Innovation Cafe – the 12th edition – Sustainability and Innovation in the Romanian Entrepreneurial Ecosystem - online event

March 31st of April, 2021

The main theme of the event was the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Romania as it is perceived by those who participate to its development and by comparison with other national ecosystems. It brought together the most important actors of the entrepreneurial ecosystem who debated the role of innovation in entrepreneurship, the intellectual property rights* (as catalysts of innovation,) and the ways in which the Romanian ecosystem can be consolidated. Current issues of the ecosystem were discussed, possible alternatives for solving them were offered, examples of good practices from international and national environments were presented, concrete situations were exemplified in which the speakers' experience proved to be very relevant for the audience.

Several key notes emerged at the end of the discussions:

• It is essential to develop a community to support the innovation that should be characterized by trust, efficient use of resources, collaboration and complementary actions and that must provide solid information.
• Future public policy proposals targeting ​​innovation must be elaborated by public authorities in collaboration with representatives of the private sector. Successful examples from other countries have shown that when the government sector - through government programs and public policies - had taken on more risks related to innovation (especially in the early stages of its development), it subsequently managed to easily mobilize resources from the private environment, with results in building very sustainable businesses.
• IPR is essential for the guarantee of profit, success and sustainability of a business. Frequent cases of improper patenting along the years support this statement.
• It is important to educate researchers from universities and institutes to understand what needs to be published in articles and needs to be patented and validated in the area of ​​innovation. University researchers are evaluated by the number of scientific papers published and not by patents. This practice disadvantages patenting and the transfer of innovation to the market.
• Patent strategy: go big! Apply for international patterns (in most cases, national patents cover national markets which due to their reduced size, do not attract investors) Even if the costs are higher, there are programs that cover part of the expenses. On the long term, the benefits of international patenting are rewarded. 

The conference was broadcasted live on Facebook Innovation Cafe, (16.00) and had over 1000 views and a more than 2000 persons reached. The audience consisted of representatives of state authorities, universities, research institutes, companies and non-governmental organizations.

*The event is powered by Knowing IPR project (co-funded by European Union funds ERDF, IPA,ENI) which aims to enable higher education institutions (HEIs) and companies active in the automotive sector and automotive value chain to develop their IPR skills, to enhance their IPR based cooperation, to have access to IPR open data and to use IPR knowledge to advance their work and solve specific challenges.