Europe INNOVA - Partnerships for better innovation support

Services innovation plays an increasing important role in the European economy. Services represent 70% of total employment, and approx. 72% of the gross value added generated by the 27 EU Member States. These figures are clear testimony to the fact that it has become necessary to look at how the EU can support and foster further innovation in services. Services innovation is a catalyst for employment and business growth across the industry, in particular the knowledge sector, and for supporting sustainable, inclusive and dynamic growth in Europe.

This European event will present examples of successful services innovation and learn from companies that have launched new services on the markets in Europe and globally. Participants and speakers will discuss European policy innovations and explore how policies and political interventions can support European businesses in improving the commercialisation of innovative services. Existing policy schemes in different Member States wil be assessed and the event will highlight factors that influence successful policy actions across the EU economy and create the optimal conditions for a dynamic European service economy.

Panel discussion: The national role and economic impact of services innovation policies

• Denmark: Hans Müller Pedersen, Deputy Director General, DASTI
• Finland: Hannu Kemppainen, Executive Director, Strategy, Tekes
• Germany: Ursula Zahn-Elliott, Head of division, Federal Ministry of Education and Research
• The Netherlands: Wilbert Schaap, Ministry of Economic Affairs, NL Agency
• Portugal: António Bob Santos, Deputy Coordinator for the Technological Plan

Services and services innovation play a vital role in the European economy. As a result, there is a growing need to develop policies that support innovation in existing and new services, improve structural frameworks and encourage new collaborative partnerships so that service firms can contribute to growth and increased productivity across the EU.
In this session, high-level policy representatives will discuss innovative and concrete policy responses to the emerging innovations in services. We ask high-level speakers from public innovation administrations in Germany, The Netherlands, Finland, Denmark and Portugal “If you had 250m Euros per year for 5 years, how would you promote services innovation?”
The speakers will make brief presentations on what kind of policies and initiatives they would launch under their national programmes to promote services innovation in Europe.

Introduction to the parallel sessions
Drivers of service innovation and growth
Tiina Tanninen-Ahonen, Chairperson of EPISIS, Director of Service Innovation Unit, Tekes, Finland
Allan Mayo, Chairperson of the Expert Panel on Services Innovation in the EU, Head of the Services Policy Unit in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, UK

Europe is facing a number of societal challenges such as a drop in productivity, demographic changes, globalisation, pressures on employment and skills and the need for sustainable solutions to avoid growing climates.
Innovative policy frameworks are needed to further boost growth across Europe. At the same time, addressing the societal challenges has also proven to be one of the strongest drivers for innovation, knowledge transfer and the development of successful business models. In March 2010, the European Commission launched the Europe 2020 Strategy to turn the EU into a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy delivering high levels of employment, productivity and social cohesion.
In three roundtable sessions, speakers and delegates will have the opportunity to discuss and assess how services innovation contributes to the smart, sustainable and inclusive growth priorities.
Through presentations of concrete examples of innovative services and corresponding policy support activities, the roundtable sessions will exchange knowledge about successful business models, how to engage actors of change and how to adapt to the new opportunities. The sessions will deepen the understanding of drivers and barriers for innovation and discuss which policy schemes to put in place to support business growth at the national and EU level.

• How new models of innovation are developing in a wide range of areas?
  Erik Borälv, EPISIS partner, Analyst/Programme Manager, Vinnova, Sweden
  
• How are new technologies integrated into service delivery and/ or how may new technologies and new forms of innovation be transferred to communities of service firms?
  Zrinka Fidermuc Maler, Project manager/Research, PT-DLR, Germany & Ivika Laev, Senior expert, PT-DLR, Germany
  
• Who are the pioneers of service businesses and how to better understand the different types of innovation in services that are emerging?
  Minna Suutari, EPISIS partner, Tekes, Finland
  
• How do we address the challenges that public agencies face when measuring the impact of programmes to ensure value for money in a world of scarce resources?
  Thomas Alslev Christensen, EPISIS partner, DASTI, Denmark
  
• How do we align policies more effectively at the national and EU level and promote the internalisation of the best firms? Allan Mayo, EPISIS partner, BIS, UK