03 bendl austrian ministry of economy_abstract_day 1_ecc2012

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The Role of Clusters and Networks in the Austrian

R&D and Innovation Policy

Abstract

European Cluster Conference

… paving the way towards 2020 by cooperation and excellence

18th April 2012

Palais Niederösterreich

Dr. Maria Bendl Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth Head of Division Research and Development 1011 Vienna - Austria - Stubenring 1 Phone: +43(0)1 711 00 - 5036 Fax: +(0)1 711 00 - 2036 Email: [email protected] www.bmwfj.gv.at

Dr. Maria Bendl, Abteilungsleiterin C1/10 - Forschung und Technologie 1011 Wien | Stubenring 1 | Tel.: +43 (0)1 711 00 - 5036 | Fax: +43 (0)1 71100-2036 E-Mail: [email protected]| DVR 0037257 | www.bmwfj.gv.at

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Welcome

to the European Cluster Conference 2012 …paving the way towards 2020 by cooperation and excellence

(I) Introduction: Research, Technology and Innovation in Austria

In recent years, Austria has developed a differentiated and broad system of re-

search funding that helped to support Austria's successful catching-up process in

being amongst Europe's innovation leaders. This system covers everything from

bottom-up funding, to top-down thematically defined programmes and tax-

related funding instruments.

In 2011 Austria has spent more than € 8bn for research and development for the

first time which equals 2.79% of GDP1. In the same year the Federal Govern-

ment of Austria has developed a strategy for research, innovation and education

with a time-frame of 2020 to promote the ambitious goal to increase the quota

to 3.76 percent until that year.

The European Commission ranked Austria 8th in the "Innovation Union Score-

board" (IUS) in 2011 and defined Austria as innovation follower close to the "in-

novation leader" group (Denmark, Finland, Germany, and Sweden).

Therefore the funding system must now be adjusted to fit the new strategic tar-

get: establishing Austria as an Innovation Leader.

Emphasis here is placed on maximum efficiency and effectiveness of funding

(high leverage), as well as the principle of competition-based funding allocation.

− Average annual rates of growth in total R&D expenditure in Austria:2 Year 2000 to 2008 2008/2009 2009/2010 2010/2011

Growth rate 8.16% 1.45% 3.04% 5.01%

1 Statistik Austria: Österreichische Forschungsquote 2011; http://www.statistik.at/web_de/statistiken/forschung_und_innovation/globalschaetzung_forschungsquote_jaehrlich/index.html 2 Austrian Research and Technology Report 2011; http://www.bmwfj.gv.at/ForschungUndInnovation/InnovationsUndTechnologiepolitik/Documents/Forschungs-%20und%20Technologiebericht%202011.pdf


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− R&D financing share in Austria by funding source: 3

Year Private sector Public sector

2009 61,15% 38,85%

2010 60,65% 39,35%

2011 60,83% 39,17%

(II) Austria – an „Early Mover“ in Cluster-Politics in Europe

The Austrian clusters are an effective instrument of

a) co-operations between companies and

b) co-operations of enterprises with public institutions such as research insti-

tutions as well as educational institutions.

Cluster activities in Austria started in the late 1990s. In 1995 the Automotive

Cluster Styria was founded followed by the Upper Austrian Automotive Cluster in

1998.

3 Austrian Research and Technology Report 2011; http://www.bmvit.gv.at/en/service/publications/downloads/downloads_ftb/ftb_2011_en.pdf


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Since 2000 several clusters in Vienna, Lower Austria, Tyrol, Salzburg, Vorarlberg,

Carinthia and Burgenland teamed up resulting in the start of the National Cluster

Platform Austria 2008.

Clusters and networks in Austria

Meanwhile there are ~ 50 regional clusters and networks in Austria in the main

economic and technological fields such as mobility, materials, health and life

science, food technology, ICT and mechatronics, environmental tech-

nologies, construction, design and many more.

