schools use computers for administrative purposes. ICTS have impacted greatly the health sector and are increasingly being used to improve the administrative efficiency of health
2. What kind of data and information may be collected to understand the extent of immunization system and immunisation coverage
stand-alone computers. Some of the healthcare systems that have been developed include billing, financial systems, patient registration, computer based record systems and pharmacy
systems. Most of lab equipment and radiology equipment are computerized now and linked through data networks.
Telemedicine which uses telecommunication and multimedia technologies is used now increasingly for remote consultation, diagnostics and examination of
patients over the internet. As far as improving education in health is concerned, ICTS are being used for sharing documents, simulations of health scenario planning, training
interactive environments and self managed e-learning Healthnet one of the most widely implemented computer-based telecommunications systems
in Sub-saharan africa, currently is being used in over 30 countries by around 10,000 healthcare workers to exchange ideas
Healthnet uses low earth orbit satellites and phonelines to provide email access system of local telecommunications sites used to provide low cost access to
healthcare information in developing countries through a link to basic email (Kasozi and Nkuuhe, 2003.
Users mainly physicians and medical workers connect to the network through Enhancing healthcare delivery through ICTS 147
local telephone nodes to access services such as physician collaborations (Mozambique Tanzania, Uganda. Data collection (Gambia), healthcare delivery (Ethiopia), research
Ghana), medical databases, consultation and referral scheduling, epidemic alerts and medical libraries Mozambique a Sub-saharan africa country, launched its first Telemedicine project in 1998
This was mainly a link connecting two central hospitals was built based on existing terrestrial and satellite communications system using low cost equipment for transmission, exchange
and visualization of images and radiographs (ITU, 1998. In Uganda hand-helds (Epihandy are being used by healthcare staff for communication (e-mail), demographic studies and
Across Sub-saharan africa, the Internet is used to report daily cases of meningitis to monitor emerging epidemics.
the internet through â€oestore and forward technology (Groves, 1996. Satellife provides service to remote medical units through email and internet traffic as international telephone
connections to capital cities in the developing world. When epidemic threshold levels are reached, mass vaccination is required
and the Internet is used to rapidly mobilize medical personnel and effectively coordinate laboratories and specialist services.
display of immunisation activities, reporting of immunisation activities and reviews of immunisation plans 148 IJEDICT
environment and be able to exchange data and information on service delivery. In order to improve the efficiency
Effective data collection and sharing of information can be enhanced through the application of information and communication technologies
collecting and analysing disease spread data in a country, and educating the community about good healthy living (Wasukira, Somerwel and Wendt, 2003.
Out of the health facilities that were visited only two (2) private hospitals used computers for the registration of patients.
None of the health facilities used computers to process immunisation activities. Seven (7) out of the eight (8) health facilities had documented a well
Internet connectivity and email usage in the health sector is still low compared to other sectors
Medical personnel most commonly use computers like accountants and secretaries. Until 1993, Uganda had centralized a health information system (HIS)
which focussed on morbidity and mortality reporting, with data flowing only from individual health units to the district and
national level. A health management information system (HMIS) that emphasizes use of information at the point of collection is currently in use (Gladwin, Dixon and Wilson, 2003
In a resource constrained economy like Uganda, the responsibilities for planning, resource mobilization and allocation, management immunization services, storage and distribution of
vaccines, supplies and equipment to the units under their supervision, maintenance of cold chain and training are done at the district
collecting, using and disseminating data, carrying out routine maintenance of cold chain reporting and management of outbreaks
computerized database Health Management Information system (HMIS. Districts that have a computer and resources to maintain it,
are provided with an easy spreadsheet based system for compiling monthly and annual reports. The reports from the districts are delivered to the
headquarters either by hand, fax or by email. The national office has a LAN at the
headquarters to enable health offices gain access to the HMIS products such as the ministry of health website.
