Source: Protec - RJ - NEWS - 11/08/2009

For new technologies to become a source of growth and competitiveness, it is necessary to consolidate an environment favorable to innovation in Brazil, says president of CNI

The industry's capacity to innovate and add value to the various phases of the production chain is decisive for the country to overcome the effects of the external crisis and prepare for the resumption of growth. We know that technological development depends fundamentally on government support and, in this sense, among the most significant advances are the initiative to place innovation at the center of industrial policy and the establishment of incentives, subsidies and official financing for innovative activities.

But we also recognize the need for more active participation by the private sector to move the process forward, as there is still much to do.

Entrepreneurs need to be ahead of the debates and the conduct of this agenda. To this end, the Entrepreneurial Mobilization for Innovation (MEI) emerged, articulated and led by the National Confederation of Industry. Launched in October 2008, the movement reinforces the commitment to the country's technological development: we intend to make innovation a permanent strategy for companies. The cycle of MEI meetings, aimed at discussing the role of innovation and the country's challenges in this area, began in March.

The debates will guide the 3rd Brazilian Congress of Innovation in Industry, which the CNI holds on August 19, in São Paulo.

With MEI, we hope to intensify discussions and reinforce private sector support for the National Initiative for Innovation, a forum established by the National Council for Industrial Development that aims to stimulate the practice of innovation in Brazil. Our purpose is also to contribute to consolidate proposals aimed at improving public policies.

Innovation is strategic action. Technology itself does not work miracles.

For new knowledge to translate into productivity in companies and economic growth, it is necessary to create an environment conducive to the absorption of new technologies.

That is what a country's competitiveness depends on. Such issues are central to the Strategic Industry Map, a document that reflects the businessmen's vision of the future of Brazil, built on the perspective of 2007-2015.

The Map points to the need for the private sector to triple investments in innovative activities in the coming years. It is the only way to guarantee the competitiveness of products and the expansion of the Brazilian economy. The established goal is to increase private investments in research and development to 1,4% of GDP in 2015. World Bank data show that, in 2004, our applications in R&D were equivalent to 0,98% of GDP, which leaves us in disadvantage compared to our external competitors.

In China, these investments represented 1,44% of GDP and, in Korea, 2,65%.

Industrial Survey of Technological Innovation carried out by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) points out that, in 2005, a third of the 90 thousand companies consulted declared investments in new products or processes in the two years preceding the survey.

About 20 thousand companies invested R $ 34 billion in innovation.

It is a value still far below the country's needs.

The small number of companies that use government support mechanisms for innovative activities shows that the country must also improve the tax incentives provided for in the Lei do Bem, to facilitate the access of micro and small companies to these benefits.

Other issues that must be resolved are the complexity of the processes, the excess of bureaucracy and the legal uncertainties involved in obtaining public resources to support innovation.

Stimulating innovation also depends on the approval of stricter laws to combat piracy and support for the formalization of companies. We must also seek a broader articulation between the various actors in the process and ensure the availability of qualified human resources for the innovation system to work, composed of companies, research institutions, universities and technological service providers.

The international crisis is a powerful obstacle to investments in innovation. But it cannot immobilize us. The adverse scenario requires the search for intelligent solutions and the use of creative instruments to encourage technological development. Brazil must adopt a positive agenda in which innovation and knowledge are part of the good fight strategy, which prepares the country and companies to compete and increase participation in the global market.

 

Armando Monteiro Neto is president of the National Confederation of Industry (CNI).

(Source: Jornal do Brasil - 09/08/2009)