Collaboration with Science as a Source of Innovation for SMEs in Poland Hanna Mizgajska and Lukasz Wsciubiak

________________________________

The aim of the article is to provide answers to the following questions:  Do SME of a low- and high-technology profile cooperate with research units?  What is the form, range and intensity of this collaboration? The evaluation of cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises and research units has been presented against the background of research commercialisation in Poland as well as innovative activity diagnosis of SME representing both high-tech industries and traditional lines of business.

The paper is based on results of questionnaires obtained from 44 enterprises representing hightech industries and 73 companies representing traditional lines of business. The research into the collaboration concerns the years 2005 - 2007 and involves small and medium-sized enterprises from the Wielkopolski and Kujawsko-Pomorski regions. ________________________________

Introduction The experiences of countries recognized as leaders in innovation and knowledge-based economy show that stronger collaboration between the research and development (R&D) sector and enterprises is a major innovation incentive for companies. In Poland, R&D is financed predominantly by the government and conducted mostly by higher education institutions (143 places), as well as by the Polish Academy of Sciences (76 places). The academic and governmental sectors account for 67% of all R&D activities. Apart from higher ____________

Hanna Mizgajska is a Professor in the Department of Management and Enterprise Resources Analysis at The Poznan University of Economics. Lukasz Wsciubiak is an Assistant and PhD in the Department of Management and Enterprise Resources Analysis at The Poznan University of Economics. Address correspondence to: Hanna Mizgajska, Poznan University of Economics, al. Niepodleglosci 10, 61-875 Poznan, Poland. E-mail: [email protected].

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education institutions, government-funded economic research is also conducted by development units (603 business entities) and sectoral branch institutes (194 places), which are supervised by the Polish Ministry of the Economy and by other ministries. Sectoral branch institutes focus primarily on conducting applied research and providing technology development services to traditional industries. Higher education institutions are autonomous and their R&D is funded by grants from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. Most R&D expenditure in Poland is devoted to basic research, with only a minute amount of financial resources allocated for implementation activities. A survey conducted by the Polish Confederation of Private Employers Lewiatan showed that only 0.6% of enterprises perceived innovation as an important competitive advantage. In addition, only 12% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) implement innovations. Existing studies on collaboration between traditional industry SMEs and the R&D sector have revealed poor performance in terms of technology transfer. It seems that the development of high-technology enterprises would make the outlook more optimistic, as they naturally operate at the interface of science and economy (Matusiak 2006). However, to date technologically advanced industries have failed to assume a prominent role in the Polish economy. The aim of this article is to provide answers to the following questions: 

Do SMEs of a low- and high-technology profile cooperate with research institutions?



What is the form, scope and intensity of such collaboration? The data presented in this article was collected through empirical studies involving 44

high-technology enterprises and 73 enterprises operating in traditional industries. For the purposes of the research, a fairly broad definition of high-technology was adopted to encompass enterprises that are identified as high-technology or as medium-high-technology according to the OECD sectoral approach (Jasiński 2006). The other eligibility criteria required enterprises to conduct research themselves.

Collaboration between SMEs and the R&D Sector in Poland

3

The survey study of collaboration between business and science covered the period from 2005 to 2007. The initial sample for the survey consisted of 307 enterprises, chosen using the sectoral approach. The participants included high- and medium-high-technology SMEs located in the Provinces of Wielkopolska and Kujawy-Pomerania. Of the 50 respondents who returned correctly completed questionnaires, 44 were selected for further analysis. The other survey presented in this article was conducted in 2008 among 73 traditional sector SMEs in the Province of Wielkopolska. The respondents were chosen randomly and were interviewed by students. The survey included questions about the collaboration between enterprises and broadly defined R&D institutions, as well as about the enterprises’ own innovation activities over the period 2005–2007. The empirical results obtained were processed using basic descriptive statistics.

1. Collaboration between Science and Business in Relevant Publications Attempts at practical application of the latest scientific achievements to the real economy are a relatively new phenomenon, widely seen in developed countries for only a few decades. The rapid rise in the number or patents held by universities and the increase in technology transfer from research institutions to the economy are commonly attributed to the Bayh-Dole Act, passed by the United States Congress in 1980, which gave universities the right to patent and license inventions that result from publicly sponsored research (Mowery et al. 2001, p. 116). When discussing the academic community in developed countries, some authors also focus on the potential negative effects that might be observed if research institutions are excessively preoccupied with commercializing the results of their research. There is a risk that scientists might then neglect other important aspects of their work such as basic research or teaching (Arvanitis, Kubli, and Werter 2008, pp. 1860–1865). Krimsky (2006, pp. 331–337), on the other hand, examines the biomedical sciences and investigates adverse consequences resulting from the co-financing of basic research by pharmaceutical companies. Such sponsorship may lead to gross conflicts of interest, limit the freedom of research, and, most importantly, impair researchers’ objectivity.

