Belgian Report on Science, Technology and Innovation 2001

Transcription

1 Belgian Report on Science, Technology and Innovation 2001 Volume I Federal Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs

2 Belgian Report on Science, Technology and Innovation 2001 Volume I Written under the authority of the CFS-STAT By Michele Cincera, Bart Clarysse, Roger Kalenga-Mpala, Emmanuel Monard, Claire Nauwelaers, André Spithoven and Peter Teirlinck Scientific coordination Michele Cincera ULB Bart Clarysse Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School Federal Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs

3 Belgian Federal Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs Rue de la Science 8 Wetenschapsstraat B-1000 Brussels Phone: Fax: dese@belspo.be URL: Design by Coast (Brussels) D\2001\1191\27 Published in September Neither the Belgian Federal Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs (O.S.T.C.) nor any person acting on behalf of the O.S.T.C. is responsible for the use which might be made of the following information. This work is copyright. It may be reproduced in whole or in part subject to the inclusion of an acknowledgment of the source and no commercial usage or sale. Recommended citation: Belgian Federal Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs, Belgian report on Science, Technology and Innovation Brussels, Belgium.

4 Acknowledgments The Belgian Report on Science, Technology and Innovation (BRISTI) has been prepared with the help of many people, all of whom deserve an expression of gratitude. I would first like to thank the Federal Cooperation Commission on Statistics (CFS-STAT). This body oversees the collection of R&D data in Belgium. It has also agreed to take charge of monitoring the completion of this report. The members of CFS-STAT devoted great care to this report, attentively reading several chapters many times, again and again. They checked all the information and gave us the benefit of their own experience plus the experience of their organisation. So we can now proudly say that this report does reflect the opinion of all Belgian Authorities. And most of all, it is currently the only comprehensive inventory of Belgian science, technology and innovation policies that exists. The present members of CFS-STAT are: Sabine Borrey, Paul Chapelle, Philippe Dehaut, Amar Derni, Philippe Dubois, Dominique Graitson, Jan Larosse, Marie-Christine Lenain, Maryse Malvaux, Greta Vervliet, and Guy Vekeman. Secondly, I would like to thank the contributors: Claire Nauwelaers who wrote the chapter on the Belgian institutional setting, as well as the Unit for production and analysis of R&D indicators of the OSTC, whose members gave their time to write the other chapters. Most of this work was written by Roger Kalenga-Mpala, Emmanuel Monard, André Spithoven and Peter Teirlinck. Nor should we forget the important task of preparing the basic statistics, calculating figures, drawing up tables, checking translations, etc. All this is teamwork to which everybody contributed (Eric Cantarella, Bernard Delhausse, Nadine Desees, André Lambert, Geert Van Mellaert, Benoit Vandervaeren). Thirdly, there are all those colleagues and others who have helped us by developing our ideas, commenting on the different draft versions or by informing us of valuable sources of information: Monnik Desmeth, Veerle Lories, Marc Luwel, Hendrik Monard, Jean Moulin, Monika Sormann, Geert Van Grootel and many more. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to professors Michele Cincera (ULB) and Bart Clarysse (Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School) for the scientific coordination of the project, (re)drafting many chapters as well as drawing up the conclusions. Without all these people, this report could never have been written. Ward ZIARKO Head of the Unit for production and analysis of R&D indicators of the OSTC

5 4 foreword Foreword It is a great honour and pleasure for me to present the first edition of the Belgian Report on Science, Technology and Innovation (BRISTI). With this report, the OSTC wishes to resume a tradition that started in 1965 with the report entitled Scientific research and economic growth. This was published by the National Council for Science Policy, which was, at that time, the main advisory board for science policy matters at national level. Some comments contained in this initial report in 1965 remain blatantly topical. They can still be read as if they had been picked from a contemporary study on the current importance of innovation. In the introduction, we read In the contemporary world, industrial renewal - the continuing process of creating and developing new products and processes is the engine of economic growth in a developed society. In 1965 We could say that certain things stand the test of time Let us hope the present Report will emulate this. In 1965, little was done. The report gave some figures on the weighting and importance of research expenditure. At that time, such expenditure amounted to about 1% of GDP. It discussed the research undertaken in the different industrial sectors and its contribution to economic growth. Benchmarking was basically performed by comparing Belgian figures with the European average and the USA. Many other reports have followed this first initiative. From 1965 up to the present day, the OSTC has regularly produced reports on Science and Technology. They have also pursued their mission of producing and analysing data, whether raw or more refined, on Research and Development. This time, we have seized the opportunity of the Belgian presidency of the European Union to elaborate a report with the following goals: First of all, it is intended to help our European colleagues form a picture of the Belgian scientific and technological landscape. As our Belgian federal system does allow for all authorities to take part in R&D or innovation policies, a foreign observer could get lost. For this reason, we have added an extensive section describing the main science and innovation policy activities of all the different Belgian Authorities. belgian report on science, technology and innovation 2001

6 s&t innovation indicators 5 Secondly and thirdly, we would like to offer all interested stakeholders and observers a full picture of the most important indicators available as well as the most important conclusions that can be draw from these figures. This means, we hope, that all readers will find in this report a more accurate and complete picture of R&D in Belgium and of the country s position amid its trade partners. We are aware that it is important for all policy-makers, stakeholders and observers to have such reports at their disposal in order to judge the efficiency of the various science policy initiatives and the way in which they succeed in meeting their objectives. This is why we have seen a multiplication of indicator and other types of evaluation reports in recent years. This is the purpose of the present report. It is also the aim of many reports coming from the Communities and the Regions and from which we derived considerable benefit. Especially worthy of mention in this regard are the Flemish information guide STI and the indicators report, plus the Walloon Promethee report. This report is also designed to be a useful tool for all those interested in science policy. They will now be able to understand what is being done in Belgium and to judge the efficiency of such actions. Although this report goes a long way to achieving this aim, it is evident that much still needs to be done to improve S&T indicators and turn them into more valid measures of the Belgian innovation performance. So I invite all of you to attentively follow the accomplishments of the OSTC s Unit for production and analysis of R&D indicators and CFS-STAT over the coming years. And we can make an appointment now to meet in two years for the next BRISTI. Ir. Eric BEKA Secretary General of the OSTC belgian report on science, technology and innovation 2001

7 Volume I Table of Contents Part 1 S&T & Innovation Indicators List of Figures 11 List of Tables 15 List of Boxes 16 I. General introduction 19 II. Government budget appropriations or outlays for R&D 25 III. Research and development expenditure 33 IV. R&D personnel 43 V. Human resources in science and technology 55 VI. S&T collaborations 69 VII. Technology balance of payments (TBP) 73 VIII. Bibliometrics 81 IX. Patents 89 X. Indicators of the innovation process 95 XI. Entrepreneurship as an integral part of the innovation system 107 XII. General conclusion 119 References 127 Part 2 The S&T institutional profile List of Tables 131 List of Figures 132 List of Boxes 132 List of Sheets 133 Introduction 137 I. Institutions and competences for STI in Belgium The decentralised STI competence system of Belgium Institutions responsible for the design and implementation of STI policies in Belgium 143 II. STI policies in Belgium The federal STI policy The Walloon STI policy The French Community STI policy The Flemish STI policy The STI policy of the Region of Brussels-Capital 227 Conclusion 239 Glossary 247 List of main websites for STI policy in Belgium 251 References 253 Part 3 Statistical Appendix 1. Government budget appropriations or outlays for R&D (GBAORD) Gross Domestic Expenditure on R&D: Total R&D personnel in FTE: Knowledge and knowledgetransfer indicators Scientific production indicators Innovation indicators : Glossary 368