Jean Monnet Chair in EU Policies towards Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship (EU2INNO)

R&D, Innovation and creativity towards a Holistic Approach in Shaping a Sustainable Future in EU and Moldova

Description

The research is going to present a review on holistic approach on EU innovation policy with discussions of what it is, why it is relevant, and how it can be implemented to enhance product innovation. It is shown that the innovation systems approach has diffused rapidly during the latest decades and has completely replaced the linear view in the field of innovation research. The majority of European countries are striving in the direction of developing a more holistic R&D and innovation policy. However, it is concluded that the R&D and innovation policies in European countries are still dominantly linear despite the fact that holistic policy seems to be the driving vision. Innovation policy is behindhand. Why innovation policy is still linear is also going to be debated and researched. Policymakers attending conferences on R&D and innovation are practically always in favour of holistic (systemic, broad-based, comprehensive, etc) R&D and innovation policies have abandoned the linear view by learning from innovation research. The division between “linear” and “holistic” seems to be located within the community where innovation policies are designed and implemented, a community composed of policymakers (administrators/bureaucrats) and elected politicians. Perhaps the dividing line is between these two groups in that politicians, who actually make the decisions, may still reflexively believe in the linear view. Nevertheless, there seems to be a failure in communication between researchers and politicians in the field of innovation and there is therefore a strong need to involve innovation researchers in policy design and implementation to a much higher degree. Another way to increase the degree of holism could be to separate innovation policy from research policy, since their integration tends to cement the linear character of innovation policy.
Best practices in promoting holistic approach of innovation policy and creativity promotion will be researched and ways to overcome the challenges faced by EU countries in the field of innovation will be identified. The planned research process on this topic will outcome in drafting several recommendations to the Moldovan authorities how to establish and implement a holistic approach towards R&D and innovation policy in Republic of Moldova. Additionally, some critical insights on how to promote creativity will be elaborated.

Methodology

Given that interdisciplinary degree arising from specific goals set, data collection and analysis, synthesis, comparison, deduction, induction, scientific abstraction etc. methods are fundamental in research process. Of great significance in researching economic phenomena and processes related to research topic is the dialectical relationship between logical and historical. Moreover, based on the principles of dialectical determinism, general and specific objectives of the research will be done using a complex of scientific research methods, such as factual analysis, expert evaluation, scientific abstractions, mathematical and economic modeling, synthesis, comparing etc.

Innovative Entrepreneurship: linking innovation and entrepreneurship in the European context

Description

Today it is a well-established fact that small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are important for economic growth and renewal. The ‘carrying out of new combinations’ may, however, have less to do with the size of a firm or organization, instead ‘newness’ in the form of innovation and entrepreneurship has again caught the attention of many academics and policymakers. The present research action aims to show that the two areas of innovation policy and entrepreneurship policy (both relatively recent as distinct policy areas) are seldom integrated and the concept of ‘innovative entrepreneurship policy’ has not yet fully emerged. There will be presented an overview of innovation and entrepreneurship policies as derivatives of other policy areas, hinting at why it might be problematic to integrate an innovative entrepreneurship policy into existing policy areas. Public policy promoting innovation and economic growth must also involve instruments promoting entrepreneurship. Since this task is not easily accomplished, the concept of an Innovative entrepreneurship policy is also introduced in the discussion. For innovative entrepreneurship to be able to fully contribute to economic growth and development, it is suggested that its importance will need to be further acknowledged in innovation as well as entrepreneurship policies.

Methodology

Use of quantitative and qualitative data collection tools (surveys, interviews, observations, literature overview etc.), empirical analysis based on appropriately selected cases for answering specific research questions or proving specific hypotheses, synthesis of the relevant data for the purpose of assessing theoretical claims connected to the research question, use of a broad range of statistical techniques, comparison and scientific abstraction