Triple Helix – social innovation:
is Croatia ready for it?
Slavica Singer
J.J. Strossmayer University in Osijek, Croatia
UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurhsip
www.pspefos.hr
singer_Open Days
University,Brussels, October 2009
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Are we ready to cope with…
• Global issues that are not avoided by anyone:
–
–
–
–
Poverty
Climate change
Energy
Recession
• Croatian local issues:
– Low competitiveness, low innovativeness
– Political and economic transitional processes – EU accession process
– Regional development imbalances (uneven access to opportunities)
• How?
- Triple Helix model –
PROBLEMS CANNOT BE SOLVED AT THE LEVEL AT WHICH
THEY EMERGED – INNOVATION IS NEEDED
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University,Brussels, October 2009
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Triple Helix – social innovation
• From fragmented actions to cooperation
• From bilateral to trilateral cooperation
• From bureacratic structure to lateral,
open innovation space
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University,Brussels, October 2009
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Triple Helix
• Spiral model of innovation process - multiple
relations in the capitalization of knowledge –
HYBRIDIZATION (Etzkowitz, 2000):
– Internal ENTREPRENEURIAL transformation of
each of the actors
• University
• Business sector
• Government
– Mutual influence of each of the actors
– Creation of a new level of trilateral networks for
creating new ideas and forms of high-tech, hightouch development
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Triple Helix – where to start?
• From any stakeholder
– University, government, business sector
• On any level
– Subnational, national, international
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Why is Triple Helix so important for
Croatia?
• Short supply of everything (from educated
people to roads)
• Sharp asymmetry of having less and needing
more than others
– Triple Helix – needed practical tool for rational
usage of very limited soft (knowledge &
commitment) and hard resources (money)
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How to survive in the globalized
world – case of Croatia
• Mega changes of the political and
economic system (1990ies)
• War (1991-1995), neither war nor
peace (1995-1998)
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Case of Croatia, 20 years later
• EU accession process
• Transition from resource-driven to innovation-driven
economy
– Why it is not faster?
• Low innovativeness – innovation performance EIS
2008: among the slowest catching-up countries
• Low share of growing businesses
• Low level of graduates
• Lack of government support for innovative ventures
• Lack of venture funding (business angels, venture
capital)
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Croatia
Brussels
Osijek
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Eastern Croatia
• Rich in natural resources (soil, water, wood, climate)
• Higher unemployment (22% to 65%)
• More necessity based entrepreneurs (motivational index for
entrepreneurial acitivity: TEA Opportunity / TEA Necessity):
0.5 vs. 1.16 in Croatia, 3.2 in Istria
• GDP/pc: 2,500 EUR vs. 8,000 EUR in Istria, or 19,000
EUR in Zagreb
• Young people are leaving
• Plus….
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Mine suspected areas in Croatia
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Vukovar
18 November 1991
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Case of Osijek: our answers,
fragmented
• NOA, microcredit institution, 1996, USAID
• Center for Entrepreneurship, 1997, Open Society
Institute
– Franchise Center, 2003
– Family Business Forum, 2003
• University based Master’s Degree Program in
Entrepreneurship, 2000
• Business Incubator, 2002
• CEPOR, SME Policy Center, Zagreb, 2001
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Eastern Croatia: strategic
choices, 2005
Strengths
• Education industry
• Natural resources
• Industrial and craft
tradition
• Airport
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Weaknesses
• Raw material providers
• Financially weak local
government
• Politization instead of
profesionalization
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Opportunities
• EU accession
• Global trends
Threats
• Young people leaving
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Case of Osijek
• Where we are now?
– Lagging behind
• Where we want to be?
– To become the region with the fastest
growth rate of GDPpc in Croatia
• How to achieve it?
