complexity of clinical work. But this is not sufficient to gain the transformative benefits that the health system needs from ICT
capacity to transform work practices and processes by creating opportunities for health professionals to take on new roles and to
decisions when experts may not be at hand. Available evidence suggests outcomes do not suffer. For instance, nurses†performance in
The existence of entrenched, non-standardised work practices tailored to specific patient populations or organisational
and high levels of autonomy among staff, and their unique requirements, mean they often remain unconvinced of the
When technology does not integrate into everyday work practices things can go wrong. 4, 5 An Australian survey of 10000 nurses in
electronic reporting system at her workplace did not replace the four paper-based systems already in use;
I now spend more time filling out paper work and far less time face to
potential streamlining of work processes is hard to realise, and staff ffort into maintaining multiple systems.
focus has been on automating clinical work practices such as ordering tests and prescriptions, which significantly improves
systems into complex clinical work processes, limited training and the intermittent nature of ICT funding.
and computer systems that introduce new patient risks, staff frustration, and outcomes below expectation •The focus must shift from automation of clinical work to
innovation; from evolutionary application of ICT to revolutionary uses. Health professionals must embrace ICT as a â€oedisruptive
accompanying work practices, organisational structures and models of care. As the metaphor of the archer illustrates, new technologies
clinical work practices as part of health ICT implementation projects have adopted traditional business process re-engineering22 methods
nature of medical work and for the unique organisational and workforce characteristics of the health sector, in which the various
need fresh approaches that look at how work is conducted in real -world clinical settings †not as specified in linear policy and
things work in new ways. Until we heed this lesson, we will continue to see ICT as a mere tool for automating existing activities †further
22 Hammer M. Reengineering work: don†t automate, obliterate. Harv Bus Rev 1990 68: 104-112
work †proceedings of the IFIP WG82 working conference on information technology and changes in organizational work.
London: Chapman and Hall 1996 24 Braithwaite J, Westbrook M. Rethinking clinical organisational structures: an
attitude survey of doctors, nurses and allied health staff in clinical directorates J Health Serv Res Policy 2005;
22 Hammer M. Reengineering work: don†t automate, obliterate. Harv Bus Rev 1990; 68: 104-112
an attitude survey of doctors, nurses and allied health staff in clinical directorates. J Health Serv Res Policy 2005;
firms, employment and patents, with the conclusion that the connection between priorities and the economic and innovation structures is weak
industry and social partners, identify and produce information about new activities and develop roadmaps to realise the
and the work of DG Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) and regional policy makers on regional
Also DG REGIO observed this challenge in its work with RIS and RITTS, as well as DG Enterprise and Industry in the context of politically driven cluster
S3 Platform staff and a minority by policy makers themselves To have listed priorities in the Eye@RIS3 database does not mean that the particular strategy or
For this, we have used Eurostat data on the number of organisations, employment data and patent applications in absolute terms,
Therefore, we have looked also at the number of employees per sector (NACE code categories) and
growth of employment. We found that there were some connections between the RIS3 priorities of food, services and advanced manufacturing and
employment in 2010 (illustrated in Figure 7), there being overlaps in most sectors except for
Eurostat employment data for 2010, SBS data by NACE Rev. 2 for the EU-28 (and Norway) with missing data for
relative growth of the number of firms and employment, and the absolute number of patent
and indicators of regional economic structure, such as labour, organisations, publications and patents Figure 8: Patent applications in absolute numbers (2010
sectors, employment and patent applications. The chosen innovation priorities somewhat reflect growth in employment, the relative growth of the number of local units and the absolute number
of patent applications. However, the overall relationship between priorities and the economic and innovation structure seems weak.
performance indicated by regional data on labour, organisations, publications and patents 21 References Aho, E.,Cornu, J.,Georghiou, L,
Independent Expert Group on R&d and Innovation Asheim, B.,Boschma, R, . and Cooke, P. 2007).
