Report on Austria's Scientific and Technological Capability 2015
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Report on Austria’s Scientific and Technological Capability 2015 1-16_Einleitung_en_Leistungsbericht 02.08.15 16:41 Seite 2 xxxxxxxxxxxx contents xxxxxxxxxxxx 4 Preamble 5 Executive Summary Results of the Mid-Term Review in Detail 7 Priority Fields of Action and Recommendations 11 13 Introduction 17 Evaluation of Austria’s Performance Relative to the Goals and Measures of the RTI Strategy Priority Objectives 18 Innovation Impacts at the Economic and Societal Level 19 Innovation Output, Effectiveness and Efficiency of Innovation 23 Quality of Inventions: Performance of RTI Activities at the Macro-Level 27 Summary 28 Education System 29 Education System (without tertiary education) 29 Tertiary Education System and Gender Aspects in the RTI System 34 Research at Universities and Non-University Research Institutions 39 Universities and Basic Research 39 Non-University Research 44 Research Infrastructure 44 Research and Innovation in the Corporate Sector 47 Innovation and Corporate Research 48 Cooperation Between Science and Business 51 Start-ups and Venture Capital Financing 53 Promote Innovation Through Competition 57 Political Governance of the RTI System 60 Governance Structures 61 Setting Priorities 63 International Positioning 64 Funding System 65 Research and Society 67 Financing Research, Technology and Innovation 72 2 1-16_Einleitung_en_Leistungsbericht 02.08.15 16:42 Seite 3 contents 79 Summary and Priority Fields of Action Key Results and Conclusion of the Mid-Term Review 83 Priority Fields of Action and Recommendations 84 87 Global Innovation Monitor Economy, Society and Environment 89 Education 90 University Research 91 Corporate Research 92 R&D Financing 93 95 Appendices Appendix 1: Indicators 96 Appendix 2: Indicators’ Raw Data 114 Appendix 3: Methodology and Notes for Interpreting the Figures and Indicators 116 Appendix 4: Details on the Innovation Output Indicators in Figure 6 118 Appendix 5: Ranking of Indicators After Change in Goal Distance and Prospect of Goal Achievement 118 Appendix 6: Indicators for the Global Innovation Monitor Including Raw Data 120 Appendix 7: Methodology and Notes for Interpreting the Figures and Indicators from the Global Innovation Monitor 122 Abbreviations 123 124 Printing Information 3 1-16_Einleitung_en_Leistungsbericht 02.08.15 16:43 Seite 4 In October 2009, the Austrian Govern- so vital to answer the question as to how much ment launched an ambitious project when energy and how many resources are needed to it commissioned a Strategy for Research, actually achieve this goal. Technology and Innovation. This RTI The Report on Austria’s Scientific and Techno- preamble strategy was drawn up with the partic- logical Capability 2015 seeks to provide answers ipation of six government ministries, to the questions posed above. It is intended as coordinated by the Federal Chancellery, a mid-term review that evaluates the extent to with the explicit aim of positioning Aus- which the targets of the RTI strategy have been tria among the leading innovation nations met halfway through the time horizon. This un- by 2020. dertaking is consistent with the task given to the In its working programme for the period 2013 Austrian Council by the cabinet of strategically to 2018, the Government stated that the strat- monitoring the implementation of the RTI egy would remain an important framework for strategy and evaluating its goal orientation. In its RTI policy. The Austrian Council also con- its analysis, the Austrian Council is keen to draw siders the strategy to be an important milestone attention to positive developments but also just in Austrian RTI policy, a view it has expressed as clearly to address failures and omissions. several times in its statement concerning the The Austrian Council will engage in an ex- RTI strategy as well as in past reports on Aus- change with the Government as regards the nec- tria’s scientific and technological capability. essary consequences from the mid-term review Five years after the project was initiated, and five and will continue to support it with the imple- years before the end of the time horizon, the mentation of the RTI strategy. The Report on Austrian Council has carried out a provisional Austria’s Scientific and Technological Capabili- assessment in which it explored the following ty 2015 may offer fresh impetus to the innova- questions: How is the implementation of the RTI tion policy agenda. In the opinion of the Aus- strategy progressing? Where does the Austrian trian Council, this also includes fleshing out RTI system stand today? Will the goals set out and quantifying the goals of the RTI strategy, in the RTI strategy be achieved? Will Austria be whereby the Austrian Council will be happy to an innovation leader in 2020? However, it is al- support the Government during this process. Dkfm. Dr. Univ.-Prof. DI Dr. Hannes Androsch Peter Skalicky Chairman Deputy Chairman Dr. