8/7/2019 OECD case study on Tech and innovation

1/3

1

TIP Case Studies in Innovation

The OECD Working Party on Innovation and Technology Policy (TIP) has recently launched a project on

Case Studies in Innovation that examines innovation patterns in different industry sectors and technology

fields. Three case studies are under way: Energy, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Knowledge Intensive

Service Activities (KISA).

The main objective of the project is to develop cross-country analytical work to improve the understanding

of innovation process in specific technology fields and industry sectors. Results will help drawing

conclusions as regards the balance between horizontal innovation policies and more customised measures

that take into account the specificities of innovation processes in selected technology fields or sectors.

The three case studies will adopt the overall framework of National Innovation Systems1

and trace the

processes of knowledge creation, diffusion and utilisation in each sector/technological field. They will also

attempt to identify systemic factors that influence innovation patterns and the ability to capture the

economic benefits of innovation.

The case studies will use a common core of statistical and qualitative information and address a common

set of core issues: i) the R&D funding and performance of the various institutions involved in fostering

innovation (e.g., government, universities, large firms, SMEs and start-ups); ii) the patterns of co-operation

among such institutions (e.g. public-private partnerships, industry-science linkages); and iii) the framework

conditions that affect innovation performance (e.g. intellectual property rights, competition, regulation,societal concerns, availability of human resources). Nevertheless, each case study will investigate

supplementary issues of relevance to the individual sectors/industries and/or to the participating countries.

The relative emphasis placed on different elements of the innovation system will also vary in accordance

with the different roles they play in each technological field or industry sector.

Energy

The specific objectives of the case study on energy, which is being conducted in collaboration with the

International Energy Agencys Committee on Energy Research and Technology, are: i) to undertake cross-

country and cross-industry comparisons of innovation processes and R&D productivity in the energy

sector, and ii) to formulate policy recommendations that improve the efficiency of the national energy

innovation systems and the productivity of R&D investments in the energy sector. The study will focus onfuel cell technology, which is of interest to all the participating countries, but other fields will also be

examined, including oil & gas extraction technologies and clean coal technology. Particular attention will

be paid to the impact of ICT, regulatory changes and environment concerns on R&D in the energy sector

and on the overall efficiency of the national energy innovation systems. The study is also expected to

highlight the challenges associated with innovation in large technological infrastructures (e.g. issues of

technological lock-in and system inter-dependencies). It will examine systemic imperfections that may

hinder the improvement of R&D productivity and the innovative capacity of the energy sector with a

particular emphasis on R&D funding, public-private partnerships in research and technological

development, and IPR management.

1

http://www.oecd.org/EN/about_further_page/0,,EN-about_further_page-46-1-no-no--0-no-no-2,00.html

8/7/2019 OECD case study on Tech and innovation

2/3

2

Pharmaceutical biotechnology

The specific goals of the case study on pharmaceutical biotechnology are i) to investigate characteristics ofnational innovation systems for pharmaceutical biotechnology, and ii) to develop recommendations that

enhance the effectiveness of policies to encourage the economic performance of the national innovation

systems for pharmaceutical biotechnology. Although the emphasis will be on pharmaceutical

biotechnology, the study will consider the role of the biotechnology sector as a whole in contributing to

innovation in the pharmaceutical area. In this respect, the project will examine the structure and dynamics

of the innovation networks that are formed by public research organisations, biotechnology firms, clinical

research organisations, hospitals, medium-sized and large enterprises to generate new knowledge,

technologies and products. It will analyse the role of demand side factors in the innovation process: lead

markets, product introduction procedures and other market factors that can influence innovation patterns

(such as ethical concerns and public debates over biotechnology products). It will identify systemic

imperfections that are related to interactions between actors and the absence or inappropriate functioning of

specific elements in the innovation system, with specific emphasis on R&D funding, public-privatepartnerships, intellectual property rights, product regulation, and the configuration of public health care

systems.

Knowledge Intensive Service Activities (KISA)

The KISA study will attempt to identify good practices in the provision, use and integration of KISAs

knowledge-intensive services that are provided either internally or externally to firms in the manufacturing

and service sectors and that contribute to innovation processes. The project will assist governments in

assessing the effectiveness of the knowledge-intensive services they provide to firms, considering their

effects on capability-building within firms in different industry sectors and the complementary nature of

publicly and privately provide services. The project will initially focus on the software sector and the

health care services industry; two other industries will be selected for further empirical analysis. Thesectoral studies will investigate the policy implications of viewing innovation systems as sets of

knowledge-intensive service activities which form links between public and private players. They will map

provision of KISA by public, private and hybrid (public-private) organisations in participating countries in

the selected sectors. It will investigate empirically how firms learn and build innovation capability through

the use and integration of KISA.

8/7/2019 OECD case study on Tech and innovation

3/3