Sectoral Innovation Watch aims to provide policy-makers and stakeholders with a comprehensive and holistic understanding of sectoral innovation performance and challenges across the EU and especially to what extent and why innovation performance differs across sectors. The ultimate goal of the project is to identify policy implications and formulate well-tailored policy recommendations.
The work is structured in 12 inter-linked Work Packages:
WP 1 coordinates all the activities and has responsibility for management of the consortium and the project.
WP 2 will define the sectors in terms of the NACE classification. A description of each sector will be prepared, which will highlight sector characteristics relating to innovation performance, market dynamics and openness, idea-innovation chains and availability of skilled work force. The two horizontal themes will also be described. An inception report and 11 scoping papers will be produced and act as the basis for the analytical work of the other WPs.
WP 3 will develop a database of the most innovation-related national and regional policies for sectors across the EU-25. A policy summary fiche will be prepared for each sectoral innovation policy measure.
WP 4: A database on innovation indicators and a complementary database of economic indicators will be developed. This will be the basis for a comparison of sectors in respect to innovation and general economic performance.
WP 5: will identify the 7 best performing companies, or innovation leaders in each sector. To achieve this, a methodology will be established, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches adapted to each sector's innovation profile.
WP 6: Based on the enterprises identified in WP 5 the 3 companies with the most interesting innovation performance in each sector will be identified. Interviews will be conducted based on a questionnaire covering the most important factors impacting on innovation performance and including questions related to the results of innovative activities in terms of the overall economic success of the enterprise.
WP 7 will identify sector specific innovation potentials. This will involve a review of cross-sector cooperation potential, analysis of the structural characteristics of new markets and the skills needed for competition on a national and international scale. The requirements for EU enterprises to become international pioneers will be researched.
WP 8: Benchmarking national sector specific environments will draw on the results of WP 4, using information from the horizontal analysis of factors impacting on innovation performance to select the most relevant indicator for a sectoral benchmarking effort.
WP 9 will identify business and policy factors that are barriers to or driving forces of innovation in each sector. A distinction will be made between generic factors (i.e. factors that influence innovation in a similar way across a number of sectors) and sector-specific factors, which are of relevance to a particular sector. This work will draw on CIS data, the OECD Stan database, and information from the European Venture Capital Association (EVCA) and will apply econometric modelling techniques to filter out the impact of financing conditions, management, competition, demand, and regulation on innovation.
WP 10 will identify socio-cultural barriers and driving forces to innovation in each sector. The analysis will be based on CIS and labour force surveys and interviews with enterprises, work with the sectoral innovation panels and information collected through the network of national experts. The objective will be to highlight sectoral patterns of consumer behaviour, organisation rigidities, market fragmentation, and workforce mobility.
WP 11: This work package will deal with the organisation of innovation panels for each sector comprising experts on innovation and professionals from each sector with good knowledge of the sector, industry federations and business associations.
WP 12: This work package will synthesise and summarise the results of the other work packages. The main objective is to disseminate the findings to a broader audience. The final report will be professionally edited and 1000 copies will be distributed according to a plan approved by the Commission.
The work is structured in 12 inter-linked Work Packages:
WP 1 coordinates all the activities and has responsibility for management of the consortium and the project.
WP 2 will define the sectors in terms of the NACE classification. A description of each sector will be prepared, which will highlight sector characteristics relating to innovation performance, market dynamics and openness, idea-innovation chains and availability of skilled work force. The two horizontal themes will also be described. An inception report and 11 scoping papers will be produced and act as the basis for the analytical work of the other WPs.
WP 3 will develop a database of the most innovation-related national and regional policies for sectors across the EU-25. A policy summary fiche will be prepared for each sectoral innovation policy measure.
WP 4: A database on innovation indicators and a complementary database of economic indicators will be developed. This will be the basis for a comparison of sectors in respect to innovation and general economic performance.
WP 5: will identify the 7 best performing companies, or innovation leaders in each sector. To achieve this, a methodology will be established, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches adapted to each sector's innovation profile.
WP 6: Based on the enterprises identified in WP 5 the 3 companies with the most interesting innovation performance in each sector will be identified. Interviews will be conducted based on a questionnaire covering the most important factors impacting on innovation performance and including questions related to the results of innovative activities in terms of the overall economic success of the enterprise.
WP 7 will identify sector specific innovation potentials. This will involve a review of cross-sector cooperation potential, analysis of the structural characteristics of new markets and the skills needed for competition on a national and international scale. The requirements for EU enterprises to become international pioneers will be researched.
WP 8: Benchmarking national sector specific environments will draw on the results of WP 4, using information from the horizontal analysis of factors impacting on innovation performance to select the most relevant indicator for a sectoral benchmarking effort.
WP 9 will identify business and policy factors that are barriers to or driving forces of innovation in each sector. A distinction will be made between generic factors (i.e. factors that influence innovation in a similar way across a number of sectors) and sector-specific factors, which are of relevance to a particular sector. This work will draw on CIS data, the OECD Stan database, and information from the European Venture Capital Association (EVCA) and will apply econometric modelling techniques to filter out the impact of financing conditions, management, competition, demand, and regulation on innovation.
WP 10 will identify socio-cultural barriers and driving forces to innovation in each sector. The analysis will be based on CIS and labour force surveys and interviews with enterprises, work with the sectoral innovation panels and information collected through the network of national experts. The objective will be to highlight sectoral patterns of consumer behaviour, organisation rigidities, market fragmentation, and workforce mobility.
WP 11: This work package will deal with the organisation of innovation panels for each sector comprising experts on innovation and professionals from each sector with good knowledge of the sector, industry federations and business associations.
WP 12: This work package will synthesise and summarise the results of the other work packages. The main objective is to disseminate the findings to a broader audience. The final report will be professionally edited and 1000 copies will be distributed according to a plan approved by the Commission.