Mechanisms & Support Measures than can be built within
the structural funds to support innovation & clusters
Corallia: an innovation catalyst in Greece
Presented by:
Prof. Vassilios Makios [v.makios@corallia.org]
General Manager
[Corallia]
Mission
The promotion of technology and innovation, particularly
through innovation cluster development, as part of the
country’s strategic goal to boost competitiveness in specific
sectors where Greece has the capacity to attain a significant
competitive advantage
= Innovation Catalyst
Structural Funds & Measures
through the example of the mi-cluster
[policy framework]
 Economic exploitation of talent and new ideas
 Not just industry and big firms with R&D but
also services, competitive research and open
innovation
mi-Cluster: key characteristics
Knowledge-intensive, focusing on Research & Development of innovative, state-of-theart, highly competitive products
Comprised of SMEs, including start-up and spin-offs with exceptional performance in
innovation, larger enterprises that lead the way in product development and University &
Research bodies that demonstrate technological excellence
Leverages the top-tier Hellenic human capital, constituting the pillars that support
competitiveness, entrepreneurship and innovation in the clustering ecosystem
Has strong exports orientation, penetrating regional, European, and world markets,
boosting Greece’s competitiveness in the international landscape
mi-Cluster : expansion (2006 – 2008)
• Reached critical mass in 2006
• mi-Cluster Members:
[2006] 13 companies
• some figures [F/Y 2008]:
[policy design]
 Absorption mechanism based on regional
potential
 Matching business demand with RTD supply
 Introduction of Indicators to measure policy
impact
mi-cluster: today
Patras
Greece
• >130 actors including
Athens
industry (SMEs), academia,
research, financial institutions,
public actors, buyers & suppliers
• Main geographical concentration
in Athens (74), South Greece –
Patras (27) & Northern Greece –
Thessaloniki (10)
Thessaloniki
“Innovation Made In Greece”
products & technologies
•mi-Cluster members have developed products, which
are currently sold in the global market
Integrated circuits
for Gbit Ethernet
and wireless (GSM,
3G, WiFi, WiMax)
comms
• Analog/MS/RF/Digital IP and ASIC design
• Embedded software
• System design
• EDA tools
Integrated
transceivers of
DECT wireless
telephony
NG Residential
gateways:
Ethernet Switch,
ADSL2/2+,
SoftPBX, USB2.0,
WiFi a/b/g/e, SD
Flash Card UWB,
GPON,
VDSL, HDTV
Integrated video coders
MPEG 4-10/AVC or
H.264
Integrated flow and
acceleration sensors
Single-chip
transceivers
for wireless
data: WiFi,
WiMax
On-Board cameras
Analog, Mixed-signal
and RF integrated
circuits
Electronic
Design
Automation
(EDA)
software tools
Integrated PCMCIA systems for
wireless laptop access
mi-Cluster: the Big Picture indicators
[through to 2015]
Boost entrepreneurship,
competition & employment
Cluster collaboration
activities / promotion of
state-of-the-art R&D
Regional Spread
•
•
•
•
> 100 industrial members with strong R&D based in Greece
>1 patent application per 10 researchers annually
> 4,000 jobs for highly specialised engineers
Steady partnerships with private investors & VC’s
• Industry – Industry & Industry – Academia Cooperative R&D projects
• Events: Career Days | Professional orientation Forums | Roadshows,
events and meetings in Europe & US aiming to attract young talented
human capital from Greece [repatriation of scientists]
• Industry – Academia cooperation for the design of specialised
Curricula – targeted to meet the current needs of the market
• Critical mass and greater geographical concentration in the areas of
clusters, capable to compete globally
• Infrastructure development (similarly to the Microelectronics
Innovation Center in Athens) to act as a facilitating hub for:
• business relationships
• common research activities
• collaborations
among entrepreneurs and investors in selected areas that demonstrate
adequate concentration
[role of the policy maker-public sector]
 Provision of leadership & vision
 VCs, Business Angels & soft loans guarantee
financial engineering may be better than grants
– thus, be reinforced
Vision
Target
mi-Cluster: investments
• mi-Cluster companies backed by Private Investors or Multinational
companies established abroad:
• More than €30Μ from private investors over the last 10 years
• Over €80Μ investment of multinationals, directly for the development of design
centers operating in Greece (Sitel, Nanoradio, Bytemobile)
• Recent acquisition of Elxys Innovations by Ceragon, Blind Type by Google,
Athena Semi by Broadcom