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Hanna Mizgajska, Łukasz Wściubiak

Technology can be transferred between science and business through various channels. Particularly notable are the academic spin-off companies (Pirnay, Surlemont, and Nlemvo 2003, p. 356), which have attracted much interest from innovation policy decision-makers and become the subject of many research studies (Mustar et al. 2006, pp. 297–300). Other cited channels include research publications, consulting, purchase/sale of licenses, contract research, staff exchange and informal contact (Agrawal 2001, pp. 267–269). It is informal contact that is increasingly regarded as particularly important, as it facilitates the flow of information and stimulates more institutionalized interactions between research institutions and businesses (Ponomariov, and Boardman 2008, pp. 311–312). Practical application of research poses problems caused primarily by cultural differences between communities that participate in technology transfer (Siegel, Waldam, and Link 2003, p. 42), as well as by asymmetrical distribution of information. Entrepreneurs are unable to evaluate the usefulness of a solution ex ante, while researchers struggle to estimate its commercial potential (Macho-Stadler, Pérez-Castrillo, and Veugelers 2007, p. 485). The successful implementation of a solution requires the active involvement of its creators, hence necessitating the introduction of financial incentives for researchers (Lach, and Schankerman 2004, p. 263). However, equally importantly research institutions may find technology transfer to be unprofitable, as costs related to securing patents and maintaining the operation of technology transfer units are often higher than income from the sale of licences (Nelson 2001, p. 17).

2. SME Profiles Of the 44 high-technology enterprises, 47.7% were small, 31.8% were medium-sized and 20.5% were micro-companies. The size distribution of the 73 traditional sector enterprises was similar: 45.2% qualified as small, 30.1% as medium-sized and 24.7% as micro.

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Collaboration between SMEs and the R&D Sector in Poland

With regard to type of business activity, SMEs of a high-technology profile included manufacturers of medical, precision and optical instruments (36.4%), manufacturers of machinery and equipment (27.3%), as well as manufacturers of electrical machines and appliances (15.9%). Traditional sector SMEs represented mostly the food (35%), machinery and automation (28.8%), and construction (9.6%) industries. In the case of the Province of Wielkopolska these were areas in which SMEs played a leading role, relying on low labour costs for competitive advantage. A significant proportion of entrepreneurs were middle-aged, 51 to 60 years old: 56.8% for the high-technology category and 41.1% for the traditional sector. Interestingly, high-technology enterprises were managed exclusively by men, while in the traditional sector nine SMEs (12.3%) were managed by women. It needs to be emphasized that the entrepreneurs surveyed were well-educated, as illustrated in Table 1 below.

Table 1. Level of Education of Entrepreneurs Surveyed

Level of Education

High-Technology Enterprises Number

%

Traditional Sector Enterprises Number

%

Academic degree

6

13.6

13

17.8

Higher education

30

68.2

20

27.4

Secondary education

8

18.2

29

39.7

Vocational training

-

-

11

15.1

Source: own study

For the purposes of this analysis, entrepreneurs were also classified according to their professional experience. The classification covered only the two most relevant aspects: employment in R&D institutions and employment in in-house R&D units in industry. Table 2 shows that the percentage of entrepreneurs with these kinds of professional experience is much higher in the case of high-technology enterprises, which is hardly surprising.

