Targeted R&D Policy Promoting Biotechnology: A Generalized Toolkit for Policymakers

Summary

The TARGET project’s objective is to design and develop a set of guidelines & recommendations, cumulating in a Toolkit, for creating and executing policies to develop the life science/bio-med sector. The TARGET policy Toolkit, presented in chapter II, is based on the Evolutionary Life Cycle approach to innovation, modified to suit the challenges and realities facing life science industries. The Toolkit is also a first step in creating a policy approach applicable to other emerging and innovative sectors. The main challenge of the TARGET project was to translate the consortium’s insights on life science/bio-med innovation into a policy Toolkit that is clear and concise, without being overly simplistic or advocating misleading.

Conclusions

Besides these individual interests of different organizations, the different stages of a sector’s development will have different effects on the ability to obtain agreement for kick-off at the beginning of the process. While it is more risky or entrepreneurial to kick off a targeted approach at an earlier stage of evolution, there will likely be more parties and interests at later stages with potentially more entrenched interests, which may lead to greater complications. With the stage of development in mind, it should be noted that in the cases discussed, it was mostly support for innovative sectors, not just biotechnology; in some cases biotechnology was not really a strength but a desire.