Nearly 4000 Austrian companies with more than 400.000 employees are mem-

bers of the diverse cluster initiatives. However, total revenue of € 80bn is gener-

ated by companies co-operating with clusters.4

4 www.clusterplattform.at; Werner Clement, Silvia Welbich-Macek: „Erfolgsgeschichte:

15 Jahre Cluster-initiativenin Österreich“; Wien, Juni 2007.


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Interaction of Clusters and innovation policy as well as impacts on re-

search and innovation policy:

1. Location marketing and attraction of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI): Clus-

ters are important for a strong location marketing because they give a region

a strong profile. In a region with strong clusters foreign direct investors are

attracted.

Excursus:

Some examples of outstanding clusters with strong impacts on the region:

ACstyria Automotive Power Styria - Founding year 1995 The aim of ACstyria is to support their partner companies in terms of com-petition, exploring new markets, and to optimise their innovation activities and make them"fit for future". AC Styria tries to link together industry, research and public institutions and to promote sustainable synergies. Members: 180 Employees: 40.000 Revenue: € 11bn Food Cluster of Lower Austria (LMC) - Founding year 2011 The Food Cluster of Lower Austria is point of contact and provider of in-formation and services for all players involved in the food industry in Lower Austria – from agriculture to processing, and all the way to food re-tail. Members: 90 Employees: 9.559 Revenue: € 55bn Plastics Cluster (KC) Upper Austria - Founding year 1999 The Plastics-Cluster (KC) is a superordinated, plastics sector network. It supports initiates and coordinates inter-company teamwork, as well as co-operation between companies and technology transfer bodies in the plas-tics sector. It has the aim of concentrating potential and competences, in order to increase the innovative capacity and international competitiveness of the partners. Special attention is paid to the needs of small and me-dium-sized companies (SMEs). The Plastics-Cluster (KC) is an initiative of the countries Upper Austria, Lower Austria and Salzburg. Members: 436 Employees: 58.900 Revenue: € 13bn Life Science Austria Vienna Region (LISAvienna) - Founding year 2001 As a joint initiative of the Republic of Austria and the City of Vienna, LISAvienna tries to assist their partners in the areas of biotechnology, medical technology and pharmaceuticals to turn their inventions into mar-ketable products, improved processes and new services. The main focus of


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the activities is on custom-tailored advice and assistance for innovative enterprises. LISAvienna is supported by Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH (aws) and the Technology Agency of the City of Vienna (ZIT). Members: 102 Employees: 32.966 Revenue: € 5.9bn

2. SME benefit from know-how platforms: SME especially profit from exchange

of knowhow from co-operations with partner companies in terms of boosting

research and development activities as well as the co-operations in the field

of workforce training.

3. Enhancement of research activities and infrastructures: the newly set up

strategy for research, innovation and education highlights the importance of

synergies in using research infrastructure. Major spending on equipment for

research and development should be coordinated to reduce costs and to in-

crease utilisation of it.

4. Global markets: With the help of clusters export activities are initiated. The

performance in global markets is improved by bundled efforts of the clusters'

members and managers.

5. Clusters play an active role in the development of the knowledge intensive

service sector. In general in clusters there is an extensive exchange and co-

operation between the companies and the service sector.

6. Last but not least: clusters helped us to absorb the effects of the recent cri-

ses by investing for example in educational trainings within their organisa-

tions.

With such a wide range of activities clusters support competitiveness, growth and

employment of regions with remarkable impacts on the economic performance!5

(III) National Cluster Platform Austria - activities 5 Comp.: www.clusterplattform.at; Clement, Werner, Silvia Welbich‐Macek: Erfolgsgeschichte: 15 Jahre Cluster‐initiativenin Österreich; Wien, Juni 2007; Berrer, Helmut, Julia Borrmann, Günther Grohall, Christian Hel‐menstein, Anna Kleissner: Volkswirtschaftliche Bedeutung der Cluster in Niederösterreich, Wien, November 2011.


