A top official at the European Commission has signalled an important change in the EU's attitude towards innovation that will highlight the role of creativity and design. The new approach could see a shift away from support for high-tech companies and towards new 'creative clusters' of design firms, business support services and progressive regions.

It may also form the nucleus of a European Innovation Act, pledged by commission President José Manuel Barroso by the spring of next year. Some clues to the commission's thinking have now been revealed in a speech by Jean-Noël Durvy, Director of Innovation Policy at the Brussels enterprise department, as reported by the Brussels-based news service Euractiv.

Speaking of "a paradigm shift" away from focusing solely on high-tech business, Durvy says the traditional concept of clusters needs to be adapted to move beyond groups of technology companies. Promising a broader definition of innovation and support for networks of creative industries across Europe, Durvy says a platform where European regions could meet to share experience and expertise on the development of creative clusters is one of the measures being considered.

Traditionally, business has largely relegated design and culture to subordinate roles in research and development, tending to look on such factors as outside the mainstream. But many of today's most successful global companies rely heavily on the promotion of a corporate design culture that can be applied to the sale of a huge variety of products whose actual manufacture may be out-sourced to other countries.

Durvy says the role of design is likely to feature strongly in the final document: "Design is an aspect of innovation that the commission has paid particular attention to as a driver of innovation and competitiveness."

All industries should be encouraged to make better use of designers when considering innovative products and services. But there is a financing problem, he warns: while all start-ups have struggled to secure bank loans recently, it is worse for knowledge-based companies "whose only capital is their creativity".

The new innovation strategy will look at technology transfer, access to finance and support for new businesses, he says. But it will also present ideas on practical issues such as patent reform and making public procurement more SME-friendly.

alan.osborn@uw-news.com

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