Employment activities Financial service activities, except insurance and pension funding Insurance, reinsurance and pension funding, except compulsory social security
data on firms, employment and patents, with the conclusion that the connection between priorities and the economic and
and also as a function of labour costs that vary among the Member States. In any event, upgrading existing digital cable
to be clear as regards promotion of broadband The Europe 2020 strategy, and its flagship initiative Digital Agenda for Europe, seek to
â€oethe effects of broadband deployment on output and employment: a cross -sectional analysis of U s. dataâ€;
previous work These results (depicted in Figure 4) show that, over the OECD as a whole, quite
experts and uninteresting to other readers $0 $100 $200 $300 $400 $500 $600 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
and also as a function of labour costs that vary among the Member States. In
Considerable work is needed to enable a traditional cable network to deliver broadband connectivity; however, this has long since been accomplished throughout Europe
require carrying out civil works (digging, burying new fibre), for example in cases where surplus fibre is available.
The upgrade will tend to be more expensive in those cases where civil works are required
based in part on earlier nonpublic work by Pantelis Koutroumpis, represents one of the few studies of the costs of achieving DAE goals that explicitly considers technologies
-rated by most experts (see Section 5. 3. 4 78 Note, incidentally, that contrary what many of us have assumed,
employment: a cross-sectional analysis of U s. data, in: Issues in Economic policy no. 6, The Brookings Institute, July
Our special thanks go to the seven experts who were interviewed for the elaboration of the recommendations for policy actions:
School Staff Professional Development...18 3. 4 Area 4: Research...21 3. 5 Area 5:
in depth expert interviews) and evaluations (thematic analyses, internal discussion, DG EAC Thematic Working group on ICT and Education
%School staff professional development 5. 98 61.1 Infrastructure 5. 88 60.8 Assessment 5. 71 56.1
ICT-ELI across Europe were School Staff Professional Development, Infrastructure and Assessment Nevertheless, the seven areas are interrelated very much-change in one area requires change in
x Support curriculum development that allows teachers to work in small autonomous and interdisciplinary teams
School staff professional development Teachers are key agents for change and the importance of professional development has been
School Staff Professional Development relates to several other areas (e g Organisation and leadership, Connectedness, Infrastructureâ€.
related to other areas, such as School Staff Professional Development and Connectedness. There is still a need to narrow digital divides and policy should
skills (e g. through in service training, peer-learning and informal and non-formal learning as lifelong learners themselves
Built on work undertaken in previous phases of the SCALE CCR project (Bocconi et al. 2012;
School Staff Professional Development; Research; Organisation Connectedness; and Infrastructure x Chapter 4 draws general conclusions on the policy recommendations
Seven semi-structured interviews with European experts and practitioners were conducted to further develop the initial set of policy recommendations for mainstreaming ICT-ELI with sustained
School Staff Professional Development; Research; Organisation and Leadership; Connectedness; and Infrastructure (Figure 2 CCR multidimensional concept 7 areas of policy recommendations
but they were merged into School Staff Professional Development area; Leadership and Values and Organisation have been merged into Organisation
experts; teachers; trainers; technology providers and developers; researchers. The method of sampling used was a purposive, non-probability sampling,
confirmed by the work of the ICT cluster, which includes representatives of Member States who
work under the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) E&t 2020.18 The Digital Agenda Assembly session on â€oemainstreaming E-learning in education and training†in June 2011,19 confirmed that
School Staff Professional Development 18 http://europa. eu/legislation summaries/education training youth/general framework/ef0016 en. htm 19 http://ec. europa. eu/digital-agenda/en/08-mainstreaming-e-learning-education-and-training
%Curriculum development that allows teachers to work in small autonomous and interdisciplinary teams (62.4%)has proved to be a very effective mechanism for empowering teachers to act as
& Punie, 2013) teachers work in autonomous multidisciplinary teams of five to thirteen members, each team being responsible for
2. Promoting curriculum development that leaves room for teachers to work in small autonomous and interdisciplinary teams, with enough flexibility to choose the content
both individual and collaborative efforts and creative group work (e g. on projects In conclusion, policies should promote assessment strategies that take advantage of ICT
School Staff Professional Development In a snapshot There was a consensus among the stakeholders involved in the development and validation of the
innovations, school staff professional development is a crucial factor. The data analysis of the online consultation (Table 5) also confirms the importance of the School Staff Professional
Development for mainstreaming ICT-ELI as the statements in this area were evaluated the highest compared to other areas (see more in Section 3. 8). Policy
become part of both initial teacher education and in service training In summary, the further development and progressive mainstreaming of ICT-ELI requires ownership
School Staff Professional Development policy recommendations Policy-and decision-makers could empower teachers to play the role of agents of
and ICT skills (e g. through in service training, peer-learning and informal and non -formal learning), as lifelong learners themselves
training and invest in continuous professional development provisions that empower school staff to take the ownership of innovation
people beyond the classroom walls-such as peers, experts and parents-giving the sense of being a
aggregate learning opportunities on a large scale (e g. learning resources for School Staff Professional Development) and exchange knowledge
%School staff professional development 5. 98 61.1 Infrastructure 5. 88 60.8 Assessment 5. 71 56.1
As seen from the table, School Staff Professional Development, Infrastructure and Assessment were perceived in general as the most relevant areas.
