Hey mama, she said, I don’t understand
He won’t look my way, he won’t take my hand
I might as well live in another land
Oh mama, please help me, I need a plan

His mother looked up from her garden spot
You have to make use of the things you’ve got
Charm him with basil and bergamot
Invite him to dinner, but make it hot

Serve him pasta with pesto and a bottle of wine
Then add Tiramisu of the classical kind
Top it all with good coffee, the best you can find
I assure you my daughter: He’s yours in no time

Hey mama, she said, you were right again
Pasta with pesto surely beats champagne
If you’re looking for love or a sweet refrain
Serve him pesto with pasta and a bottle of wine

Pasta with Pesto recipe
How to Make Pesto like an Italian Grandmother Recipe

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What are the next challenges for innovation policy development?

I have had the pleasure of taking part in the annual meeting of Taftie , the Association for Technology Implementation in Europe. This is a club for industry oriented research councils and innovation policy agencies in (and beyond) Europe.

It was a very interesting conference program, and our Turkish hosts from TTGV did an excellent job. Still, I am not going to make an attempt to summarize the various interventions here.

I was asked to contribute to the session on global trends on innovation, skillfully led by technology policy veteran Juhani Kuusi. I presented what I believe to be some of the most important challenges for innovation policy development in the coming years:

1. A shift from a technology push perspective to a vision of learning. The linear model is dead, but it won’t lie down, and I am amazed to see how many policy initiatives are based on the notion that most ideas and technologies are born in universities.
2. A better understanding of innovation in resource based industries. There is nothing wrong with investing in high tech industries. Still, one should remember that “low tech” industries like agriculture, fisheries, wine production and oil and gas can be very profitable activities. Moreover, they are very knowledge intensive, even if the companies themselves do not invest much in R&D.

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