Hanna Mizgajska, Łukasz Wściubiak

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Table 2. Professional Experience of Entrepreneurs Surveyed

Item

Individuals with Experience Number

%

Individuals Without Experience Number

%

High-Technology Enterprises R&D institutions

14

31.8

30

68.2

in-house R&D units in industry

19

43.2

25

56.8

7

9.6

66

90.4

14

19.2

59

80.8

Traditional Sector Enterprises R&D institutions in-house R&D units in industry Source: own study

3. Relationship between R&D Activities and Innovation Performance One of the basic eligibility criteria for this study of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of a high-technology profile required enterprises to conduct research themselves. The SMEs surveyed differed greatly both in terms of how they conduct their research and development (R&D) activities, as well as in terms of their expenditure on research. Of all the participants, 13 companies (29.6%) regularly engaged in R&D, while 31 companies (70.4%) undertook R&D on an ad hoc basis. A common indicator used to measure R&D intensity is the amount of a company’s research and development expenditure, represented by the percentage of revenue raised from sales. The study revealed that R&D spending was relatively low, less than 2% of sales revenue, in as many as 16 cases (36.4% of enterprises), but there was also a significant number of SMEs which spent more than that: 12 enterprises (27.3%) reinvested 4–8% of sales revenue, and 10 enterprises (22.7%) reinvested more than 8% of sales revenue. The study also indicated that companies were quite actively involved in innovative activities. Between 2005 and 2007, 32 enterprises (72.7%) implemented at least one new technological process. Additionally, most SMEs launched at least one new product within that period: as many as 10 companies (22.7%) launched a product which was new to the world, 22 companies (50%)

Collaboration between SMEs and the R&D Sector in Poland

7

launched a product which was new to the country, and 10 companies (22.7%) launched a product which was new to the company. Only two SMEs (4.5%) did not put any new products on the market during the period studied. Another important measure for the assessment of an enterprise's innovation activity is the percentage of revenue from the sale of new products (that is products that a company has started to produce and sell within the previous three years). This criterion provides the basis for evaluating market acceptance for innovations, and, indirectly, provides some idea of a company’s level of modernity. As shown in Table 3, there were only in 11 enterprises (25%) whose new products accounted for less than 20% of revenue. It follows that for a large majority of SMEs, product innovation is of vital importance and can be a powerful way of gaining a competitive advantage.

Table 3. High-Technology Enterprises by Revenue from the Sale of New Products Percentage of Revenue from Sale of New Products

Enterprises Number

%

Less than 20%

11

25.0

20 to 40%

19

43.2

More than 40%

14

31.8

Source: own study

Among traditional sector SMEs, only approximately 10% of companies had in-house R&D units, and 38% of companies were involved in R&D activities on an ad hoc basis. In terms of R&D intensity, only 20.5% of enterprises said they invested sales revenue in R&D.

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Table 4. Changes in the Innovation Activity of Enterprises in the Period 1994–2007

Period

Innovative Enterprises Number

%

Non-Innovative Enterprises Number

%

1994-1997

298

86

48

14

1996-2000

115

97

4

3

1998-2001

103

97

3

3

2001-2004

144

88

19

12

2004-2006

24

89

3

11

2005-2007

69

94

4

6

Source: based on own research: Mizgajska (2002, 2004); Komorowski and Mizgajska (2008)

As much as 90% of SMEs introduced at least one innovation during the period studied. This positive figure contrasts with the low rate of implementation of technological innovations as reported by the Polish Central Statistical Office (Główny Urząd Statystyczny, GUS) (GUS 2008). The two results cannot be compared, however, because a different measurement method was adopted for each of them. The concept of product innovation was defined too narrowly for the purposes of the study of innovation activity conducted by GUS, as it only included products which were produced using new technologies. The study presented here adopted a broader definition to include also small enhancements as well as diversification of products and processes, which is consistent with the Literature-Based Innovation Output (LBIO) approach to examining the effects of innovation (KBN, and OECD 1999, p. 17). Following the methodology used in the Community Innovation Survey, data collected included information about products and processes which were new to an enterprise. The same method was used to assess the innovation activity of traditional sector enterprises in the Province of Wielkopolska over the period starting in 1994. The study showed there was a change for the better after Poland joined the European Union. The number of highly innovative SMEs, that is SMEs which implemented 4 to 10 innovations, increased considerably. In the vast majority of cases, however, companies developed new products or improved existing products (89% of enterprises). 40% of enterprises launched products that were new to the country, and only