recommendations for School Staff Professional Development very high. Also recommendations for Infrastructure are perceived as very important (60.8%).
which belong to the cluster School Staff Professional Development (13,14, 15,16, 17), three from the cluster Organisation and Leadership (29,30, 31
and ICT skills (e g. through in service training, peer-learning and informal and non -formal learning), as lifelong learners themselves
For instance, only digitally-competent teachers (see School Staff Professional Development) are able to use ICT infrastructure efficiently for innovating teaching and
Staff Professional Development; Research; Organisation; Connectedness and Infrastructure 4. Policy actions are needed (at local, regional, national,
with education experts and practitioners and a number of case reports of ongoing ICT-ELI in Europe
Promoting curriculum development that leaves room for teachers to work in small autonomous and interdisciplinary teams, with enough flexibility to choose the
7. The following recommendations refer to School Staff Professional Development. Please evaluate how relevant is each of the recommendations for further developing and mainstreaming
and ICT skills (e g. through in service training, peer-learning and informal and non -formal learning), as lifelong learners themselves
If you have additional policy recommendations concerning School Staff Professional Development, please write them down
Staff Professional Development) and exchange knowledge and'success stories'of innovation for learning 10a. If you have additional policy recommendations concerning connectedness,
Kampei Hayashi Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Panagiotis Kampylis JRC-IPTS Paul Kelley Science+Technology in Learning, United kingdom
Promoting curriculum development that leaves room for teachers to work in small autonomous and interdisciplinary teams, with enough flexibility to
choose the content. timetable etc 2. 7 4. 7 5. 4 6. 7 18.1 30.9 31.5 62.4
School staff professional development †policy recommendations-frequency distribution %1 2 3 4 5 6 7 C
and ICT skills (e g. through in service training peer-learning and informal and non-formal learning), as lifelong learners themselves
Breakdowns according to the background of experts Table 19: Content and curricula policy recommendations according to the background
Promoting curriculum development that leaves room for teachers to work in small autonomous and interdisciplinary teams, with enough flexibility to
choose the content, timetable etc 5. 51 1. 64 68 5. 56 1. 58 32
School Staff Professional Development; Research; Organisation and Leadership; Connectedness; and Infrastructure. The number and variety of the recommendations provided depict the complexity of ICT-ELI and the systemic
of ehealth experts and the support of numerous colleagues at the World health organization headquarters, regional, and country offices.
Sincere thanks are due to over 800 ehealth experts in 114 countries worldwide who assisted with the design, implementation,
Special thanks to Mark Spohr for his generous contribution to this work and who drafted this report.
In fact, these systems require abundant resources including skilled labour technological, and financial means, all of which can be difficult to procure in low-income settings.
most countries due to overall lack of clarity by policy-makers, health professionals, and consultants; the fact that there are no standardized and accepted definitions across the sector furthers the confusion.
mechanisms to develop the capacity of health workers; and options to ensure the continuity and sustainability of the effort
and strengthen capacity through training to use, work with, and develop effective ICTS. It is useful to
Although the lessons discovered from the work of the Gates Foundation and infodev were drawn all from
developing countries with the goal of providing guidance on what works and how many of these lessons
increase in immunization rates, improved data collection, increased staff productivity, increased visitor satisfaction with services, improved communication, quality of care, access to data, reduced medical
errors, and more efficient use of staff time. Some of the disadvantages noted were: time-consuming data
efficiently and accurately guide low-skilled health care workers through the diagnosis and treatment of patients following national protocols.