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The National Cluster Platform (NCP) was established in 2008 on initiative of

the Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth for information and coopera-

tion purposes of the Austrian cluster players at national and regional level.

The National Cluster Platform initiates the discussion of topics of common con-

cern within working groups. It actively contributes to further developments of the

Austrian RDTI policy as well as to activities at European level. Members of

the NCP support the implementation of innovative measures in Austria.

Today five different working groups are established within the National Cluster

Platform as they are:

• Working group 1: Transmission function of Clusters and their role in the na-tional innovation system

• Working group 2: Clusters as drivers for research and innovationi • Working group 3: Link-up to cluster activities at European level • Working group 4: Internationalisation strategies in connection with cluster

policy • Working group 5: Knowledge intensive Services and Clusters6

Example of an international cluster funding program of the

Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth

It is important to increase the trans-regional co-operations of clusters and the

active involvement in innovation and research programmes of the European Un-

ion. Therefore the Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth developed a

program for promoting international activities for clusters with an annual

budget of approximately € 150.000.7

13 applications for funding from 6 different categories e.g.

o Project MechNet (Mechatronics clusters Tyrol and Upper Austria):

Building an international mechatronics platform together with clusters in

Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the Czeck Republic.

o Project Cluster InnoBYG (proHolz Tirol): Intensified co-operations with

Danish clusters.

6 Description of WG2‐5 compare: www.clusterplattform.at; 7 Maximum grant per project: € 50.000


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(IV) Technology Transfer in the Context of Europe 2020: The Role

of Clusters and National Funding Programs

Participants of Cluster Conference 2012: Cluster experts and R&D-experts from

all over Europe - have a common view on:

• Importance of Investment in education, R&D and innovation

• Importance of cooperation between "academia" and "business" (technol-

ogy transfer)

Investment in education, R&D and innovation

It makes sense that EU and Member states continue to invest in education, R&D

and innovation, even or especially in times of fiscal restraints.

This vision was clearly expressed on the European level in several recent strate-

gic European documents, e.g. "Europe 2020".8

Europe 2020 initiated seven "flagship initiatives", which, for example, refer to

- improving framework conditions and access to finance for research and innova-

tion ("Innovation Union"),

- changing the business environment, notably for SMEs and supporting the de-

velopment of a sustainable industrial base to compete globally ("Industrial

Policy for the globalisation era").

Further "flagship initiatives" refer to new technologies (e.g. "digital agenda",

"Resource efficient Europe").

8 Für die Umsetzung der Leitinitiative „Innovationsunion“ muss auch die durch den Markt angeregte Innovation im Privatsektor und im öffentlichen Sektor gefördert werden, um die Innovationskapazität der Unternehmen und die europäische Wettbewerbsfähigkeit zu stärken. Dies setzt voraus, dass die Rahmenbedingungen für Innovation insgesamt verbessert und die spezifischen Hemmnisse angegangen werden, die dem Wachstum innovativer Unternehmen entgegenstehen. Es werden leistungsstarke Mechanismen der Innovationsförderung (z. B. ein besseres Clustermanagement, öffentlich-private Partnerschaften und Zusammenarbeit in Netzen), hochspezialisierte Dienste zur Innovationsförderung (z.B. für den Umgang und die Nutzung von Rechten des geistigen Eigentums oder Innovationsmanagement, Netze öffentlicher Auftraggeber) und die Überprüfung staatlicher Politik im Hinblick auf Innovation unterstützt. KMU-spezifische Themen werden im Rahmen des Einzelziels „Innovation in KMU“ gefördert. vgl, http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/documents/related-document-type/index_en.htm; Europe 2020 Strategy.


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Cooperation between "academia" and "business" (technology transfer)

-> Put our point of view on an often expressed criticism (compare evaluation pa-

pers, strategic documents as well as statements by both sides: the world of re-

search as well as that of business:

We need to get more innovation out of our research!

