"Spain plays its future with the commitment to innovation"

JAVIER BUSQUETS

Why is investing in innovation important?

Investing in innovation is a commitment to the future. Innovation is part of human nature, we do not have to look around and review the history of how the human being lived in the past. When we refer to Innovation we are doing it as a systematic activity.

Innovation is usually associated only with the world of technology. Is it correct or covers many more economic areas?

Innovation in technology is key in our economic model. It allows creating new products (R & D), improving productivity (in the form of processes), and faster access to markets. In the technological field also the creation of new markets. If we think about it, the mobile telephony or "apps" markets did not exist thirty years ago. Technology and its diffusion allow the creation of new markets and industries. However, innovation is not only technological, not only affects "techniques" or ways of doing, but ideas or "ways of looking" at reality and even "ways of creating" other realities such as art. Innovation can be expressed in the form of new institutions to organize and coordinate society. And finally, the most important thing a society can do to innovate is to invest in Education.

Why should more Spain invest in innovation?

In Spain, the investment effort of the public administration – although less – is similar to other countries of our environment. The big unfinished business is innovation in the company. And this in view of the growing dependence on the economy of digital platforms, the bets for Artificial Intelligence at the State level (such as China, USA, India, France, Germany, UK, Finland and France, among others) and their impact on the "Productive model."

The first consideration is in the generation of wealth, the countries that bet on this type of projects do so in a public-private dynamic aimed at generating more competitive industrial platforms globally. The risk of not doing it is to stay off the hook. In second place is the distribution of income. The per capita income of Denmark or Finland (countries very intensive in R & D) is double that in Spain.

What these countries do is to have an economic model based on innovation and technology and that has the particularity of demand a lot of investment effort in generating value but it allows the generation of higher rents and exports of more added value. Innovation and technology are economic factors that affect not only the productivity of companies, but the functioning of markets and globalization. Spain, like other countries, is playing its future.

In which fields or economic areas Spain is better at innovation and which is worse?

In those more dependent on technology and innovation have great opportunities. I believe that there are great opportunities in historically leading sectors in technology worldwide such as banking. Another field without doubt is the extraordinary health system in Spain could lead innovation and digitalization processes worldwide.

Other sectors such as Energy, Automobile, High Speed ​​or Defense are of great relevance. Currently one of the most active sectors is food (precision agriculture or vertical agriculture) where Spain, without doubt, could play an extraordinary role. In Spain many new companies (or start-ups) are being created. The challenge is in the small and medium enterprises. Networks, ecosystems and "clusters" must be created to allow efficient generation and diffusion. I think that here again public-private collaboration is very important

Should companies have a head or head of innovation?

No doubt in product companies, there is R & D. Each functional area should incorporate process innovation. Innovation in business models and structure depends on the general management and the corporate governance bodies in the company.

Is there a danger that in the future robots or computers will replace the work of human beings?

The underlying problem in this issue is the form that generates wealth and employment. The digital economy tends to create network structures. And networks – contrary to certain popular beliefs – generate large inequalities in the distribution of income. In addition, networked companies are rapidly moving towards monopoly positions, such as Google, Tencent, Facebook or Alibaba. Secondly, the form of generating wealth impacts on demography, a topic that is again spoken of in Spain. Since 2009, according to various sources, some 790,000 Spaniards have been expatriated to other countries.

In many cases this emigration has occurred towards economies with a much higher R & D weight, for example, Germany and the United Kingdom. Only at a private level, the UK has increased its investment in R & D from 2009 to 2015 by 63% and Germany by 35%. In Spain, it has contracted 6%. On the other hand I do not know any study that indicates that countries with high levels of robotization like Germany or Korea lose employment, generate it.

The level of income is directly correlated with innovation and of course with the level of studies and profiles professionals that these economies demand. The countries that attract talent are those that bet on future activities. And this is a task of the State, not only of the Public Administration. A State project must encompass the Administration and the social and business fabric in the generation of wealth and its equitable redistribution.

What classic jobs will disappear and which will be born in the new technological age of automation?

We talk about employment I think we should reflect on two dimensions. The first is to think to what extent the automation can be the cause of the loss of employment, or the consequence. If we create companies with low level jobs and very repetitive, it is normal that there are machines to replace them. On the other hand, currently very low-skilled jobs and those with very high qualifications are safe. Those "halfway" with repetitive tasks can lose part of their functions that makes a machine more effective.

The jobs that will be more demanded will require a higher level of creativity, empathy and "multi-disciplinarity". It is very important to incorporate knowledge of technology and innovation in all university careers oriented towards the company. I also believe that a society should generate opportunities for all kinds of profiles. But if it is true that appropriate levels of training will be demanded. And a greater harmony between industry and higher education. Flight to insist, the educational system is the key, it is our commitment to the future.

.



Source link

from Nettech News http://bit.ly/2QPaQfz