Innovation processes are increasingly rooted in different forms of knowledge including R&D activities, practice, technology, market knowledge, consumer patterns and cultures, etc. Innovation is often carried out in open processes where companies cooperate with a broad range of actors – nationally and internationally.
Knowledge is important for companies’ productivity and innovation. Companies that invest in R&D are on average 15 per cent more productive than companies that do not. Productivity is even greater in companies that collaborate with knowledge institutions.
The public sector currently supports knowledge and innovation in companies through a range of innovation schemes and through knowledge transfer and cooperation between companies and business academies, university colleges, universities and other knowledge institutions.
A recent evaluation of the Danish research and innovation system by the European Research Area Committee (ERAC) underlines that the range of funding instruments is presented in a continuum or chain, in which each set of instruments complements others. However the funding system itself is fragmented into several programmes. This can in particular be a challenge for companies that do not have a wealth of experience in utilising public innovation schemes.
The Danish government will target the innovation schemes, taking users as a starting point, and increasing the mutual knowledge transfer and cooperation between knowledge institutions and companies.
The Government will implement the following initiatives (8-18):
8. Support more professional clusters and networks
9. A collective programme for knowledge-based innovation in SMEs
10. Prioritise R&D that supports Danish production
11. Establish an “Startup pilot”
12. Establish three new international innovation centres
13. Implement a simplification package for all public innovation schemes
14. Increase the critical mass and gather competences in fewer innovation environments
15. Strengthen knowledge cooperation and innovation in education through recognition and attractive career paths for researchers and educators
16. Strengthen the framework and documentation for knowledge cooperation
17. Strengthen commercial access to knowledge
18. Promote cooperation with companies on practice-oriented innovation
- See "Innovation driven by socieltal challenges" (initiatives 1-7)
- See "Education as a means to increase knowledge capacity" (initiatives 19-27)