REGIONAL INNOVATION APPROACH: A CASE OF THE MORAVIAN-SILESIAN REGION
Ing. Pavel Adámek, Ph.D., Ing. Šárka Čemerková, Ph.D., Ing. Martin Klepek,
Ing. Jarmila Šebestová, Ph.D., RNDr. Ing. Roman Šperka, Ph.D.
17. – 19. června 2015
Hustopeče
XVIII. Mezinárodní kolokvium o regionálních vědách
Department of Business Economics and Management
Silesian University in Opava
School of Business Administration in Karvina
REGIONAL INNOVATION APPROACH: A CASE OF THE MORAVIAN-SILESIAN REGION
Content of presentation
Trends in the Regional Innovation System
Methodology steps
Research findings and results
Conclusions
REGIONAL INNOVATION APPROACH: A CASE OF THE MORAVIAN-SILESIAN REGION
Purpose of the paper
• To assess the current regional-of-the-art of regional innovation monitor in the
Moravian-Silesian Region.
• The research in innovative activities in the region´s companies - more detailed
analysis through primary research was aimed at identifying the types of innovations
in selected sectors and extended by the application business lifecycle criteria of
subjects.
REGIONAL INNOVATION APPROACH: A CASE OF THE MORAVIAN-SILESIAN REGION
Trends in the Regional Innovation System
• The region’s economic performance is further negatively influenced by ineffective
institutions, obsolete and low-capacity infrastructure, low labour market efficiency and
especially low level of business sophistication.
• Despite the modernisation of many companies, the innovation activities in the business
sector are rather below-average.
• Nevertheless, innovation performance of the SMEs sector is significantly better than the
general innovation performance of the whole business sector.
• Three challenges - focused on areas:
1. Restructuring of the manufacturing sector from its specialisation in traditional low-tech
and environmentally problematic industries to more flexible and higher value added
industries based on innovation;
2. Development of a research infrastructure for co-operation between private enterprises
and local universities; and
3. Reduction of dependence on RTDI (Research, Technological Development & Innovation)
support programmes and other measures implemented at the national level.
REGIONAL INNOVATION APPROACH: A CASE OF THE MORAVIAN-SILESIAN REGION
Methodology steps
• The questionnaire survey was conducted with owners and managers of small and
medium sized businesses (194 companies in the final phase) in the Moravian-Silesian
Region.
• Research was conducted in order to determine:
– Identification of the type of innovation by sector and by business lifecycle.
– Finding the interaction between the sector according to the type of business and
innovation.
• The instrument was validated through the assessment of scale reliability, construct
validation and un-dimensionality of the research constructs.
• As a supporting analysis, cross-tabs were used to identify significant and non-significant
values.
REGIONAL INNOVATION APPROACH: A CASE OF THE MORAVIAN-SILESIAN REGION
Research findings and results
• The relationship between the type of innovation and the sector was not confirmed for
type of innovation: product, organisational change, marketing and strategy.
• Especially in the area of process and technology there was identified the significance
(Cramer's V =0.535, Sig.=0.026, confidence level 0.95).
Type of innovation by sector
Type of
innovation
Agriculture Industrial
production
Building
industry
Public
service
Business Services Total
Product 0,5% 12,7% 4,2% 0,0% 17,0% 2,2% 36,6%
Process and
technology
0,5% 6,7% 4,6% 1,0% 5,7% 9,9% 28,4%
Organisational
change
0,5% 2,1% 3,6% 1,5% 7,7% 6,8% 22,2%
Marketing 0,5% 0,5% 0,5% 0,0% 9,8% 6,7% 18,0%
Strategy 0,0% 0,5% 1,5% 0,5% 6,2% 2,1% 10,8%
REGIONAL INNOVATION APPROACH: A CASE OF THE MORAVIAN-SILESIAN REGION
Research findings and results
• We have identified most of the innovations being at the stage of "growth" and "decline".
These phases are dominating for companies to develop initiatives and efforts in
innovation, especially in the phase of "growth" which is represented by product
innovation (20.3%), process and technology and organizational changes in the
representation of almost 15%.
• Considerable findings we have arrived at the stage of "stagnation, maturity" when we
expected a much higher innovation activities than they have been identified (process and
technology 5.5%, product and marketing 2.2%).
Type of innovation by business lifecycle
Type of innovation Growth Stagnation,
Maturity
Decline Crisis Destruction
and
decease
Total
Product 20,3% 2,2% 14,3% 0,0% 1% 37,9%
Process and technology 14,8% 5,5% 6,6% 0,0% 0% 26,9%
Organisational change 14,3% 1,1% 6,1% 0,5% 1,1% 23,1%
Marketing 9,9% 2,2% 4,9% 0,0% 0% 17,0%
Strategy 6,1% 0,0% 3,8% 0,5% 0% 10,4%
REGIONAL INNOVATION APPROACH: A CASE OF THE MORAVIAN-SILESIAN REGION
Research findings and results
• The relationship between the type of innovation and the business life cycle was not
confirmed for type of innovation: product, organisational change, and marketing.
• Significant weak dependence we found for strategy (Cramer's V =0.250, Sig.=0.022,
confidence level 0.95) and less importance to process and technology (Cramer's V
=0.236, Sig.=0.039, confidence level 0.95).
• The most innovations are used in are of product, process and technology and
organisational change. According to sector allocation are the most used the innovation in
business, services and industrial production.
REGIONAL INNOVATION APPROACH: A CASE OF THE MORAVIAN-SILESIAN REGION
Conclusions
• The positive development of the regional innovation system and strengthening of the
competitiveness are evident and result from the involvement of regional stakeholders in
the implementation of the regional innovation strategy.
• The core of the key challenges still remains crucial for the economic development in
the near future:
• economic restructuring and technological modernisation;
• high quality human resources in sciences and technologies;
• sustainability of large research infrastructure of universities and research
organisations; and governance of the regional innovation system.
• Technical innovations were implemented only in 12% of companies (the second worst
share among the Czech regions). The industrial companies reached only 83% of the
national level in implementation of product innovation (the worst share in the Czech
Republic), and 89% in case of process innovation.
• The most innovations are used in area - product, process and technology, and
organisational change. According to sector allocation are the most used the innovation
in business, services and industrial production
REGIONAL INNOVATION APPROACH: A CASE OF THE MORAVIAN-SILESIAN REGION
Conclusions – Future Opportunities and Orientations
• The national programmes have significantly higher impacts on the cultivation of
the regional innovation system and setting up of new research and innovation
infrastructure.
• The key challenges can be formulated in the economic restructuring and
technological modernisation, high quality human resources in sciences and
technologies, sustainability of large research infrastructure of universities and
research organisations, and governance of the regional innovation system.
• The high dependency of the regional economy on the manufacturing sector, which
has many negative environmental and social consequences.
• The firms should be motivated to modernise their technologies, innovate and
collaborate with regional universities and research organisations to strengthen their
competitiveness and improve their position in global value chains.
HAVE A NICE AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
Pavel Adámek
adamek@opf.slu.cz
Department of Business Economics and Management
Silesian University in Opava
School of Business Administration in Karvina