Eco-innovation and eco-innovation support: Summary of Existing situation analysis in Ferrara and Ravenna Provinces
In Italy, the investments for research and development are very modest: Ithe expense for intra-muros R&D sustained by enterprises, public institutions, non profit institutions and universities amounts totally to 19.055 millions euros and represents 1,2% of GDP in 2006, % value that shows how modest is the investment in R&D in Italy. EMPLOYEES TO RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT : 3 each 1.000 inhabitants, under EU average, INNOVATION is presents only in 30% - 40% OF ENTERPRISES: 70% in 4 Regions among those Emilia-Romagna, Graduated people in technical scientific disciplines is still low: 12 each 1.000 inhabitants between 20 and 29 years.
The situation of Emilia-Romagna Region is in truth really different: the approach to the knowledge, innovation and research as development motors that drove policies and strategies of Emilia-Romagna Region in the last decade favored the research in the region, putting it the at the fourth place in the national classification in terms of expense for research and development and in terms of employees to the research, with an expense for R&D corresponding to 13% of GDP.
In Italian, regional and provincial context there are different bodies that at various levels are directly and indirectly involved in policies and initiatives having impacts on innovation and eco-innovation, so there are several policies and initiatives in eco-innovation field.
In Ferrara and Ravenna provinces in particular, considering also the results of interview to SMEs and some stakeholders, the situation of eco-innovation is really different in the various activity sectors.
In general, for the economy of Ferrara and Ravenna provinces, the opportunities are: tools and examples of innovative and eco-innovative initiatives found a certain success and the adherent companies are more and more numerous; there is more and more great attention and sensibility by the enterprises of every sector to the environmental subjects, the respect and the environmental protection, the energy efficiency, etc.; in the last years, the key concepts “eco-innovation could brings to a greater efficiency and productivity” and “the eco-efficiency can serve as drawing factor for the increase in the competitive capacity” are diffusing in the productive local tissue; the role of stakeholders was (and still is) fundamental in stimulating innovation and eco-innovation that would be less diffused than is not currently, besides still very limited; the existence of incentives plays a fundamental role: the tax reliefs - sometimes enough for large enterprises - are not enough for SMEs, where they are instead the grants / capital funding to be thought as essential to stimulate the innovation.
The main existing problems are: relationships between public and private are not as strong as in the regional context (except for some sectors as agriculture); it is also thought that the fundamental problem in terms of eco-innovation is not related to the research and development activity, but at the diffusion, promotion and application of the same eco-innovations in enterprises. Many eco-innovative technologies are known since years, but there is a delay in the spread of use and application; a certain skepticism remains by numerous enterprises about advantages related to eco-innovations, the enterprises of small dimension and outside a relation with stakeholders have not possibilities to access at innovation and there are economic incentives and financing sources but in the most part of cases information about their existence is absent.
Considering that regional and national politics about innovation mainly regard the industrial sector, it is believed that for the area of Emilia-Romagna Delta to activate a pilot project to develop innovative services in tourism sector and the farm holidays compart, because this is one of the most important sectors in the Provinces of Ferrara and Ravenna, with the seaside division on the coast, the naturalistic segment of the Po Delta Park, the cultural tourism of the art cities of Ferrara and Ravenna. Eco-innovation in tourist field would have in such a way the possibility to develop innovations in line with EU objectives, turned to sustain the development of the sector in sustainable development key, fundamental to guarantee the necessary economic return to enterprises of the sector, but sustainable for actual generations as well as for the future ones.
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The situation of Emilia-Romagna Region is in truth really different: the approach to the knowledge, innovation and research as development motors that drove policies and strategies of Emilia-Romagna Region in the last decade favored the research in the region, putting it the at the fourth place in the national classification in terms of expense for research and development and in terms of employees to the research, with an expense for R&D corresponding to 13% of GDP.
In Italian, regional and provincial context there are different bodies that at various levels are directly and indirectly involved in policies and initiatives having impacts on innovation and eco-innovation, so there are several policies and initiatives in eco-innovation field.
In Ferrara and Ravenna provinces in particular, considering also the results of interview to SMEs and some stakeholders, the situation of eco-innovation is really different in the various activity sectors.
In general, for the economy of Ferrara and Ravenna provinces, the opportunities are: tools and examples of innovative and eco-innovative initiatives found a certain success and the adherent companies are more and more numerous; there is more and more great attention and sensibility by the enterprises of every sector to the environmental subjects, the respect and the environmental protection, the energy efficiency, etc.; in the last years, the key concepts “eco-innovation could brings to a greater efficiency and productivity” and “the eco-efficiency can serve as drawing factor for the increase in the competitive capacity” are diffusing in the productive local tissue; the role of stakeholders was (and still is) fundamental in stimulating innovation and eco-innovation that would be less diffused than is not currently, besides still very limited; the existence of incentives plays a fundamental role: the tax reliefs - sometimes enough for large enterprises - are not enough for SMEs, where they are instead the grants / capital funding to be thought as essential to stimulate the innovation.
The main existing problems are: relationships between public and private are not as strong as in the regional context (except for some sectors as agriculture); it is also thought that the fundamental problem in terms of eco-innovation is not related to the research and development activity, but at the diffusion, promotion and application of the same eco-innovations in enterprises. Many eco-innovative technologies are known since years, but there is a delay in the spread of use and application; a certain skepticism remains by numerous enterprises about advantages related to eco-innovations, the enterprises of small dimension and outside a relation with stakeholders have not possibilities to access at innovation and there are economic incentives and financing sources but in the most part of cases information about their existence is absent.
Considering that regional and national politics about innovation mainly regard the industrial sector, it is believed that for the area of Emilia-Romagna Delta to activate a pilot project to develop innovative services in tourism sector and the farm holidays compart, because this is one of the most important sectors in the Provinces of Ferrara and Ravenna, with the seaside division on the coast, the naturalistic segment of the Po Delta Park, the cultural tourism of the art cities of Ferrara and Ravenna. Eco-innovation in tourist field would have in such a way the possibility to develop innovations in line with EU objectives, turned to sustain the development of the sector in sustainable development key, fundamental to guarantee the necessary economic return to enterprises of the sector, but sustainable for actual generations as well as for the future ones.
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