[ D] Main Navigation
- 4.0: Home .
- 5.0: Research .
- 6.0: Publications .
- 7.0: Events .
- 8.0: Professional Training .
[ D] If Europe is to achieve its aim to develop into the worlds most competitive and dynamic economic area by 2010, higher investment nationally in research, technological development and innovation is needed. To create the right conditions for researchers and engineers to reach this target, expenditure on research and development is to be increased steadily until it reaches three per cent of gross national product. Through a range of new measures and incentives, politicians hope to stimulate scientific and economic research in order to create a climate more conducive to innovation.
In the context of this reform programme and the increase in public spending on the promotion of innovation, the limitations on the amount of public money available mean that it is more important than ever to scrutinise the usefulness and efficiency of any reform that is introduced. To this end, independent experts carry out evaluations to gauge the success of the political measures taken. Tests are carried out to measure the extent to which political intervention is justifiable by a real market or system failure, as well as to ascertain what aims the actual intervention pursues and, finally, what public utility results. Such evaluations legitimise and inform current and future political action, as well as creating a record to pass on experience. As such, they provide a valuable resource to guide and check policymakers in their decisions.
The core work of the Industrial Economics research department includes the practical implementation and further development of quantitative methods to evaluate political measures that affect the areas of research and innovation. To aid it in its work, the research department has databases of information about businesses, funding and patents at its disposal that have been created and maintained over many years. Thanks to both the empirical analyses for which this data is used and a close cooperation with government ministries and industry, we are able to assess political measures, programmes and initiatives and to improve the efficiency with which state funding is used.