Collaboration between SMEs and the R&D Sector in Poland

9

7% launched products that were new to the world. In each of the periods studied, enterprises implemented more new products than new technologies. The predominance of product innovations in the nineties resulted from outdated machinery and lack of capital, whereas today it is mainly related to shortage of funds and lack of cooperation with the R&D sector. For enterprises of a lowand medium-innovative profile, the primary sources of innovation are trade fairs (86%), competitors (71%) and clients (53%). For enterprises which implemented more than 10 innovations, an additional source is their own R&D activity (47%). Observing competitors has become a new source of innovation and a new stimulus for innovative activities. The percentage of companies that cooperate with research institutions is, however, still very low. Only 14% of enterprises named an external R&D institution as a source of innovation. R&D organisations are still not oriented towards the needs of small-scale industry because their work is funded mainly using public resources rather than sponsored by enterprises. In Poland there are about 200 R&D institutions with around 11,000 researchers. For many years these institutions have provided a unique connection between science and the economy. The potential contribution they could make to the economy is, however, poorly realised. Their work needs to be thoroughly analysed so as to decide whether some of them should be disbanded or merged (OECD 2007). To conclude, this study has shown that both types of SMEs represent a fairly high level of innovation activity by Polish standards. Innovation in the case of high-technology enterprises is based on technologies and products which are new on the domestic market or new to the world, while in the case of traditional sector enterprises innovation is based on new or modified products, mostly ones that are new to a specific enterprise.

4. Relations between both High- and Low-Technology Enterprises and the R&D Sector As there are many different forms and methods of knowledge transfer from science to business, the studies focused both on formal and informal interaction between SMEs and the R&D sector. It is generally accepted that formal interaction takes place when a research institution

Hanna Mizgajska, Łukasz Wściubiak

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collaborates with an enterprise on the basis of a written agreement, while informal interaction occurs without any agreements and involves mostly personal contact between researchers and entrepreneurs. Even though the latter excludes the direct participation of a university or a research institution, relying solely on contact between R&D staff and SME owners/managers, it is often formalized by contracts for specific tasks. The respondents were first asked to name the R&D institutions they had formal contact with over the previous three years (2005–2007) and to specify the scope of this contact. Next they were asked questions about informal interaction with researchers. Formal interaction with at least one R&D institution during the survey period was reported by as many as 71.4% of high-technology enterprises and by 32.8% of low-technology enterprises. Informal interaction with the R&D sector was reported by 57.1% of high-technology enterprises and by 53.4% of low-technology enterprises.

Table 5. Influence of the Size of an Enterprise on the Intensity of Interaction with the R&D Sector

Type of Interaction

Overall Number of Enterprises that Reported Contacts Number

Enterprises that Reported Contacts (by Size) Medium

Small

Micro

%

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

High-Technology Enterprises Formal contact

32

72.7

11

78.6

15

71.4

6

66.7

Informal contact

25

56.8

8

57.1

9

42.8

8

88.9

Traditional Sector Enterprises Formal contact

24

32.8

10

41.6

13

32.5

1

11.1

Informal contact Source: own study

39

53.4

17

70.8

18

45.0

4

44.4

When analyzing the influence of the size of a high-technology enterprise on the intensity of its interaction with the R&D sector (Table 5), it was found that informal interaction prevailed only among micro-enterprises. In the case of traditional sector enterprises, the intensity of both formal and informal interaction increased with the size of the enterprise.

Collaboration between SMEs and the R&D Sector in Poland

11

Of all the high-technology SMEs, only four (9.1%) had no contact with R&D institutions. Most enterprises in this category, 17 SMEs (38.6%), reported both formal and informal contact. Within the traditional sector category, the percentage of enterprises which did not cooperate with the research sector was considerably higher at 43.8%. At the same time, however, it should be noted that interactions with the R&D sector were not particularly extensive on the part of either high- or low-technology SMEs, limited in most cases to collaboration with a single institution. In the high-technology category, seven enterprises (15.9%) maintained contact with 2 institutions, seven enterprises (15.9%) maintained contact with 3 institutions, and 2 enterprises (4.5%) collaborated with four or more institutions. The broadest scope of interaction with the R&D sector was observed among medium-sized enterprises, presumably because it is easier for them to finance such collaboration and also because they have relatively high needs in this respect. In the traditional sector category, contact with two or more research institutions was mentioned only by a few SMEs. As for types of R&D institutions, it was established that over half of high-technology enterprises (24 SMEs, 54.5%) maintained contact with universities/colleges, 14 enterprises (31.8%) collaborated with research and development institutions, while 7 enterprises (15.9%) collaborated with other types of R&D organisations (mostly with specialized industrial laboratories). None of the SMEs cited any interaction with the institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences, which is understandable since these institutes focus almost exclusively on basic research (Jasiński 2006). Among the low-technology SMEs, only every tenth enterprise collaborated with research institutions, examples being the Foundry Research Institute, the Wood Technology Institute, and the Starch and Potato Products Research Laboratory. Similarly, only about every tenth company worked with a college or university, examples being the Poznań University of Technology, the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice, the Poznań University of Life Sciences and the Poznań University of Economics. The other R&D institutions mentioned by respondents included