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Gabriele Ambros Markus Hengstschläger Marianne Johanna Hilf Univ.-Prof. Dr. Ing. Mag. pharm. Dr. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Gi Eun Kim Karin Schaupp Renée Schroeder 4 1-16_Einleitung_en_Leistungsbericht 02.08.15 16:43 Seite 5 executive summary Executive Summary 1-16_Einleitung_en_Leistungsbericht 02.08.15 16:43 Seite 6 The Federal Government’s RTI strategy agreed goal to become an innovation leader and was completed in August 2010 and on the other, the continuing crisis and the result- adopted by the cabinet on 8 March 2011. ing budgetary constraints – remain unchanged. executive Five years have passed since then, and in The majority of the RTI strategy goals have ac- summary another five years, the end of the 2020 cordingly lost none of their relevance. The Aus- time horizon specified by the RTI strate- trian Council therefore continues to regard the gy will have been reached. The Austrian Government’s RTI strategy as an important mile- Council has used this opportunity to prepare stone for the future development of Austria as a its Report on Austria’s Scientific and Technolog- location for research, technology and innovation. ical Capability 2015 in the form of a mid-term Five years after the strategy was drafted, the goals review of the RTI strategy. The intention is to are as relevant as ever – even though the achieve- clarify the key question of whether Austria will ment of certain goals by 2020 now looks ex- succeed in achieving the overarching goal of the tremely ambitious. RTI strategy and become an innovation leader by For its mid-term review, the Austrian Council 2020. has used data series covering the period 2010 to The Austrian Council has again analysed the 2015. This five-year perspective shows stable de- weaknesses of the Austrian RTI system, which velopment which acts as a reliable indicator of the were identified in the RTI strategy and has con- impact of the strategy. This is the basis upon cluded that the key findings of the RTI strategy which the Austrian Council has formed its judge- are still valid today. The main starting points for ment as to whether the goals of the RTI strategy the strategy – on the one hand, the politically can be reached by 2020. 6 1-16_Einleitung_en_Leistungsbericht 02.08.15 16:43 Seite 7 Detailed Results of the Mid-Term Review Priority Objectives: Above-Average Economic Performance, executive Deficits in Innovation Performance summary Austria continues to report a better-than-aver- and that in addition to intensifying RTI age economic performance, which also com- activities in general, there is still scope to pares very favourably with that of the innova- boost innovation activities in the fields of the tion leaders Denmark, Germany, Finland and environment, health and quality of life, even if Sweden. Per capita GDP in Austria has risen these are also influenced by a host of other fac- slightly since 2010 and this is reflected in a lev- tors. el of national prosperity which clearly exceeds In respect of innovation performance, there is that of the leading innovation nations. Despite still a significant amount of catching up to do. some deterioration, unemployment in Austria Although a differentiated analysis shows that remains comparatively low. The overall employ- Austria’s performance is better than suggested ment rate has effectively remained unchanged by the Innovation Union Scoreboard (IUS), in the last five years, although there has been a the country continues to show a performance significant increase in the female employment deficit vis-à-vis the leading innovation nations. rate. Based on the results of the mid-term review, the This contrasts with the areas of innovation, the Austrian Council concludes that the pace of environment, health and quality of life, where development expected in the field of innovation there is little realistic prospect of achieving the will not suffice to enable Austria to join the goals by 2020. This shows that Austria’s eco- ranks of the leading nations by 2020. nomic success is not based solely on innovation, Education System (Without the Tertiary Sector): Not Possible to Reach the Goals, Despite Positive Trends Developments in the primary and secondary that of the innovation leaders. The results of the sectors of the education system were consis- PISA survey 2012 showed that although there tently positive in the period 2010 to 2015, al- had been progress, performance in many areas though not as dynamic as those in the leading was still not equal to that of comparison coun- nations. This means that – although the trend tries. is moving in the right direction – there is insuf- For countries on the technological threshold, ficient momentum to catch up with the inno- which are aiming to catch up with the leading vation leaders. innovation nations, it is less the quantitative The performance of the Austrian educational and more the qualitative aspects in the educa- system is very good in a number of areas, for ex- tional system that are crucial.