Future expansion includes development of a WAN, to provide connectivity to the rest of the districts
infrastructure, hardware platform, base software platform), ICT shared services (as communications services), ICT applications (as WEB services), the human operators and the
managerial expertise to guarantee reliable services The paper suggests the following ICT innovations (Figure 5) for effective management of
In the proposed system, a SMART CARD will be prepared for each child born. The card will have a chip card that can be swapped for record updates and the following details
•Father†s name, address, telephone number •Mother†s name, address, telephone number •Location: Local council, village, parish, county, district
•Dates of immunization of the various vaccines Health Units: The health units will have a SMART CARD writer
which can update the immunization records. Stock and logistics updates and orders will be captured by using the
The data is uploaded then onto the handheld device and sent to the district database through a fixed wireless terminal.
Orders and updates of vaccines from the various health units is compiled to facilitate decision making processes at the district level.
generated and the data is uploaded then to the national database. Health workers will use the
using a TV monitor thus facilitating training and health education in the community Enhancing healthcare delivery through ICTS 155
At the district level, data can be used to prepare forecasts, analysis and plans for the district.
The data from all the districts is compiled to obtain the national immunization performance. The data can then be used to
generate national targets, imports of vaccines and supplies, management of staff and equipment as well as enhance decision making process for long term plans
electronic health systems and, third to create a public database that holds data at the
computing in which the limited computing resources at several locations can be combined to undertake massive computing tasks as provide flexible use of resources for a variety of
applications REFERENCES Barenzi, J. Makumbi, I. and Seruyange, I. 2000). Immunization practice in Uganda. A manual
Clair, D. 1999), ††The implications of information technology infrastructure for business process redesign, MIS Quarterly, vol. 23, no. 2, pp159-82
Managing information technology infrastructure: a new flexibility framework. Management Research News vol. 29, no. 10 pp. 632-651
Information technology and telemedicine in sub -Saharan Africa. British Medical Journal vol. 321, pp. 465-466
information system. Health Policy and Planning. vol. 18, no. 2 Groves, T. 1996) Satellife: getting relevant information to the developing world.
Community Informatics, Community networks and strategies for flexible networking In L. Keeble and B. Loader (eds.
Community Informatics: Shaping computer mediated social relations, Routledge, London Kasozi, M. and Nkuuhe, J. 2003. Uganda Chartered Healthnet promotes healthcare using
Handheld devices. I-network Uganda. Vol. 2, pp. 4 Martin, J. F. and Marshall, J. 2002.
Communications of Associations for Information systems. Vol. 15, pp. 33 Nambaziira, S. 2006. An online tool for Monitoring and tracking vaccines and vaccine
Information systems: A System Dynamics Approach. Stud Health Technol Inform. vol 130, pp. 247-56 SATELLIFE PDA Project (2002.
Testing the use of handheld computers for heathcare in Ghana, Uganda, and Kenya. Report published:
http://ijedict. dec. uwi. edu//viewarticle. php? id=465
NON CLASSIFIE UNCLASSIFIED Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Organisation de Coopã ration et de DÃ veloppement Economiques
The Information technology Strategy...12 The Niche Strategy...13 The Network and Flexible Production Strategies...15
The Added Value of R&d for Lead Technology Users...25 Making Innovation Possible for Technology Followers...
Clustering is particularly important to gain access to new ideas and tacit knowledge especially in young industries
must be targeted to meet the needs of a variety of user groups, have different objectives, and use multiple
•For â€oehigh-tech†SMES (the technology developers or lead technology users), which make up less than 15%of
minimal cost with which information can be transmitted across geographic space via the Internet, fax machines and electronic communication superhighways, The Economist recently proclaimed â€oethe Death
of Distance†on its front page. 2 While the telecommunications revolution has brought the cost of transmitting information across geographic space to virtually zero,
the Gellman (1976,1982) data base identified SMES as contributing 2. 45 times more innovations per employee than do large firms.
more to innovative activity in electronic computing equipment and process control instruments, but large corporations contribute more in pharmaceuticals and aircraft.
