“Innovation is not just about product development: it is about how our society
changes and improves” Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission
‘Innovation’ describes the process of producing and putting into place something new, be it a product or process. An innovation is therefore the end output of the process of innovation.
Often, economic growth is the main incentive for innovation. Yet, looking beyond economics to wider challenges and objectives such as climate change or tackling inequalities, highlights further benefits of an innovative society.
Cities and their partners not only facilitate technological, market-based innovation, but they are also leaders of ‘public’ and ‘social’ innovation, themselves significant drivers of Europe’s global competitiveness and city success. Cities provide the critical mass of markets, consumers and businesses, and can serve as innovation and growth laboratories.
Municipal administrations are both innovators and supporters of innovation. On the one hand, the infrastructure they maintain and the services they provide (for example, business incubators, research and development clusters, adult learning, or local partnerships) are conducive to innovative practices. Similarly, they are able to drive forward innovation by exercising their powers (for example, though stringent urban planning policies that ensure new approaches to housing, or procurement calls that favour new approaches to product design).
On the other hand, city administrations are innovators themselves. They are able to adapt their work and services to best suit both immediate and future needs. By drawing on local intelligence, cities can develop entirely new solutions to challenges such as healthcare or transport congestion.
We believe that cities should be placed at the heart of the EU’s Innovation Union and the accompanying ‘Innovation Partnerships’, and be well placed to participate in key programmes such as Horizon2020.
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