Resources approaching EUR 4 billion euros to enhance innovation, they are foreseen to be allocated to the new Competitiveness Program under the new NSRF 2021/27. This stated Mr Dimitris Skalkos, General Secretary of Public Investments and NSRF, in his speech at the event with subject "Financing innovation as a lever for regional development" held in Thessaloniki. Η εκδήλωση, που διοργανώθηκε από τη General Secretariat for Public Investment and NSRF είναι η 5^the and most recently, from a series of events organized as part of her presence at 85^the TIF.

Η εκδήλωση εστίασε στον εθνικό στρατηγικό σχεδιασμό, στο πλαίσιο του νέου ΕΣΠΑ 2021/27. Σκοπό έχει την αύξηση της παραγωγικότητας μέσω νέων επενδύσεων και την ενσωμάτωση καινοτόμων μεθόδων παραγωγής και νέων τεχνολογιών. Απώτερος στόχος η μείωση των ανισοτήτων μεταξύ των Περιφερειών σε εθνικό και ευρωπαϊκό επίπεδο. Also the convergence of household income in Greece with the European average.

Dimitris Skalkos, General Secretary of Public Investments and NSRF

"The Greek economy will have to meet the double challenge of its "green" and digital transformation. Innovation intersects these two sectors horizontally and is a necessary condition for increasing productivity and creating new markets. In the new Regional Development Partnership Agreement for the programming period 2021/27, the strengthening of the research and innovation ecosystem is one of our main priorities as our country has significant room for improvement. In the new Competitiveness Program of the new NSRF 2021/27, to strengthen innovation It is planned to make available resources approaching EUR 4 billion. euro. Οι πόροι αυτοί θα δεσμευτούν σε δράσεις για τον πράσινο και ψηφιακό μετασχηματισμό των μεσαίων και μικρών επιχειρήσεων. Την ενίσχυση του εξωστρεφούς προσανατολισμού τους. Τις συνέργειες μεταξύ τους (clustering). Upgrading the skills of human resources".

planning is required

In order to "unlock" these resources, the design and implementation of a national smart specialization strategy is required, which will focus on highlighting and exploiting the particular competitive advantages of a region, through a process of business discovery, stressed Mr. Skalkos. "In order to meet the requirements of the new programming period and incorporating the lessons of the implementation of the smart specialization strategy in previous years, we proceed to: the elaboration of a new National Smart Specialization Strategy that is completed in the next few months, with regional endings, the improvement of the governance system of the smart specialization strategy, with the establishment and operation of the National Smart Specialization Strategy Council as well as a Technical Secretariat to assist the work of the Council as well as, the upgrading of existing innovation platforms (under the responsibility of the GSRT) and the design of a new Innovation Agency to bring research and entrepreneurship together."

Κρατικές ενισχύσεις ΕΣΠΑ 2021/27

"As far as state aid to small and medium-sized enterprises is concerned, we are making adjustments that will allow us to effectively support the implementation of our strategy, while facilitating the beneficiaries of the actions. Προς την κατεύθυνση αυτή, αναφέρω επιγραμματικά την ανάπτυξη ενός νέου State Aid Information System (ΠΣΚΕ), την πρόβλεψη για σχεδιασμό «οριζόντιων» προσκλήσεων σε τακτά χρονικά διαστήματα και με ενιαίο επενδυτικό σχέδιο, καθώς και την απλούστευση και επιτάχυνση των ακολουθούμενων διαδικασιών. Επίσης, οι προσκλήσεις θα επιδιωχθεί να γίνονται συστηματικά σε συγκεκριμένα χρονικά διαστήματα. Εναλλακτικά να παραμένουν ανοικτές ώστε οι επιχειρήσεις να μπορούν να προετοιμαστούν και να προγραμματίσουν την υποβολή προτάσεων».

Athanasios Kyriazis, Secretary General for Research and Innovation

"The interconnection of research with production remains a perennial problem in Greece, despite long-term efforts to solve it. The indicators for research and development in our country are still low in relation to the European average, but they are constantly improving. Particularly promising on this path is the contribution of businesses, reaching 0.59% of GDP from 0.24% in 2011. In fact, about 83% of these costs are financed by their own funds. Already, in the period 2014/20, the action "Research - Create - Innovate" is being implemented, which supports industrial research, the exploitation of research results by businesses. Cooperation between businesses and research bodies is also encouraged, with 5,338 proposals submitted. Today, 1,115 research projects are being implemented, with € 591 million. approximately public expenditure and leverage of €112 million. euro of private resources'.

Support of start-up innovative entrepreneurship through the NSRF 2021/27

In his statement, Mr. Kyriazis underlined: "For Greece, the design of the NSRF 2021/27 has already been approved by the European Commission, as well as the Operational Programs of the new period. One of the main Policy Objectives of the new NSRF 2021/27 is the development of a smarter Europe through smart and innovative economic transformation. To this end, the GSRT in cooperation with the co-competent services of the Ministry of Development and Investments is working on the formulation of a new Smart Specialisation Strategy, which in addition to research and innovation, will also extend to issues of innovative entrepreneurship, digital transformation and development of the necessary skills of human resources.