Hanna Mizgajska, Łukasz Wściubiak

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the European Consulting Group and HACCP training providers, which shows that some entrepreneurs did not know the definition of R&D institutions. Another important aspect of this analysis is the scope of formal and informal interaction between science and business. Identifying areas of collaboration can help us better understand relations between the two communities, as well as facilitate desirable forms of interaction in the future. As illustrated by the data in Table 6, formal interaction between high-technology enterprises and R&D institutions most often concerned expert evaluations and certificates, 16 cases (36.4% of respondents), and technical consultancy services, 14 cases (31.8% of respondents). Less frequently, collaboration involved the transfer of R&D information (10 cases, 22.7%) and the commissioning of research that SMEs could not do in-house (also 10 cases, 22.7%), staff training (9 cases, 20.4%) and collaborative research (7 cases, 15.9%). Very rarely (3 cases, 6.8% of respondents), the purpose was to share research equipment. Particularly alarming, however, is the lack of any interaction related to the sale/purchase of licences or the transfer of results of completed research. This will most certainly hinder commercialization of R&D inventions. The purposes of formal interaction among low-technology enterprises included staff training (13.6% of enterprises), expert evaluations and certificates (12.3%), and technical consultancy services (10.9%), with one notable exception of an enterprise which bought licences.

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Collaboration between SMEs and the R&D Sector in Poland

Table 6. Formal Interaction Between Enterprises and R&D Institutions by Scope of Collaboration Scope of Collaboration with R&D Institutions Expert evaluations and certificates Technical consultancy services Exchange of R&D information Commissioning of R&D work that cannot be performed in-house

High-Technology Enterprises Number

%

Traditional Sector Enterprises Number

%

16

36.4

9

12.3

14

31.8

8

10.9

10

22.7

4

5.4

10

22.7

2

2.7

Staff training

9

20.4

10

13.6

Collaborative research

7

15.9

1

1.4

3

6.8

-

-

-

-

1

1.4

Shared use of research equipment Purchase of licenses and R&D results Source: own study

As far as informal interaction is concerned, collaboration between high-technology enterprises and researchers generally involved expert advice and technical consultancy (18 cases, 40.9% of respondents) and the exchange of science and technology information (17 cases, 38.6%). The other available answers were chosen very rarely: help in establishing contact in 6 cases (13.6%) and assistance in current R&D projects in 4 cases (9.1%). Traditional sector enterprises engaged in informal rather than formal contact with R&D institutions. The scope of such contact was narrower than in the case of high-technology enterprises, but its structure was similar. Most respondents mentioned expert advice and technical consultancy (38.4%), exchange of information (15.1%) and help in establishing contact (12.3 %).

Conclusions The purpose of these studies was to identify the form, scope and intensity of collaboration between high- and low-technology SMEs, and the R&D sector. The findings show that such collaboration varies greatly, especially among high-technology enterprises. This article focuses only on selected aspects of the relationship between science and business.

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The following conclusions can be drawn from the studies:  High-technology

enterprises

maintained

both

formal

and

informal

contact

with

universities/colleges and R&D institutions. Informal contact prevailed only in the case of micro-enterprises.  Traditional sector enterprises maintained mainly informal rather than formal contact.  In the case of traditional sector enterprises, the frequency of any contact increases with the size of the enterprise.  The most frequently indicated purposes of formal contact between high-technology enterprises and R&D institutions were the following: technical consultancy, expert evaluations and certificates, exchange of R&D information and staff training.  None of the surveyed enterprises listed the purchase of licences or R&D results as the purpose of contact.  In the case of traditional sector enterprises, the purposes of formal contact were as follows: staff training, expert evaluations and certificates, and technical consultancy. These enterprises formally collaborated with universities/colleges and research institutes.  The scope of informal interaction was similar for both types of SMEs and included: expert advice and technical consultancy, exchange of information and help in establishing contact. Given the problems in establishing contact between the worlds of economy and science, it would be useful to undertake more studies on this subject. The process of removing barriers between science and business will undoubtedly be a long one, but it is at the same time essential for the further modernization of the Polish economy.

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