Innovation and the role of the government

In Switzerland innovations are largely a matter of private actors. The state provides an environment where ideas can flourish. Several articles in the new issue of “Die Volkswirtschaft / La vie économique” describe the Swiss innovation system and the support of the government. It starts with an editorial by Federal Councillor Johann Schneider Ammann (french, german). One article is about the CTI; it focusses on R & D funding but mentions CTI Start-up as well (french; german).

Another very interesting article by Christoph Meier und Pierre Bordry describes challenges of small companies and of start-ups in the field of innovation (french / german). A huge challenge is financing especially but a new study cited by the authors shows that it is not the only one. In addition the article describes new financing strategies such as co-financing with partners along the value chain. However the authors point out that it is very hard for small companies to finance the industrialisation phase of a new product because these activities are not supported whereas it is possible to find support for the R&D activities.

Another new publication about the same topic is the recently published position paper of FDP Schweiz on innovation policy (french; german). 13 demands are made ranging from tax policy to a technology transfer process which is better adapted to the needs of SME. Ideas that are especially relevant for the Swiss start-up scene are the integration of business courses into university curricula to foster an entrepreneurial culture. The paper addresses also the issue of financing. FDP proposes an innovation fund for start-ups financed by private investors.

The third publication worth mentioning is an interview with Beda M. Stadler, Director of the Institute of Immunology at the University of Bern and Vice-president of CTI, about the future of medical research, the role of the CTI and why innovation is largely unmanageable.