With the imminence of knowledge-based economy, innovation and intangible capitals have become important driving forces for economic development. Key factors that emerged in the focus of national competitiveness are to enhance RDI (research, development and innovation) capabilities and capacity. Given this, firms and research institutes are motivated to establish a variety of off-shore bases to explore and to leverage indigenous knowledge resources internationally. In this regard, globalization has been changing the context of RDI practices, and therefore has decisive impact on small open economy as Taiwan.
Taiwan’s economy is evolving from efficiency-driven to innovation-driven stage, therefore, global research and open innovation present both compelling opportunities and challenges. While the importance of domestic RDI strength is often highlighted, how to network and collaborate with global innovation actors in order to enhance RDI capabilities is equally important, and thus, has become a visible challenge. In this regards, innovation policies have been deployed to stimulate RDI activities in research institutes, industries or academia in potential technology or business fields. Innovation system actors are encouraged to focus on pre-competitive research and to join global RDI networks in order to advance their technological capabilities. Hence, adjustments on RDI policies and funding practices are called for in order to better respond to the needs driven by research globalization and open innovation.
Since the innovation landscape has been converging from close innovation to open innovation under the influence of RDI globalization, innovative business models and strategies are also crucial for businesses to thrive in the new innovation paradigm. In the process of “knowledge value addition and creation” to the firms, process openness and iterative collaborative relationships with global partners enable businesses to enhance their RDI performance in one hand, to reduce costs and disperse risks on the other hand. What condition forms open innovation business environment? What is the eco-system for global collaboration? What kind of models and strategies better help businesses to embrace global knowledge and innovation resources? These issues should also be explored and examined from different perspectives.
In recognizing the importance of global research and open innovation, the Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT) at the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) of Taiwan decides to host the 2008 International Conference on Industrial Technology Innovation. The main topics addressed in the conference are: (1) New innovation paradigm under globalization; (2) Policies and strategies in respond to R&D globalization and open Innovation; (3) Business strategies that respond to open innovation, and; (4) International collaboration and technology development. This conference facilitates renowned scholars, industrial experts and entrepreneurs to generate meaningful insights collectively. It is our sincere hope that this conference can serve as a cornerstone for the global community to jointly explore infinite ‘innovation-value’.
http://itc.tier.org.tw/2008/en/e_agenda.asp
http://itc.tier.org.tw/2008/en/e_booking.asp
