Speaker: Sylvia Schwaag Serger, Executive Director, International Strategy and Networks, VINNOVA, and Senior    Research Fellow, School of Economics, University of Lund 

 

Moderator: Prof. Xue Lan, Dean, School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University 

 

Commentator: Prof. Kong Deyong, Former Director, National Research Center for Science & Technology for Development

Prof. Liu Li, Institute of Science, Technology and Society        

 

Time: 4:00 — 5:30 p.m. December 3^rd, 2012

 

Venue: Room 302, School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University

 

Language: English

 

Several factors have fundamentally changed the global innovation landscape in recent years, such as the rise of new knowledge and innovation hubs, the increasing urgency of tackling global challenges and new modes of innovation. In addition, the global economic crisis is putting pressures on policymakers to promote firms’ and organizations’ innovative capacity as a way of improving efficiency and quality in the provision of public services, strengthening competitiveness and attractiveness, addressing societal challenges and securing future prosperity and well-being, at the same as there is growing pressure (at least in some countries) to reduce or contain public spending. How are policymakers responding to the changing innovation landscape? What are some of key trends in innovation policy?

In this presentation I summarize some of these recent trends before looking at how policymakers around the world have responded to the changing landscape. Based on an analysis of a number of relevant examples – among other things the recently presented national innovation strategy for Sweden, which is consistently ranked as one of the most innovative countries in the world, and the European Union’s Innovation Strategy – I then identify the most recent key trends in innovation policymaking in Europe and draw some parallels with China. Finally I present some challenges and pitfalls in innovation policymaking based on my 15-year experience from both analysis and policymaking.

 

Ms. Schwaag Serger received an MA in International Relations from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at the Johns Hopkins University in 1992 and a PhD in economic history from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in 1997.