ΕΣΠΑ 2021/27 - Στόχος μας η προσέλκυση σημαντικών εταιρειών

"Innovative clusters, Competence Centres and Technology Transfer Offices are expected to give a strong boost in this direction. Also, significant new investments are foreseen with the development of two "States of Innovation", one in Thessaloniki, ThessIntech and one in Athens, where the procedures for the utilization of the old industrial complex of CHROPEI are already progressing. Our goal is to attract important companies, which in collaboration with research institutes and start-up companies. These will foster open innovation in the country. At the same time, important steps have been taken to support start-ups, innovative businesses through the National Register of Start-ups "Elevate Greece" which is maintained by the GSRT".

Angelos Tsakanikas, Associate Professor of Economic Evaluation of Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Systems, NTUA – Scientific Advisor of IOBE

"In the new programming period of the NSRF 2021/27, the new strategy of smart specialization is designed at national level, but with regional endings. Experience from the previous period has shown that the regional approach to the design of the smart specialisation strategy has performed quite well and has indeed led some regions to create mechanisms and tools that supported the strategy at local level. At the same time, however, the fragmentation of strategies and tools works to the detriment of the coherence of the overall effort. Especially when there are sectoral priorities common to all regions, a national strategy with regional specialisations, where knowledge and skills are drawn up at national level, systematically and without different management speeds, depending on the adequacy of the mechanisms of each region, is considered more efficient. Highlighting the smart specialisation strategy at national level serves precisely this purpose. The achievement of a critical mass of productive factors at country level and ultimately the emergence of the local competitive advantage as a national goal".

NSRF Sectors 2021/27

Referring to the areas that will be given priority in the framework of the new NSRF 2021/27, Mr. Tsakanikas stressed: "The strategic priority sectors selected for the next period were distinguished in individual evaluation criteria related to the economy, export dynamics, research and development, innovation, digital transformation (Industry 4.0), circular economy, but also internationalization. They are sectors that are visible from the domestic productive ecosystem and concern recognizable bodies and entities in the Greek environment.

Από την άλλη πλευρά, η διαδικασία της επιχειρηματικής ανακάλυψης, η οποία θα διεξαχθεί και σε τοπικό επίπεδο θα οδηγήσει – με την ευρεία συμμετοχή των παραγωγικών φορέων στον εντοπισμό συγκεκριμένων δραστηριοτήτων εντός αυτών, οι οποίες μπορούν να συμβάλουν περισσότερο στους στόχους της ΕΣΕΕ 2021/27, όπως την κλιμάκωση της δραστηριότητας σε έρευνα & καινοτομία, τη ψηφιακή μετάβαση, την εξάπλωση της κυκλικής οικονομίας και την ανάπτυξη συγκεκριμένων δεξιοτήτων».

Christos Goulas, Director of the Labour Institute of GSEE

"The workforce is the main vector that can bring growth to the production process. However, employees in our country benefit little from the respective opportunities and opportunities provided to their European colleagues. Greece over time has particularly low indicators in research and development expenditure. It is necessary to invest in their fairer distribution. Also to recognize the valuable continuous contribution of employees to economic production and development.

A national system

In order to achieve this, it is necessary to formulate a national upskilling system that makes the most of the opportunities created by technological development, underlined Mr. Goulas "The recognition of workers as innovators requires a more substantial commitment to prosperity and quality in employment. Innovation is not compatible with either burnout or labour exploitation. An increase in wages and a fairer distribution of working time are fundamental prerequisites for any meaningful debate on the emergence of new production models more compatible with innovation and social change."

Cognitive wealth is the real wealth of businesses

Concluding his speech, Mr. Goulas stressed: "The development of specialized professional profiles in professions or specialties can be a basis for the contribution of the workforce to innovation and regional development. All productive and organizational innovations are based on the utilization of human / labor know-how. This cognitive wealth is the real wealth of businesses. The most important capital of business remains the human capital. The role of employees can only gain even more in size and importance in terms of diffusion and consolidation of innovative changes."

Aristides Zervas, CFO of KLEEMAN Group

"Digitalisation will significantly improve the competitiveness of Greek businesses that decide to transform. But this cannot be done without the training of human resources. This is how he will acquire the skills needed for this digital transformation. The next day will be very different in business and society and this has been accelerated by the pandemic. The new environment created by the high speed with which technologies are developed will be much more competitive. At the same time, it will change much faster than we were used to.

ΕΣΠΑ 2021/27 - Καινοτομία

Innovation will no longer be a piece that simply enhances business success. It will become an integral part of their daily operation. Without it, businesses will not be able to survive. Also, innovation will be on many levels such as in the product, in production processes, in the training and management of personnel, in the way of thinking and even has to follow the trend of the market and society. At KLEEMANN we have incorporated innovation into our way of operating and our corporate culture, already having 26 patents."

In compliance with the protection measures against Covid-19, the event was attended in person by a limited number of participants. At the same time, it was broadcast live through the official online channels of the NSRF.