Latest Documents

Innovation support in the enterprise sector: Industry and SMEs

This paper outlines major policy trends in public support of innovation activities in industry and SMEs across OECD countries. It discusses the policy mix to strengthen business R&D and innovation, and possible avenues to improve this mix in response to evolving needs, driven new trends in technology and other factors.

Policy initiatives to enhance the impact of public research: Promoting excellence, transfer and co-creation

Policies to boost the impact of public research can be classified into three broad categories. This paper illustrates the variety of options available within each type of policy, based on a review of 12 case studies across nine countries. The analysis looks at design options, budgets, implementation challenges, international scope, evaluation practices and lessons learnt from these policy initiatives.

Innovation policies for sustainable development: Low-carbon energy and smart-city initiatives

This paper benchmarks innovation policies for sustainability, focusing on low-carbon and environmental technologies and “smart-city” initiatives in selected OECD countries as well as the EU. It identifies critical success factors through a review of the policy portfolios of instruments, budgets, monitoring and evaluation strategies, and international co-operation strategies.

Review of national policy initiatives in support of digital and AI-driven innovation

This paper draws lessons from 12 national policy initiatives (four AI strategies and eight policy programmes) aimed at supporting breakthrough digital and AI-driven innovation and the application of those innovations by industry. Most of these initiatives actively involve multiple stakeholders from public research, industry and government, have mixed public-private funding models, and seek international co-operation on AI.

Supporting research for sustainable development

This paper presents innovation policy initiatives that support research and innovation for sustainable development through systemic solutions. Initiatives reviewed include grant schemes that support the development of environmental technologies, programmes to foster research collaborations on environmental challenges, and smart city initiatives leveraging use of digital technologies.

Cross-country evidence on the contributions of research institutions to innovation

Assessing the impacts of higher education institutions and public research institutes – referred to jointly as research institutions – on innovation is at the top of the policy agenda in light of increased attention to the effectiveness of public investment. This paper provides new evidence on the patenting activities of over 20,000 research institutions and their impact on industries’ patenting activity across OECD countries and China.

How are digital technologies changing innovation? Evidence from agriculture, the automotive industry and retail

Digital technologies impact innovation in all sectors of the economy, but they are integrating and transforming sectors in very different ways. This analysis calls for revisiting innovation policy mixes to ensure they remain effective and address emerging challenges.

The Space Economy in Figures - How Space Contributes to the Global Economy

OECD work on careers of doctorate holders

This initiative has sought to promote the implementation of a horizontal survey instrument targeting the full population of doctorate holders, rather than specific recent cohorts, as well as covering all institutional sectors of employment, in order to map research skills use economy wide as opposed to focusing on academic careers only. It has sought to address challenges found in other sources.

The digital innovation policy landscape in 2019

How are OECD countries supporting digital innovation and ensuring that benefits spread across the economy? This paper explores strategies and initiatives currently implemented in OECD countries to support innovation in the digital age.