pharmaceutical and laboratory work. They used free open-source software for the project which enabled them to enlist the support of a large community.
improved quality of care and a high level of acceptance by clinical workers EMR systems are available from both closed proprietary systems developed
sites for analysis. In order for this to work, there must be standards for representing the data and for
usage) and human resources development are critical components within systems, and must be addressed A nalysis of survey results
system is more cumbersome (labour-intensive) and prone to error Key findings  Use of electronic formats is aggregated higher for data than individual data
crucial to this work Regional or district offices are involved often in immediate short-term operational planning for the
which includes allocating human resources and materials and supplies for the operation of local facilities. Monitoring and evaluation activities are integral to that
Defining standards is a complex and labour intensive task. Fortunately, many international organizations have taken up the work of developing
and maintaining standards. This gives countries access to well researched and defined standards that they can adopt
discussed below reveal, a great deal of work is being done in this area ISO TC 215 and CEN/TC 251
ISO€ s Technical Committee (TC) 215 on health informatics works on health information and communications technology to facilitate interoperability of health data
The Comitã Europã en de Normalisation (CEN) TC 251 on health informatics works on standardization
CEN TC 251 works closely with the ISO TC 215 to develop standards as well. Over the past few years these standards have addressed a wide
Both the survey and literature reveal the pressing need for investment in human resources and ICT
Human resources for implementation and training are the greatest cost of patient information systems. Free open-source software enables the development of sustainable local human
leverage the investment in trained human resources for maximum benefit A major and well recognized obstacle to the adoption of patient information systems, particularly
•study how the program works and adapt it (freedom 1 •redistribute (adapted) copies to others (freedom 2;
government, WHO regional and country offices, collaborating centres and professional associations Over 50 experts worldwide were involved in the process.
Collaborative efforts extended to other WHO programmes as well as international organizations, such as the International Telecommunications Union ITU) and Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). An online forum to discuss
regional offices had to assign staff to assist in coordinating the survey process with countries in their
Their responsibilities included finding experts in all of the areas addressed by the survey, and organizing and hosting a full-day meeting where the survey
now consists of over 800 ehealth experts Limitations Member States were limited to one response per country;
effort was made to select the best national experts to complete the instrument; however, it is not possible
91.8%micro<10 employees 6. 9%small<50 employees 1. 1%medium<250 employees 0. 2%large>250 employees
6 7 8 9 2. Small Business and the EU The phrase Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMES) 1 is an intrinsic part of our
2011 vocabulary. Everybody knows it or has heard at least of it. But what exactly constitutes an SME?
Are you an SME? And why is this important to know? These questions will be answered in this chapter
without any staff, you may call yourself an enterprise. The second, and arguably most important step towards determining
1. Staff head count 2. Annual turnover 3. Annual balance sheet If you are an enterprise with no more than 250 employees, an annual turnover
below â 50 million or a balance sheet total below â 43 million, you may call yourself
meaning less than 10 employees. This group of busi -nesses is accountable for more than two thirds of the EU€ s workforce
91.8%micro<10 employees 6. 9%small<50 employees 1. 1%medium<250 employees 0. 2%large>250 employees
1. http://ec. europa. eu/enterprise/policies/sme/small-business-act/think-small-first /Source:
Eurostat-European Business: Facts & Figures, 2009 Apart from being the largest group of businesses,
micro-entities are also the most vulnerable kind of enterprise, notably in terms of size and resources. An obliga
a company of 200 employees, still constituting an SME, but can be detrimental to a micro business which often lacks staff
1. Employment, 75%of citizens between 20-64 years old should have a job 2. Innovation, 3%of the EU€ s GDP should go to investments in R&d
changes of the labour market. Therefore, unemployment will be decreased and production will be increased 3. Benefits from the EU
16 17 3. 1. 2 Using Existing Tools EU 2020 uses already existing tools in order to achieve its targets.
competitiveness, growth and employment to boost the Single Market •External Policy Tools: The European commission ensures that SMES have the same
employees or to launch new products Public Procurement Public Procurement is the purchase of goods, work or services by a government or a public agency
Through the Single Market Act, the European commission aims to improve access to public procure -ment for SME€ s by simplifying the process
to bring social progress, employment and a positive outcome for the environment Indeed, the Single Market can offer many advantages for your business.
