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