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InterInnov is pleased to provide you with summaries of interesting studies, reports and articles related to economy, industry, and information and communication technologies. This is the InterInnov Summary Series!

Other summary reports in French are available here.

 

Interesting quote to start with: “[…] the much-talked about decline of the West is not inevitable, but to avoid it we must be prepared to invest massively in technology, science, and education in order to provide the niche, high-value goods that will be needed in Asian markets. Re-equipping Western workforces for the opportunities presented by Asia will be the preeminent challenge of this decade –and neglecting investment in our human capital base will condemn millions of people in the West to long-term unemployment and poverty […]”. Gordon Brown, former British Prime Minister, Newsweek, May 23 & 30, 2011, “Take Back the Future”.

 

20 May 2011 - Big Data

Millions of networked sensors are being embedded in the physical world in devices such as mobile phones, smart energy meters, automobiles, and industrial machines that sense, create and communicate data in the age of the Internet of Things. “Big data” refers to the datasets whose size is beyond the ability of typical database software to capture, store, manage and analyze. There is strong evidence that big data can play a significant economic role to the benefit of private commerce, of national economies and of their citizens. In the developed economies of Europe, it is estimated that government administration could save more than €100 billion in operational efficiency improvements alone by using big data. [...] 

20 May 2011 - Africa Competitiveness Report 2011

The Africa Competitiveness Report 2011 comes out as the world emerges from the most significant financial and economic crisis in generations. One of the reasons that Africa was less affected by the crisis than some other regions was its limited integration, especially of its financial markets, into the global economy. Despite Africa’s generally solid performance, much needs to be done to ensure that the growth continues into the future. [...] 

11 May 2011 - Connectivity Scorecard 2011

 [...] ICT’s prominent role in the U.S. productivity revival of the 1990s and 2000s was driven by an expansion in the ICT sector itself, but equally crucially by productivity gains in the “ICT-using sectors” (financial services for instance). Within Europe itself, some countries such as the Northern European countries and the United Kingdom appeared to be both investing substantially in ICT and realizing significant productivity gains. [...] 

 27 April 2011 - Mobile Revolution

The next generation of the Internet standard will essentially allow programs to run through a Web browser rather than a specific operating system. That means consumers will be able to access the same programs and cloud-based content from any device— personal computer, laptop, smartphone, or tablet—because the browser is the common platform. [...] 

11 April 2011 - Key Technologies 2015

Innovation, a key factor for economic development, lies on many scientific, technological, organizational, financial and commercial processes that lead to creation of new or improved services and products. Essential to the competitiveness of companies, ICT contributes greatly to productivity gains and economic growth. Indeed, ICT represent 50% of the productivity growth in Europe. ICT also address grand societal challenges such as improvement of life quality through information access, or sustainable development. In 2009, the global market of ICT was worth 2.791 B€. [...] 

February 2011: ITIF Report "17 is Not Enough: The Case for a More Robust R&D Tax Credit"

 

24 November 2010 (released on 6 June 2011) - European Economic Driving Force

Research is a priority for the European Commission. However, the current set-up of the calls for proposals is obviously imperfect and sometimes discourages the scientific actors. [...] 

18 April 2011 - UNESCO Science Report 2010

The world devoted 1.7% of GDP to R&D in 2007, a share that has remained stable since 2002. [...] Since 2005, cheap and easy access to new digital technologies such as broadband, Internet and mobile phones have accelerated the diffusion of best-practice technologies, revolutionized the internal and external organization of research and facilitated the implantation abroad of companies’ research and development (R&D) centres. [...] 

 

12 March 2011 - Growth and renewal in the US

To deliver economic prosperity to the next generations, the US needs to retool the economy’s engine for higher, sustainable, growth rate. The key to achieve this is productivity. [...] Increases in labor and productivity have always powered growth. Labor has contributed to 1.6% to annual GDP growth since 1960. At the same time, productivity rose at an average 1.7% annual rate as new technologies emerged. Together, they contributed to an annual GDP growth of 3.3%. In the first decade of the 21st century, productivity gains have contributed 80% of the total GDP growth, compared to 35% in 1970s.The US is not alone in facing this productivity and growth challenge. Japan and Western Europe are too. [...]

 

4 March 2011 - Two out of three (French) families have an Internet access at home

Over the past ten years, the families with an Internet connection at home in France rose from 12% to 64%. Therefore, the digital divide seems to be eroding. [...]

 

10 February 2011 - Telecommunications and Revolution

The recent events in Tunisia and Egypt have underlined the power of telecommunications and social networks in the frame of a revolution. Indeed, the traditional media (international press and television) would have had great difficulties reporting any sort of information from these countries without the help of the new means of information. [...]

 

8 February 2011 - Can Europe defend its industry?

Europe currently remains the first industrial producer in the world. Europe must take advantage of this position and strengthen it because a strong economy can only be built on a strong industrial sector. [...] Europe must restore the confidence of the citizens in its capacity to help the companies get stronger, through innovation and competitively. Indeed, this European leadership is slowly eroding to the benefit of developing countries. [...]

 

 

Other interesting summary reports:

28 April 2011 - Worldwide Mobile Phone Market Grew Nearly 20% in the First Quarter; Smartphones and Vendors Outside the Top 5 Keys to Growth, According to IDC

February 2011 - A Strategy for American Innovation