research and development and innovation, resource-efficiency and employment in order to ensure that reforms being pursued in these sectors are held successfully
•Directive on reduced VAT rates for labour-intensive services •Revision of the-already existing-Late Payments Directive
4. Promotion of entrepreneurship, job creation and inclusive growth The Commission will present a set of policy recommendations throughout 2011
Also the Council of ministers stated that the Member States would work together with the European commission to implement the Small Business Act
The funding covers exchange of experience, recruitment of experienced researchers and to help organise workshops and conferences.
The European commission issues calls for project proposals, experts and competitive calls on the FP7 website
convergence, regional competitiveness and employment and Euro -pean Territorial Cooperation SMES can benefit from different funding possibilities targeting the above objectives.
In particular, its aim is to contribute to the growth of the job market. The European commission in cooperation with the Member States agree on Operational Programmes.
-lic administrations, NGOS and social partners, involved in the sector of employment and social inclusion http://ec. europa. eu/employment social/emplweb/esf projects 117/search. cfm
4. 3. 2 Regional Competitiveness and Employment This objective aims at boosting the growth of employment.
Funding is provided to wealthier regions of the EU in order to encourage an even higher development and make sure that poverty is eliminated. 168
ESF under the Regional Competitiveness and Employment Objective supports the adaption of enter -prises and workers through lifelong learning as well as innovation within organisations.
It concerns all regions that are included not in the Convergence objective http://ec. europa. eu/regional policy/funds/fse/index en. htm
All SMES with less than 250 employees in all 27 EU countries are eligible. The regions under both the
In this context, SME employees can develop their skills to match the continuous challenges stemming from evolving working environments
The programme consists of 3 actions: Mobility, Partnerships and Multilateral projects. SMES have the opportunity to participate in funded projects through an annual call for proposals.
EURES http://ec. europa. eu/eures/home. jsp? lang=en This is a portal comprising of more than 850 advisers providing information, advice and services such as
job matching of job seekers and employers European Business and Innovation Centre Network (EBN http://www. ebn. be
This is a nongovernmental, pan-European network of more than 200 Business and Innovation Centres and similar organisations.
It is an umbrella organization providing assistance and expert advice to its members European E-business Support Network Portal (ebsn
Table 3. 1%Breakdown of Enterprises & Employees in the Midwest Region 21 Table 3. 2 Midwest Employment by Sector Q1 2012, based on FÃ S
Regional Labour market Bulletin 2012 & CSO Figures 21 Table 3. 3 Number of Phd Graduates †Midwest Region 2008-2010 23
Table 3. 4 Number Of high Potential Start ups per Region 2012 26 Table 3. 5 BERD Spend by Region by EI Companies (Source:
achieve higher levels of employment right across Europe Ireland is embracing a new chapter in
contributing to business and employment growth. Greater collaboration amongst the actors involved in research and innovation
of unemployment, Gross Value Added (GVA) which is below the national average and low numbers
the employment of a dedicated Cluster Facilitator and the establishment of a formal monitoring framework
Given the extensive work already being undertaken to promote research and innovation in the Region, and the aim of this Strategy to increase innovation through greater collaboration, the
assets and outputs and employment in knowledge-intensive activities5. This analysis recognises that Ireland†s innovation
strengths are in human resources and economic effects while our weaknesses relate to finance and support, and firm
•Availability of skilled labour •Flexibility and adaptability of workforce •Attitudes to globalisation
•Inclusive growth, fostering a high-employment economy and delivering economic, social and territorial cohesion Investing in research, innovation and entrepreneurship is
The irish Government Strategy for Job creation and the commitments under the Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation (DJEI) Action Plans for Jobs 2012-2014 have identified the need to target
employment creation across the economy The Action Plan for Jobs 2014 identifies building competitive advantage through innovation as a key
Plan aims to ensure the creation of highly productive knowledge-based employment and to offer a
s Innovation Works Report 2004 •Report of the Research Prioritisation •Steering Group 2011
-West Region has an employment rate of 62.9%(based on population in the 20-64 age cohort.
