Reinforcing innovation effectiveness : a new methodological approach for policy evaluation : ERSA Congress, 30th August - 3rd September 2011, Barcelona, Spain

'Innovation is the ability to take new ideas and translate them into commercial outcomes by using new processes, products or services in a way that is better and faster than the competition' (Nedis & Byler, 2009). Innovation is considered as an important competitiveness factor for companies and a source of wealth for economies. Therefore it is an important subject of policy intervention and regional development. The understanding of what innovation is has evolved in the past decades away from a purely technological definition - of new products and processes introduced on the market, to a wider one including organisational and marketing aspects or incremental innovation in low tech production companies and more recently, innovation in services (European Commission, 2008). The main purpose of this paper is to propose a new methodology for territorial analysis and planning focused on innovation and knowledge transfer and in its governance mechanisms. A new methodology which is intended that can contribute to strengthen the present analytical tools applied to the processes of regional innovation and technology transfer. A new methodology that seeks, for each specific territorial context, contribute to the following results: 1) Evaluate the socio-economic and territorial impacts of knowledge transfer and technology diffusion; 2) Mapping territorial innovation effects and pathways - reinforcing innovation mapping and strategic planning; 3) Monitor innovation productivity, competitiveness and its systemic effects; 4) Monitor the innovation implementing processes and public policies, and support the multidimensional and multiscale evaluation of its results; 5) Better understand the knowledge transfer and technology diffusion in a specific territorial bases; 6) Increase the understanding of local and regional contexts of innovation governance.