– Strategic alliance for development
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Waiting for Godot, or…
• To develop an enterprising society based on
individual and institutional capacity for:
• Innovativeness
• Competitiveness
• Cooperation
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Case of Osijek: looking for
proactive answers
• Strategic vision for the region 20052015
– Osijek Baranya County: The County where
young people want to live
– Municipality of Osijek: From industrial to
intelligent city
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Case of Osijek– development
scenarios
• City without changes
• City where young people want to live
• Dow Jones index for evaluating a business:
– Attracting / losing talented people
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Scenario 1: county/city
without change
• Unemployment stays unchanged
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Scenario 2: Intelligent city
• Creating a technology-use culture
• Networking of institutions
• Vibrant entrepreneurial environment
• Entrepreneurial local self-government
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Recommendations
1
• P1: Broadband coverage of Osijek
• P2: Investments in campus, Technology Park
and International Center for Entrepreneurial
studies
• P3: Services related to intellectual property
rights + venture fund in partnership with the
banks, business community and university
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Recommendations
2
• P4: Development of digital democracy
• P5: International advisory board to the
mayor
• P6: Branding strategy based on the
vision of transformation of Osijek from
industrial to intelligent city
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Risks
• Inability to create positive energy (lack of leadership
capacity for leading positive change)
• Fear of changes
• Not knowing how to implement strategy
• Inability to network everyone responsible and
everyone interested
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University,Brussels, October 2009
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Accountability test
1
• Learning region: is “value adding” process
possible?
• Yes, but willingness and knowledge are
needed in participants of the Triple
Helix process
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University,Brussels, October 2009
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Accountability test
2
• For the University:
– To link the roles of teaching, research and
community service by internal mechanisms
– To introduce reality tests
• Employability of students
• Ability to participate in solving local development problems
• For the Local Government:
– To cooperate with the university on all facets of
the development process (skills enhancement,
technological development and innovation,
development of enterprising culture)
• For the business sector:
– Strengthen the innovaton capacity
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Triple Helix emerges if…
– Public sector is decent (efficient,
transparent, innovative)
– University is autonomous and accountable,
entrepreneurial
– Business sector is competitive (productive,
innovative, opportunity based)
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But, why Triple Helix is not
there, yet?
• Low innovation capacity of the business
sector (low demand for knowledge)
• Teaching-oriented universities
• Governments overwhelmed with developmental
issues, but without a strategic framework
– Role of governments in transitional countries in
supporting innovation climate was temporarily lost
(Etzkowitz, 2006)
– From too much government to idealistic “hands
off” economy
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University,Brussels, October 2009
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What is missing?
• Policy (strategic) framework
• Trust among major stakeholders
– Business sector does not trust universities
– Universities are waiting to be approached
• Interlinked mechanisms
– E.g. technology parks, incubators…
• Public awareness of the importance of
knowledge-based entrepreneurship
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University,Brussels, October 2009
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Some conclusions
• Transitional costs of the slow catching-up
process are huge
• Without Triple Helix there is NOT enough
capacity to handle such scale and intensity of
changes needed for catching-up
• Subsidiarity principle - everyone is
accountable for establishing innovative
society based on hybridization of knowledge
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University,Brussels, October 2009
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Challenges
• Schumpeterian challenge - too little
destruction, too little creation
– The worst scenario
• Partnership for Growth and Jobs
– The best scenario
• Changes are possible, but political will,
expert leadership and knowledge are
needed
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Can we…
• Implement the principle of CREATIVE DESTRUCTION for
opening new ways of organizing knowledge and pedagogy on the
campus (Schumpeter)
• Create entrepreneurial university culture based on the
expectation that university should be a true MOBILIZER and
EQUALIZER for empowering young people for opportunities in a
society (Timmons)
• Develop entrepreneurial university organisation for PURSUING
OPPORTUNITIES regardless of current resource limitations
(Stevenson)
• Define the university mission as to equip young people with
knowledge and skills for jobs of the 21st century: PROBLEM
IDENTIFIERS, PROBLEM SOLVERS, IDEAS BROKERS (Reich)
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University,Brussels, October 2009
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In order …
• To move universities from ignoring and
observing toward participating and
leading positive change in their
surroundings
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University,Brussels, October 2009
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Can you imagine…
• Universities that change themselves and
the world around them
• Responsible governments that serve the
needs of their citizens
• Business sector that is socially
responsible
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University,Brussels, October 2009
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Two calls for action
• On the institutional level:
– Universities should be pushed, demanded… to
become RELEVANT and ACCOUNTABLE
– Free movement of students, faculty, researchers
and administrators/leaders
• On the policy, national and EU levels:
– Triple Helix to be used for developing consistent
policies, programs and instruments to link together
national and international efforts in helping
developing countries to catch-up
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University,Brussels, October 2009
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Contact
Slavica Singer
J.J. Strossmayer University in Osijek
UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship
Gajev trg 7
HR-31000 Osijek, Croatia
Phone: +385 31 224 444
Fax: +385 31 224 438
E-mail: singer@efos.hr
www.pspefos.hr
www.pspefos.hr
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