EU STRUCTURAL FUND INVESTMENT IN R&D AND ITS INFLUENCE ON INNOVATION DEVELOPMENT – THE CASE OF UNIVERSITY OF LATVIA

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of the support of European Union (EU) structural funds (SF) investment in research and development (RD 2) To analyze the changes in the LU research capacity including several innovation indicators in period of 2000 - 2010; 3) To analyze and evaluate the sources and amount of RD 4) To evaluate the changes in innovation indicators since 2004, after the EU SF investment was made available. The following methods were used to carry out the tasks: 1) Study of periodical publications and legislation; 2) Interviews of both research and administrative personnel – 8 interviews were held by the authors; 3) Analysis and evaluation of statistical data. EU SF is the most important source of R&D funding at LU. The availability of EU SF has established an innovation-friendly environment, most essentially, it has provided necessary infrastructure, financial support for fundamental and applied research and extra work places for researchers. However, EU SF investment has not yet promoted an increase in the number of patent applications, licensing and developed proposals for the commercial use of inventions. These indicators are low due to conditions of EU SF project implementation and to an insufficient demand from the private sector for the inventions made by researchers at LU. Upcoming project applications should be evaluated, first of all, according to their capacity of innovation development. Cooperation with the private sector should be strengthened to promote increase in innovation output indicators on the basis of discoveries and inventions made by researchers at LU and to increase the proportion of other sources of funding for R&D and innovation. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.eis.0.6.1478