â'Leading technology users (of varying R&d capacity7), which are 10-15%of SMES â'Technology followers, totalling between 80-85%of the population
7 The distinction between leading technology users with and without sufficient R&d capacity might need some
1) high tech, potentially high growth firms and research oriented consultancies which include engineering services, technology
The leading technology users include two main subgroups: those with sufficient R&d capacity to perform R&d projects themselves
LEADING TECHNOLOGY USERS 2 sub groups: with and without R&d capacity Technology Followers SIZE Often small companies (40
Biotechnology, electronics and telecommunication, industrial software applications, new materials WK1 10 their turnover Source: Clarysse and Duchã ne, 2000.
all SMES †the technology developer and leading technology user groups †are active innovators.
for SMES must be targeted to different user groups, have different objectives, and use several approaches
â'The information technology strategy, which makes innovative uses of information technology in order to reduce SME costs and increase productivity
â'The niche strategy, in which SMES choose to become sophisticated global players in a
The most innovative industries, such as computers, instruments and pharmaceuticals also tend to be the most R&d intensive (Audretsch, 1995.
newly emerging industries like biotechnology and computer software (Audretsch, 1995. One answer is that knowledge inputs come from third-party firms
The Information technology Strategy 37. A second strategy SMES can use to improve their competitiveness in global markets involves the
which include the Internet and the microprocessor, help mitigate economies of scale and the gains traditionally associated with large-scale production.
New web-based information technologies are enabling SMES to attain global marketing capabilities at very low costs.
SMES are also using electronic commerce and internet-based access to products like financial and accounting management software systems that enhance organisational and
management capabilities, while at the same time reduce the high costs associated with managing SMES Such products enable SMES to create virtual warehouses,
But to properly take advantage of such internet-based financial and accounting systems, SMES typically need to modify
competitiveness in global markets is to use the digital technology to develop core competencies and
front, they make parallel-processing computers for Japan and satellite receivers for Germany.""12 41. To some extent this is strategy employed by Germany's small-and mid-size companies
focusing upon the core product. But because of their specialisation and small size, Mittelstand companies are often at a disadvantage in terms of economies of scale.
individuals move easily from semiconductor to disk drive firms or from computer to network makers. They move from established firms to start-ups (or vice versa) and even to market research
â'Clustering. Groups of enterprises working in the same product are seedbeds for the exchange of new ideas.
In a clustering strategy, firms take advantage of linkages with other enterprises afforded by geographic proximity,
a world of E-mail, fax machines, and cyberspace, where the cost of communications has plummeted. But
geographic space has been reduced drastically with the telecommunications revolution, the marginal cost of transmitting knowledge, and especially tacit knowledge, actually rises with distance
Data constraints can be overcome to study the extent of knowledge spillovers and their link to the geography of innovative activity using proxies like patenting activity, patent citations
NC, CAD-CAM, and related technologies. According to several surveys of the Italian clusters, they facilitated the diffusion of new technologies through
Leading Technology Users 10-15%of the SME population(>5 employees Technology Developers 1-3%of the SME population(>5
Both technology developers and technology users who have a sufficient R&d capacity are able to
31%are leading technology users with WK1 21 sufficient R&d capacity16. If we exclude the CRAFT projects from the analysis, 17 43%of the SMES that
Leading technology users who do not have sufficient internal R&d capacity and technology followers, on the other hand, experience huge difficulties in applying for R&d grants.
Leading technology users without a sufficient internal R&d capacity are often too small in scale to apply for grants.
technology developers and those lead technology users with an internal R&d capacity. Most national R&d
developers,(2) lead technology users, and (3) technology followers with a potential for innovative activity
as seed financing for high tech and potentially high growth SMES. According to Mustar (1997), about 70
projects were either â€oetechnology developers†or â€oeleading technology users. †18 Clarysse, Removille, and Muldur (1999) further explored the profile of these enterprises
and 26%were leading technology users with an R&d capacity (often from traditional industries such as textiles, construction, and agriculture
Technology Developers Leading Technology Users New Technology Based Firms Service organisations Firm age 11 15 40
We can conclude from Table 3 that the leading technology users who participate in Commission†s Fourth Framework Programme are significantly older and larger than are the technology
users are significantly less R&d intensive. It is interesting that the consulting organisations are quite R&d
users. However, technology developers are also the companies least dependent on the R&d grants to finance their technological developments.
which is significantly lower than the 16.8%reported by the leading technology users. New technology
eighties and early nineties, a period during which high tech, high growth companies were very scarce
-ups are in information technologies--software, Internet, and telecommunication software. Because these firms are focused more on providing a service and face much shorter development times, these companies
do not follow a clear technological innovation trajectory and are thus not easy to evaluate by public
The Added Value of R&d for Lead Technology Users 81. As is shown in Table 3,
leading technology users are important participants in public R&d programmes. A recent econometric (Meeusen, 2000), shows that R&d grants given by the Flemish IWT to
comparability of the data in this table is guaranteed not fully 21 Year founded 22 Not included:
investments of leading technology users (i e. they do not substitute the existing R&d budgets 82.
Although technology users are a large subgroup in the SME population, their profile is much less
A typical leading technology user could be an SME active in the textiles industry for
Leading technology users, according to an EC audit, are most likely to participate in programmes designed specifically for SMES.
users 55 %CRA FT (cooperative project technology follow ers 6 %technology developers 17 %leading technology
users 77 %Source: Clarysse and Duchã ne based on SME Co-ordination unit, DG XII (1998
technology users first because the programmes fund smaller projects. The financial sums involved are often too small to satisfy the needs of technology developers who have substantial R&d budgets.
design, SME-customised innovation programmes tend to reach leading technology users 85. Since public R&d grants to leading technology users actually encourages these firms to
subsequently increase their R&d expenditures, this subpopulation of SMES is a politically attractive target group.
Lead technology users tend to see public R&d grants as a way to professionalise their R&d efforts
In order to target leading technology users, programme procedures should be simple since they do not have the organisational slack to devote resources to search for funding
Information technology Grant advice Direct access Access via business review %Source: Ernst & young Evaluation Report (1996), as cited in Clarysse and Duchã ne, 2000
core competencies scan (which lasts 3 hours and is used to define SME core competencies the network scan (which lasts 3 hours
and identifies the network needs); and the innovation scan (to measure the innovative capability of the SME.
through web sites, production of newsletters, even regional television 94. In sum, the potential innovators in the group of technology followers are a large and important
The second group, the leading technology users, has benefited the most from the recent SME -friendly programmes introduced by many OECD countries.
complex web of public initiatives, governments try to develop â€oesingle point of sales†entries for SMES
and Han Zhang, 1999, â€oesmall Business in the Digital economy: Digital Company of the Future, †paper presented at the conference, Understanding the Digital economy
Data, Tools, and Research, Washington, D c.,25-26,may 1999 Berman, Eli, John Bound and Stephen Machin, 1997, †Implications of Skill-Biased Technological Change
International Evidence, †working paper 6166, National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER Cambridge, MA Bessant, J.,1999, â€oethe Rise and Fall of Supernet:
OECD, 1999, Cluster analysis and Cluster-based Policy in OECD countries, Paris: OECD Porter, M. 1990), The Comparative Advantage of Nations, New york:
Prevenzer, Martha, 1997, †The Dynamics of Industrial Clustering in Biotechnology, †Small Business Economics, 9 (3), 255-271
analysis on a primary data set of 120 SMES in the Cibaduyut footwear-manufacturing cluster, Indonesia.
development of clusters in the U s. computer industry in the 1980s led to increased innovation and industry rejuvenation.
Research Design and Data Collection We collected the data in 2012 based on an extensive survey in this cluster,
using questionnaires and interviews among owners and managers of the companies. Our sample is comprised of 120 owners/managers representing 120 footwear firms in Cibaduyut.
the official database of company addresses is at best incomplete. We combed through every area in Cibaduyut and compiled contact addresses.
data set presents a near complete representation of firms in this cluster Measures and Validation Innovative performance
development of new software, enhanced user friendliness, and other aspects (OECD, 2005). We define product innovation in terms of changes in materials, features, and design;
limit for normal distribution of  2 (George & Mallery, 2011) †indicating that the data are close
blog-transformed +p<0. 10 *p<0. 05 **p<0. 01 ***p<0. 001 17
Our analysis, based on primary data collected through interviews and questionnaires, provided mixed support for our hypotheses.
First, the data we used, although original and derived from field research, is cross-sectional. This
Collecting longitudinal data in the emerging economy context is particularly challenging, given the lack of governmental level initiatives to this end
Discovering Statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics (Vol. Fourth Edition London: Sage publication Fontes, M. 2005.
Investigation of clustering impact to SMES€ innovation in Indonesia. Paper presented at the 2nd International Conference on International Business (ICIB
social networks in the surgical instrument cluster of Sialkot -Development and Change-Pakistan. Development and Change, 30 (1), 141-175
Firm clustering and innovation: Determinants and effects. Papers in Regional Science, 80,337-356 PÃ rez-Luã o, A.,Wiklund, J,
and software firms in southeast England. Research Policy, 31 (7), 1053-1067 Romijn, H, . & Albu, M. 2002).
Clustering and Industrialization: Introduction. World Development, 27 (9), 1503-1514 Schoales, J. 2006. Alpha Clusters:
Innovation and Clustering in the Globalised International Economy. Urban Studies, 41 (5/6), 1095-1112
the CNIPMMR study pointing out data about Romanian SMES innovation activities and use of information technology in such
2. Data used Data used for this article was collected and compiled by CNIPMMR (Consiliul Naå£ional al à ntreprinderilor
Private Mici Å i Mijlocii din Romã¢nia †National Council of Small and Medium Sized Private Enterprises
According to the CNIPMMR, the data regarding the nature of innovation activities in SMES show that most
reached 16,45%and modernization of information systems 7, 60%(figure 1 Figure 1: The nature of innovation in Romanian SMES
Own adaptation based on CNIPMMR data (2011-2013 3. 2 Innovation investments In terms of share of investments allocated to innovation from the total enterprises investments almost half of
According to Internet World Stats (a Miniwatts Marketing Group initiative) in 2012 (June) there were over 9, 6
million Internet users in Romania, which means a 44%Internet penetration rate, above the world rate (34,3%)but
under the European rate of 63,2%.%Next will present information about if and how the Romanian SMES use IT
and utilize computers (81,94) %and access & use the Internet (80.83%)in their activities. Three quarters of SMES use the electronic mail
and a just over a quarter have their own website, but just 4, 33%are involved in online selling
and buying transactions and under 1 per cent of SMES have intranet. In 15.56 %of the SMES have no IT facilities
3. 6 Use of Internet and Intranet in SMES The analysis of the purpose why SMES use Internet & Intranet point out that in more than 75%of the
companies†information technology is used for a better communication with customers and suppliers (see figure 5 A significant percentage of SMES use the Internet for gathering information about the business environment in
which they operate (67,17%.%Over 50 percentage of SME use the Internet for online transactions, 45,71%use it for
promoting their products and services and 39,50%for better communication inside their enterprises 0. 39
0. 5 4. 33 15.56 27.5 76 80.83 81.94 Others Intranet Selling/shopping online None of the above
Own website E-mail Internet Computers 518 Nelu Eugen Popescu/Procedia Economics and Finance 16 (2014) 512 †520
Figure 5: Internet & Intranet use in Romanian SMES Source: CNIPMMR, White Charter of Romanian SMES †11th Edition, Sigma Publishing house, 2013
3. 7 Perceived benefits of IT applications in business Top benefits of IT application for their business processes in the Romanian SMES vision are data security
48,44%),fast access to the enterprise data form anywhere and at anytime (38.21%)and regulatory compliance
35.84%.%Least important benefits are regarded: better performance through optimized internal business processes 4. 2%)and obtaining detailed reports of departments activities.
see figure 6 Figure 6: Perceived benefits of IT application in business Source: CNIPMMR, White Charter of Romanian SMES †11th Edition, Sigma Publishing house, 2013
75.89 67.17 50.59 45.71 39.5 3. 04 To communicate with customers and suppliers To obtain information about the business enviroment
Access to company data anytime, anywhere Regulatory compliance Ease of team-working Better internal control
Removal of redundant data insertion in more†Ease of use due to romanian language interface Free and quick solution upgrade
Monthly subscription fee for usage Better performance through internal business†Detailed reports of departments activities
At inter-firm level the Internet may help reduce transaction cost and increase speed and reliability of transactions (OECD, 2004
Most SMES use computers, Internet and the e-mail in their business activities and some of them even developed
own websites (27.50%.%Only in 15.50%of SMES there are no IT structures. Usually enterprises use the IT
data security, data access from anywhere and at anytime, regulatory compliance, team-working possibilities and better internal control
†Telecommunications and Information Society†of the MEIS; the General Secretariat for †Industrial and Environmental Development†of the MEIS;
the leading regional company AT4 Wireless In addition to Marco Marchese and Jonathan Potter of the OECD LEED Secretariat, the review
The focus of the current programming period is on soft measures such as capacity building and institution building leading to greater competitiveness
At the core of the regional innovation policy are the 11 science and technology parks, alongside
ï Train entrepreneurs for global e-commerce through, for instance, the development of a web localisation certificate programme
ï Build (RETA and OTRI) an integrated database of faculty research and consulting skills to match the
Review panel visit The OECD Secretariat led an international panel of experts in a one-week peer review visit in
Andalusia from 12 to 16 april 2010. During the study visit, the expert team interviewed regional
drawing on the results of the diagnostic report, the panel review exercise, and additional literature and material about the Andalusia economy.
OECD Regional Database The socioeconomic context Andalusia is the southernmost region of peninsular Spain and has lagged traditionally behind the
workforce of 34 000 people in 2007 prior to the crisis. Telecommunications is the biggest subsector
ii) providing traditional small companies in industrial estates and peripheral/rural areas with similar technology development opportunities of those provided within technology parks.
social networks and effectiveness in building new ties (Mosey & Wright 2007. Firms that interact with a greater variety of actors and across diverse institutional environments, are more likely to
†New Madrileã os, Future Entrepreneurs†after they realized that one out of four applicants for
/boletines/2004/996/d/updf/d1. pdf 3 Professor Manuel Castells†s work on the network society was
/updf/d1. pdf Interuniversity cooperation is fluid but sometimes sensitive because these regional universities are competitors:
An important and effective regional programme to upgrade local talent is Talentia, by which the
by helping a variety of businesses access resources, such as information technology, that will increase their innovativeness
http://www. educacion. es/horizontales/prensa/discursos/2010/02/comparecencia-discurso. html Changes in the university system present another opportunity.
Andalusia experiences a chronic schism between economic and workforce development programming that makes it difficult for businesses to obtain appropriately trained labour and, most pertinent for
EVA was an online site that intended to implement advanced and innovative training programs for the changing needs of SMES and government officials through two courses.
provided training in information technologies to SMES that were part of a relevant cluster in Andalusia. The
business management software (to 28%)and web and email (to 19 %Training of RETA agents:
mostly on basic IT services, teaching its firms how to use electronic signatures and anti-virus software rather than, for instance, how to develop e-commerce capabilities
and would benefit from the development of a web localization certificate program by an organisation with expertise in global e-commerce
Web localization certificate programmes: Training entrepreneurs for global e-commerce Although entrepreneurship programs have offered training in e-commerce for many years
experience with global markets has shown that many websites are not appropriate to attract consumers in foreign markets.
Localizing websites, i e.,, customizing them for local cultures, will improve comprehension, navigation, site visit duration, and most importantly, purchasing (Singh and Pereira
multilingual websites that work in different national contexts. However, only a few localization training programs exist, leading to a human capital deficit in this area.
and the lack of web and IT expertise among traditional businesses. Curious about the region, online visitors could be attracted to
visit websites about local culture and products. At present, the region is served by two regional touristic websites, both of which do not reflect the state-of-the-art of web design and functionalities
Given its experience offering IT training, as well as its past role in the Digital Cluster program, RETA
/Austin Community college, http://www. austincc. edu/techcert/localization. php; California State University-Chico, http://rce. csuchico. edu/localize
http://www. centrodeestudiosandaluces. es/index. php? mod=publicaciones&cat=18&id=2526&id a=0&idm =Chapple, K. 2005.
Attitudes to innovation in peripheral economic regions. Research Policy, 37,6-7: 1009-1021 Cuadrado-Roura, J. R. & Garcia-Tabuenca, A. Innovative and Creative Entrepreneurship in Spain
Nuevos madrileã os, futuros empresarios http://www. madridpress. com/noticia/106049/INMIGRANTES/nuevos-madrile%C3%B1os
-futuros-empresarios. html Elliott, M.,Roder, A.,King, E, . & Stillman, J. 2001). Gearing Up:
luzdeinvestigacionxdesarrolloeinnovacion . pdf Junta de Andalucã a. 2009. Arranca el curso 2009-10 en la Universidad de Má
http://www. juntadeandalucia. es/compromisos20082012/principal noticia. php? id noticia=327 Katz, L. and K. Murphy. 2002.
http://colosus. ncee. org/pdf/wfd/Under one roof final. pdf OECD & Eurostat. 2005. Oslo Manual: Guidelines for Collecting and Interpreting Innovation Data
3rd edition. Paris: OECD. Available at www. oecd. org/sti/oslomanual Osterman, P. 1999. Securing prosperity:
and diffused across researchers and users. The proximity effect of knowledge transfer provides a strong clue as to why universities are seen increasingly as an essential element in
knowledge, and in linking them with global ones. The impact of the university can extend beyond the
knowledge base are found in information technology and biotechnology. While firms in these sectors use their own R&d departments to select from the vast sources of codified knowledge available to
The most recent and current programming period for Cohesion Policy is 2007-2013. This period has
Classification which covers the core actors in the innovation sector in Andalusia The PAIDI is an operational plan that elaborates on the specific institutional agents to implement
designate research teams as a core element in the internal structure of the universities (Ramos-Vielba
in telematics and information and communications technology. They have very good performance indicators at the national level in this research area and the ICT research groups within the university
data gathered by the university technology transfer offices. The findings of this research are highly
-makers who rely on the formal data collected by university technology transfer offices are privy to at
Create a database of faculty†s skills and match it with the innovative needs of local firms
database of faculty research and consulting skills at the nine research universities in the region.
IESA-CSIC surveys might even provide the preliminary basis for constructing such a database if the
Once they have begun to use the database to link researchers up with firms in need of their expertise, RETA and RED-OTRI could extend the model to the other
and social networks among private firms and university researchers that are viewed as a central component of third generation innovation models
both the database of expert skills in the universities and the creation of a focused cooperative
the social networks between firms and universities. The objective of this third recommendation would be the creation of a †virtual technology park†for some of the innovative firms dispersed throughout the
http://www. nrc-cnrc. gc. ca/eng/ibp/irap. html The Cooperative Education Program at the University of Waterloo
as well as global ones, have deep and enduring links with the co -op program. Mike Lazaridis, the co-CEO of Research in motion, is an active and vocal proponent of
At Sybase, an enterprise software company that spun-off from the original WATCOM Corporation, with over 250 employees in its Waterloo
the relatively new field of computing science in the 1960s and 1970s. The exposure that students had
with global ones to attract the best students, though they retain the benefit of location. For instance, in
a recent speech at the university during his Microsoft 2005 Tour, Bill gates referred to Waterloo as †a
international reputation by attracting global firms, such as Microsoft and Google, to both recruit from the region as well as establish research branches in Waterloo region.
barrier, the increasing use of telecommunications technology and the creation of denser social networks through intermediary agents, such as RETA, provide a solid basis that the hybrid forms of
Origins of the Waterloo ICT Cluster. †In Global networks and Local Linkages: The Paradox of Cluster Development in an Open Economy, eds David A
Andalusia†s entrepreneurship level was assessed by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM in 2006. The GEM highlights some of the most pertinent entrepreneurship features of the region
element of the spin-off†s core-business, and the corporate spin-off process results in significant
as shown by AT4-Wireless and other innovative firms. Curiously, for a region which has an extensive range of policies and tools to support entrepreneurship,
Such funding initially prioritised infrastructure but the current programming period focuses on softer aspects such as institutions, capacities, know-how, etc.
The next EU programming period will certainly result in a transition to lower levels of structural funds;
of support is actually a reduction compared with the preceding programming period, which focussed primarily on investment in infrastructure.
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) data, the density of enterprises was approaching the national level. The same report also suggested that the population of the region has a fairly high level of
was guided by a private sector-led Entrepreneurship Implementation Panel; the operational part of the project was managed by a special enterprise team established within the Welsh Development Agency
as shown by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor for Wales, include a noticeable change in the attitudes of the people in Wales towards entrepreneurship and a public sector
change, especially in view of the need to transit to the next programming phase where the region is
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (2006) Andalusia OECD (2001) Fostering Entrepreneurship, OECD, Paris OECD (2003) Entrepreneurship and Local Economic Development:
e g. use of information technology in routine business activities) within the mass of more traditional SMES A second,
levels of innovation, particularly R&d activities, among a core of SMES, appropriate to the innovation
data available indicate that the larger firm sectors, including medium sized firms, have been more heavily affected than smaller enterprises seeing much greater percentage falls in their numbers (see
accounting for around 35 percent of total exports according to the most recent data, 19 percent of this
information technology and communications. Second, export oriented-firms in more traditional sectors such as the agri-food sector and minerals and metals.
small core of high tech SMES and encourage the second tier of SMES to increase their levels of R&d
At the core of the broader innovation policy are the 11 science and technology parks
RETA expresses the more widely held belief that clustering of high technology firms, described as Andalusia†s †closeness†model is the most effective means of offering
basic levels of innovation among more traditional SMES (e g. use of anti-virus software, computer -based invoicing, etc) reaching out to over 80 000 firms since 2005.
For example, the policy of encouraging clustering of SMES in technology parks and industrial estates is informed by recent research that highlights the importance of encouraging proximity
clustering and co-presence of firms (as we have shown) is not in itself, sufficient to encourage higher
the often massive amounts of information and knowledge now available with internet communications to meet their specific needs.
The core of the model was to develop competitive advantage through strengthening existing local assets and in particular the huge diversity of food products that existed in the region as a result of its
Email: Sonninor@cardiff. ac. uk Professor Gianluca Brunori, Department of Agronomy and Management of the Agro-ecosystem
Email: gbrunori@agr. unipi. it Danish low-tech clusters and the †village economy†Description of the approach
http://ideas. repec. org/p/aal/abbswp/96-6. html http://www. druid. dk /Danish Technology Institute=www. dti. dk
should be directed at the most promising sectors that already display some international capability rather than spreading resources too thinly.
skills database that could be matched with the existing dataset of †innovative needs†of Andalusia
instruments for the promotion of business modernisation, the underlying rationale being that clustering of technology-intensive firms enhances their growth and expansion.
introduced small and peripheral firms to the use of simple ICT solutions (e g. electronic signature This work could be followed up by ICT-specialised organisations assisting small firms to introduce
and could indeed be matched with another database collecting the skills of university faculty members so as to ease knowledge transfer between HEIS and firms, including of small size.
Developing entrepreneurship skills to upgrade local industries Universities are being geared up to be conduits for knowledge and innovation in the new
Business clustering has brought significant advantages for smaller firms especially because of knowledge spillovers from one firm to another or from institutions to firms.
health sciences, information technology, aeronautics, and renewable energy, while finding ways of strengthening existing industry associations and bodies in other organisations.
ï Train entrepreneurs for global e-commerce through, for instance, the development of a web localisation certificate programme
ï Build (RETA and OTRI) an integrated database of faculty research and consulting skills to match the
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