and to expand the employment base in the Midwest Region 3. 1 Infrastructural Connectivity The Midwest Region has global trading links and excellent
>250 employees) account for less than 1%of the total active enterprises; however, they account for 20%of total employees
in enterprises. Large enterprises and foreign direct investment FDI) are both a significant economic contributor and employer
in the Midwest Region 21 Research & Innovation Strategy for the Midwest Region of Ireland 2014-2018
+%Breakdown of Enterprises & Employees 0 %20 %40 %60 %80 %100 %Enterprises Employees Table 3. 1%Breakdown of Enterprises & Employees in the Midwest Region
Source: CSO Business Demography 2011 & MWRA Analysis CSO figures from Q1 2012 indicate that industry was the largest employer in the Midwest Region
employing 16%of the total workforce, with a further 14%employed in the wholesale and retail
sector. The public sector (PAD, health and education combined) employed approximately 36,000 persons, accounting for almost 25%of the total workforce.
professional, financial and IT activities accounted for 12%of the Region†s employment See Table 3. 2
Employment by broad economic sector, Q1 2012 Industry Wholesale & Retail Health Education Construction Accommodation & Food
%Table 3. 2 Midwest Employment by Sector Q1 2012, based on FÃ S Regional Labour market Bulletin
and high-end employment, the economy of the Region is also highly dependent on the indigenous SME sector for growth and employment.
Therefore while it is important for the Region to improve collaboration and innovation amongst large-scale and FDI industries, it is also critically important to
The number of graduates from Higher education Institutes in the Midwest who secure employment in the Region is an indicator of academic and business performance.
%of the cost of research work to develop new and improved products, processes or services, or
Samco to employ a strong R&d team within the company and increase staff accordingly. It also demonstrated how R&d work can increase sales, job
contributors to job creation and economic prosperity. HPSU activity in the Midwest Region has been low in recent years.
Tyndall has over 460 researchers, scientists, engineers and support staff including 135 graduates from many disciplines including Chemistry, Bio
the work and expertise of several UL-based research centres focused on sustainable forms of energy,
and the progression of employment-related development in the Region. The presence of a number of highly regarded Higher
which in turn will lead to job creation. Funding has been provided to establish industry-led technology centres. The centres are a joint initiative between Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland
support sustainable economic growth, regional development and secure employment 4. 4. 2 Industrial Development Agency (IDA
employee training and up-skilling space and information for businesses on the state supports and
However, further work and collaboration is required if the Region is to reach its full potential.
The implementation of smart specialisation policies ensures the promotion of knowledge spill over and technological diversifi cation in the region.
and their executives can have a signifi cant impact on locational choice. The smart specialisation
c) Data pertaining to employment, turnover and exports in the Region from the Central Statistics
•To work with businesses in the identified sectors to establish the barriers to business
•To work in coordination with key stakeholders in the Region e g. local authorities, Higher Education Institutes and business support agencies such as Enterprise Ireland to ensure that
•To monitor the impact of analysis and investment, particularly in the areas of employment
the capacity to work with innovation in an international arena Clusters also attract the development of new businesses.
Survival Job creation Salary levels Tax +23 %+35 %+19 %+34 %Figure 5. 3 Survey of new firms
strengthen enterprise and employment within the energy sector in the Cork region. Supported by Cork City council and Cork County Council through their
•To work with Innovate Limerick Ltd . and the Local authorities in the Midwest to develop a
success of previous events that have been organised through the work of the Alliance since 2009 Source:
supports is a key component of the promotion of business development and innovation in a region
•To work with the Higher education Institutes in the Region to maintain and enhance their
•To work with Innovate Limerick Ltd. to provide incentives to cultivate Limerick as a
continue to work to raise awareness and increase up-take of the supports that are available to
It is recommended also that they work in collaboration with Innovate Limerick Ltd. to develop a suitable Investor Forum Programme for the Region
also work with SMES to support their participation in Horizon 2020 calls and projects. Assistance
however, that the LEOS work in close co-operation with the HEIS in the Region who have both experience
and expertise in this area to ensure that the work of the LEO complements the existing role of the HEIS in accessing EU funding under a variety of
One of the objectives of the LECPS is the promotion of economic development in the functional area
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