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The highs and lows of Catalonia’s research and innovation system

Despite the achievements of the last decade in research and innovation policies, Catalonia still has much to do to join the world’s elite in R+D+I. In terms of innovation, the Spanish autonomous community is at the forefront of a disadvantaged OECD country, but it is still below the average for this group of countries. These and many other findings are highlighted in a report that the OECD itself has developed to evaluate the Catalan research and innovation system. The report was presented on Thursday, June 3, at the Capilla of Santa Àgata in Barcelona.

Clara Cardona | 7 june 2010

The preparation of the report Review of Regional Innovation: Catalonia, Spain fulfills one of the commitments of the Catalan National Pact for Research and Innovation (PNRI) and provides a general assessment of the system with the aim of obtaining an overview of the current situation a year after the pact’s signing. Under the PNRI, Catalonia’s Department for Innovation, Universities and Business, together with the former Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation, now known as Talència, commissioned the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for the preparation of this report. The information provided by the OECD report will enable policy makers to have better guidance in the moment of making policy decisions, as noted in the presentation by Lluís Arola, president of the Catalan Council for Research and Innovation. “Correct information is needed for policy makers to make the right decisions for citizens,” he said.

The regional review of the Catalan research and innovation system is the third of its kind that the OECD has carried out and the first in Spain (next to come will be a review of the Basque Country). Its findings are used to place the Catalan research system in an international context. In addition, it also serves as a reference point to contrast progress made in the future. The report not only evaluated the R+D+I system; it also characterized the strengths and weaknesses of existing innovation policies and provided recommendations to improve the current situation.

The report took special consideration of the socio-economic characterization of Catalonia, a medium-sized territory that in just a decade has gone from six to seven million inhabitants, mainly due to immigration. Karen Maguire, director of the Department of Regional Innovation of the Regional Development Policy Division of the OECD and one of the authors of the report, noted the ability of a region like Catalonia to absorb such growth so quickly. This population growth has fueled the growth of gross domestic product (GDP) in the sectors of services and production, but according to the report, labor productivity has declined in relative and absolute terms over the past 15 years, partly due to the changing composition of the workforce. Given this pattern of growth, productivity in Catalonia, defined as GDP per worker, has declined from 115% respect to the OECD average of 91% between 1995 and 2005.

Strengths and weaknesses of the Catalan R+D+I system

Within the system's strong points, the review highlights the high political commitment to science, technology and innovation. Maguire specifically pointed out the value that the PNRI represents and stressed the importance of it having been signed by all the political parties of the autonomous region and, furthermore, the pact’s long-term goals. According to Maguire, a commitment of this type “is not usually seen in the regions we visit.” The report also highlights the considerable merits of the skilled scientists Catalonia enjoys, the international recognition the region has earned in some research areas, the high level of creativity, the significant increases in investment in research and development (0.9% of GDP in 1996 to 1.61% in 2008), the strength of the Catalan public health system and the region’s ability to attract foreign investment, internationally renowned scientists, students and entrepreneurs.

On the other hand, the report points out many ways in which the Catalan research and innovation system is teetering. Perhaps most worrying are the recurring gaps corresponding to the exploitation of knowledge and technology transfer. But the document also identifies the inadequate technological absorption capacity of the vast majority of small and medium businesses, a major bulk of research spin-offs that remain stagnant, the excessive proliferation of the number of public research centers which leads to problems of critical mass and performance, the complex government bureaucracy compounded by a lack of political and strategic priorities and the low degree of cooperation between the public and private sectors.

The evaluation also made a forecast of these strengths and weaknesses and highlighted the opportunities offered by the present economic situation and the threats to be considered in the context of a globalized economy, as growing competition from emerging economies attracts investment funds and research and entrepreneurial talent. With all this information, the report's authors were able to develop a set of recommendations to carry out future research and innovation policies. One of them, also highlighted in the presentation of the report by Joaquim Oliveira, director of the Regional Development Division of the OECD, is to clearly define priorities and establish a clear sequence to meet the 131 commitments made by the Catalan government in the PNRI, starting with the Research and Innovation Plan 2010-2013.

Among other things, the OECD also recommends a more flexible use of the financial resources in the region dedicated to strategic policies and to not limited funding only to the network of research centers participated in by the Catalan Generalitat. It also suggested promoting greater efforts to reach small and medium enterprises through technological centers, programs for clusters and other tools as well as ensuring the usefulness of the evaluations of the Research and Innovation Plan with realistic expectations and systems for collecting and monitoring indicators.

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