LietLithuania – innovation or luditų member?
Satellite laser technology, the fastest in the world wireless internet connection –that and how egotistical of these achievements, it seems that in Europe, in our state no longer considered to be an innovation edge. The latest European Commission's innovation scoreboard Lithuania, as a year ago, takes just 24-th place and second only to Bulgaria, Romania, Poland and Latvia. Although SEB bank published survey data, 2015's much more of Lithuanian companies shall turn to advanced technologies, and the ministry of economy for the promise of additional support, Lithuanian opportunities to fast during the rise of the EU innovation scoreboard experts evaluate carefully. The reason they refer not only financial, but also a coherent policy gap.
No innovation, and cheap labour force
Formal Lithuanian objectives are ambitious: by 2020, the total investment in innovation and scientific research and experimental development it is planned to increase from 0.9 to 1.9%. GDP. But how to implement them, or even more so – which measures to encourage private sector investment in digital innovation and technology to improve business processes and efficiency, the answers are not visible.
At the beginning of march at a meeting of the EU Competitiveness council meeting of the competitiveness of the digital single market in the context of the Agricultural minister R. Noreikienė welcomed the young and viable start-up companies ("startup") system in Lithuania. But failed to mention that the Lithuanian startuolių success stories are only isolated, far from not complying with the moods and approaches to innovation, the prevailing Lithuanian small and medium business sector.
2014 the year of its activities, the application of innovation planned to only every third small or medium-sized enterprise. Bearing in mind that the small and medium business segment consists of 98,8% of gdp. all Lithuanian companies, 75,7% of gdp. all jobs and 63,4% of gdp. in the country the added value it can be seen that the output of Lithuania's economic engine continues to largely based on cheap labour, often manual work and overtime employment, rather than technological progress.
Luditiškas approach?
According to the high-tech accounting tech company's "Added Value" of the director Arvydas Vainoro part of entrepreneurs and workers ' passivity and indifference innovation leads to fear, that they neatsipirks, and only increase business costs:
"Such a logic reminiscent of the EIGHTEENTH-NINETEENTH century. England, when technical progress and work processes modernizavui as an alternative was presented luditų ideology. This movement members, rather than adapted to the progress, tried to him to resist, the annihilation of automated machinery and so naively hoping to save their jobs and a stable income. Looking at today's indicators, it is evident that a similar negative approach to new business technologies look and a significant part of Lithuanian companies. Instead adapted to the changes and use the innovation in their favour, they continue to prefer the cheap and neefektyvią workforce.“
The interviewer gave an example of the accounting and auditing sector. "Added Value" of the data, only half of the small and medium business sector representatives believe that they are entitled accounting companies services is a technologically advanced: "But the real action in the situation to change is taken. And after all, in this sector, namely the technology liberation from over-intensive accounting processes and helps to optimize the business infrastructure so that human errors are eliminated.“
The new ministry will not save the
The innovation efficiency index today Lithuania has the 105 instead of the 125 countries around the world. It is therefore obvious that the situation of the address needed more bodies. At the end of February and the minister of economy Evaldas Gustas recognised that in the last year for this purpose it was conceived in Lithuania to establish a separate Science, technology and innovation ministry, but the proposal that was was not endorsed. As a real positive step mentioned in the new ministry has been prepared and approved by the Government of Science and technology parks development concept.
However, bearing in mind that the parks today contains only 180 of innovative companies, experts offer nesitikėti rapid wonders and invites the entrepreneurs themselves initiate technological changes in their work:
"Once fail luditų history to the end of the culminated in the industrial revolution triumph. And today, the new european currency, the growing market needs and to Lithuania besiveržiančios Western business technology is what promises at least a symbolic breakthrough in our business world. Will remain and grow to only those who are able to pragmatically take advantage of innovation and the will not to work, and the added value.“uva – innovation or luditų member?