From the complete publication: RIO Country Report 2015: France Chapter: 6. Conclusions Pierre Bitard Thomas Zacharewicz 2016
This publication is a Science for Policy Report by the Joint Research Centre, the European Commission s in-house science service. It aims to provide evidence-based scientific support to the European policymaking process. This publication, or any statements expressed therein, do not imply nor prejudge policy positions of the European Commission. Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use which might be made of this publication. Contact information Address: Edificio Expo. c/ Inca Garcilaso, 3. E-41092 Seville (Spain) E-mail: jrc-ipts-secretariat@ec.europa.eu Tel.: +34 954488318 Fax: +34 954488300 JRC Science Hub https://ec.europa.eu/jrc JRC101191 European Union, 2016 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. All images European Union 2016 Abstract The 2015 series of RIO Country Reports analyse and assess the policy and the national research and innovation system developments in relation to national policy priorities and the EU policy agenda with special focus on ERA and Innovation Union. The executive summaries of these reports put forward the main challenges of the research and innovation systems.
6. Conclusions Meeting structural challenges A number of structural challenges have been identified in the French system. The table below lists a selected number of actions and assesses appropriateness, efficiency and effectiveness of the actions. Since the changes aimed at are systemic, only convergent efforts over a rather long period of time can succeed. Table 1. Structural challenges and potential policy answers Challenges Policy measures/actions addressing the challenge 1 Assessment in terms of appropriateness, efficiency and effectiveness 1. A culture of innovation. Levers to trigger cultural changes to improve a country innovation s abilities, including collective actions, such as:. The development of associations dedicated to entrepreneurs rebound, such as those gathered under the umbrella of the web portal portail du rebond des entrepreneurs, portaildurebond.com. Organisation of conferences, supported by public policy and HEI such as: bouncing entrepreneurs, 13 January 2014, supported by the Ministry for the Economy, Industry and Digital sector. appropriateness Both effectiveness and efficiency will be hard to assess (incl. regarding simple questions like: who, when and how much) 2. Closer connections between the education system and the business and industrial world. 3. Better scienceindustry links: efficiency of technology and knowledge transfers to industry.. Cf. first two recommendations of Innovation, a major challenge for France (November 2012): 1. Revise teaching methods in primary and secondary education to develop innovative initiatives. 2. Establish a large-scale program for entrepreneurship learning in higher education. Implementing open innovation measures:. 15 measures for a new transfer of public research dynamics, lever for growth and competitiveness (November 2012; and in the chapter of the France Europe 2020 strategic agenda, May 2013).. IRT (Instituts de recherche technologique, with their thematic variant Instituts pour la transition énergétique, ITE), publicprivate technological research labs (IRT+ITE~20).. SATT (Sociétés d accélération du transfert de technologies), national coverage to commercialise research results to companies (SATT~10).. CEA-Tech, network of 5 local units, aiming at bringing the best key enabling technology from CEA research centres (LETI, LIST, LITEN) to SMEs in five regions. appropriateness Much remains to be done before any evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency appropriateness. According to the High Commission for Investments, apparently rather good effectiveness; too early to assess efficiency In any instance: lack of transparency (cf. Challenge #4) 1 All kind of changes are included, not necessarily implying financial investments.
4. Use of evaluation of research and innovation policy. Implementing consistent, independent and crossministerial evaluations and monitoring of innovation and research policies: a whole new evaluation scheme including:. The Evaluation of Innovation Policies Committee implemented under the auspices of France Stratégie (as of June 2014) whose mission is to assess the French innovation policies as a whole and in its parts, both on the basis of available reports and overseeing new studies; all reports will be made public.. The new High Council of the Evaluation of Research (established 1 November 2013).. Strategic Research Council (installed on 19 December 2013).. Growing number of published R&I evaluations (notably by the Court of Auditors benefit from a large public attention. appropriateness. Both effectiveness and efficiency are globally improving; too early as regards this new initiative Source: Synthesis based upon the author s opinion.