Press release on GoodNIP

 

NEW REPORTS ON GOOD PRACTICES IN NORDIC INNOVATION POLICIES

(STEP Centre for Innovation Research, Oslo, June 25 2003)

The Nordic Industrial Fund project on Good Practices in Nordic Innovation Policies (GoodNIP) has been finalized.

The main objective of GoodNIP has been to develop a survey and an analysis of Nordic innovation policy instruments that directly or indirectly are targeting small and medium sized enterprises. The project is to provide Nordic policy makers with information to be used in the development of new or adjusted policy instruments on a national or Nordic level.

The project was finished in the spring of 2003, and the final reports are now available at the GoodNIP Web site (http://www.step.no/goodnip/). There are three reports:

Report 1: Summary and policy recommendations

Report one contains a summary of the PUBLIN exercise, presentations of modern innovation theory and innovation policy developments in the Nordic countries, as well as various policy recommendations.

Report 2: Innovation policy trends and rationalities

The main chapter of Report 2 gives a thorough presentation a comparison of contemporary innovation policies and policy instruments in the Nordic countries, historically and contemporary.

A separate chapter discusses how policy development actually takes place in ministries and agencies, and introduces the concept of rationalities – i.e. common mental maps or frameworks of understanding that underpins policy development. This chapter also examine policy learning practices in the Nordic countries and gives some concrete advice on how to improve such learning processes.

The report then goes on to a presentation of relevant innovation policy statistics and indicators. The final chapter of Report 2 contains more general theoretical reflections on innovation theory and innovation policy development.

Report 3: Innovation policy measures, documents and government structures

Report 3 is essentially a reference book for innovation policies in the Nordic countries, and includes presentations of the innovation policy governance structures of the Nordic countries, summaries of relevant policy documents, and “datasheets” presenting selected innovation policy measures.

The project unites researchers from the five Nordic countries, and the following institutions have taken part: STEP Centre for Innovation Research (Norway, co-ordinator), VTT (Finland), The Technical University of Denmark, NUTEK and VINNOVA (Sweden) and The Icelandic Centre for Research (Rannís).

The project grew out of the EC Trend Chart project and has in part elaborated on data gathered through that exercise. GoodNIP has been funded by The Nordic Industrial Fund's SME Forum. The Nordic Industrial Fund is an institution under the Nordic Council of Ministers. Its aim is to strengthen the Nordic business sector through the creation of a Nordic knowledge market, and the organisation does this by initiating and financing projects and activities that create synergy between actors in the Nordic innovation system.

For more information see the GoodNIP Web site: http://www.step.no/goodnip