What does this mean:

We need

• to have more and better understanding and cooperation between re-

searchers at Universities and the R&D-personel in a company.

• to have better coordination between EU and national research and inno-

vation systems

• modernised education systems as well as structural funding measures to

support the qualification of research and innovation staff in companies

(world class universities, a raise of skill-levels in secondary and tertiary

education; qualification measurers for high tech and middle tech compa-

nies)

• to remove barriers for entrepreneurs to bring their "ideas to the market"

and to realize the "Technology-transfer from the idea to the new product

(support "prototyping" by funding measures; provide better access to fi-

nance, esp. for SMEs; support the entrepreneur saving Intellectual prop-

erty rights)

For most of the above mentioned measures for successful technology transfer

clusters can be mentioned as "best practice".

Allow me to repeat the definition of "Clusters" or "Technology-Clusters" in

this context:

a) Clusters are: co-operations of enterprises with public institutions such as

research institutions as well as educational institutions.


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Technology transfer/ National Programs Austria (examples)

Operated by the

• Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG)

• Austrian Wirtschaftsservice (aws)

Clusters may apply for grants in various programs aiming at technology trans-

fer:

− COMET (Competence Centers for Excellent Technologies; FFG)

To foster collaboration between academia and industry, the so-called Compe-

tence Center Program was started in 1998. After the success of the initial pro-

gram, a successor program called COMET was launched in 2007.

COMET is a joint program developed by the Federal Ministry of Transport, In-

novation and Technology (BMVIT) and the Federal Ministry of Economy, Family

and Youth (BMWFJ), and is managed by the Austrian Research Promotion

Agency (FFG).

COMET consists of three program lines, the K1-Centers, K2-Centers, and K-

Projects, and is thematically open. The main strategic objectives of COMET are

an orientation towards excellence, involvement of international research ex-

pertise, and development of technological leadership in order to strengthen

Austria as a R&D location.

The three program lines of COMET9

K-Projects K1-Centers K2-Centers

Number: approx. 20 Public financing: 40-50% Project duration: 3-5 years Funding per year: € 450.000

Number: approx. 15 Public financing: 40-55% Project duration: 7 years Funding per year: € 1,5mn

Number: approx. 5 Public financing: 45-60% Project duration: 10 years Funding per year: € 5mn

9 Budget 1st call: € 123.8mn 2nd call: € 94mn 4th and 5th call: € 27mn ‐>2nd funding period for existing K1‐centers: € 49.5mn


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− RSA Research Studios Austria (Commercialisation of R&D results; FFG)

The “Research Studios Austria” is a research funding programme for the pro-

motion of applied research and a strong interaction between academia and

business. The aim of the program is to further develop applied research fol-

lowing basic research, and to strengthen entrepreneurial research in Austria.

Transfer of knowledge and know-how prepared in an application-oriented

manner by the “research studios”- and their (funded and/or non-funded) co-

operation partners - to business enterprises via the execution of contract re-

search or marketing projects.

Research issues: Energy Technologies, ICT, Biotech and Medical Technologies,

Material Technologies.

Budget for call in 2011: €12,9 mn (€4,0 mn for energy technologies)

Result: Promotion of 20 studios thereof 8 with a focus on energy technologies.

The Austrian Wirtschaftsservice programs support technology transfer by

• addressing technology oriented innovative start-ups (Pre-Seed, Seedfi-

nancing and "Management auf Zeit")

• providing venture capital through the "cleantech fonds",

• addressing Intellectual Property (IPR-programs) as well as by

• technology transfer programs (ProTrans).10

(V) Final Remarks

Thank you for your attention!

10 Budget: Seed und PreSeed 2012 (LISAvienna: 6 Mio p.a; Gründungen:6 Mio p.a.); Cleantech Fonds: einmalig 6 Mio; IPR: p.a. 1,5 Mio; ProTrans: 5 Mio p.a.

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