The role of the technology barometer in assessing the performance of the national innovation system

Torsti Loikkanen (Corresponding Author), Toni Ahlqvist, Pekka Pellinen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Along with increasing significance of innovation in socio-economic development grows the need to utilize future-oriented knowledge in innovation policy-making. Foresight and road-map exercises are aimed at supporting planning and priority-setting of R&D and have become indispensable elements of policy-making. Besides technological development decision-makers need all-inclusive knowledge of future developments of society, economy and impacts of science and technology. When the worldwide competition is about the attractiveness of innovation systems, such knowledge is important for comparing the innovation performance of nations to other economies. Finland is among the countries improving her position in worldwide performance comparisons since the late 1990s and reached leading nations in early 2000s. This attainment raised national interest and critical debate of the reliability of the data basis and methodologies used in comparisons. In The Finnish Association of Graduate Engineers (TEK) this discussion led to a decision to develop an own comparative exercise together with VTT. In addition to performance analysis based on ex-post indicators the barometer includes the questionnaire of the views and visions of the future development by relevant national actors. The theoretical framework of the barometer is based on the evolution of economies from industrial development phase to sustainable knowledge society. The barometer has been undertaken in 2004, 2005 and 2007, and a wide interest and emerged discussion of barometer proves that a social interest and order exists for the barometer. The article presents the background, methodology and results of technology barometer, discusses its impacts on national discussion, and gives perspectives for the future development of barometer.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1177-1186
JournalTechnological Forecasting and Social Change
Volume76
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2009
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed
EventThe 3rd International Seville Conference on Future-Oriented Technology Analysis: The 2008 FTA International Seville Conference - Seville, Spain
Duration: 16 Oct 200817 Oct 2008

Keywords

  • Barometer
  • Future-oriented knowledge
  • Indicators
  • Innovation policy
  • Science and technology

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