Regional Agenda

The report argues that Europe's fragmented innovation landscape and the limitations of traditional in-house R&D models necessitate a shift toward 'collaborative innovation.' It proposes a three-layer management model—Prepare, Partner, and Pioneer—to help firms overcome cultural and structural barriers. Additionally, it outlines a public policy framework (Empower, Educate, and Enable) to support these partnerships through strategic signaling, skill development, and regulatory reform.

• Europe faces a fragmented innovation landscape where many economies operate below their potential in translating ideas into products, hindering the region's ability to compete with the United States, where scientific collaboration between public and private sectors is nearly double that of the EU.
• Traditional in-house R&D models used by large firms are effective for incremental or 'sustaining' innovations but struggle to create disruptive products or entirely new markets.
• Collaborative innovation leverages complementary strengths: young firms provide flexibility, niche proficiency, and proximity to nascent markets, while established firms offer financial resources, regulatory expertise, and the scale necessary for commercialization.
• The report proposes a three-layer model for managing collaborations: 'Prepare' (defining objectives and cultural readiness), 'Partner' (negotiating win-win structures), and 'Pioneer' (continuously adapting the partnership for sustained benefit).
• A significant barrier to successful partnership is the disparity in operational timelines, where start-ups expect deals within weeks while corporate processes can take over a year.
• Collaborative partnerships can be categorized into four main types based on resource intensity and innovation life cycle coverage: smart procurement, collaborative innovation projects, smart direct investments, and strategic innovation partnerships/joint ventures.
• Public policy can support collaborative innovation through three strategies: 'Empower' (signaling government commitment), 'Educate' (increasing proficiency in innovation management), and 'Enable' (providing supportive legal, regulatory, and infrastructure frameworks).
• Intellectual property (IP) represents a critical negotiation challenge; young firms often lack the resources for expert legal advice, while established firms must move away from traditional full-ownership models to foster trust.

APA

World Economic Forum (2015). Regional Agenda. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Collaborative_Innovation_report_2015.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Regional Agenda. 2015. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Collaborative_Innovation_report_2015.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Regional Agenda |date=August 2015 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Collaborative_Innovation_report_2015.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2015regional, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Regional Agenda}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2015}, month = aug, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Collaborative_Innovation_report_2015.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }