Mr. Stavros Mantzanakis, Vice-President of the Triple Helix Chapter of Greece, participated in the 6th Multi-Conference on Innovation & Development that was held on June 6th in Xanthi. The aim of the conference was to award a prize to the companies which have contributed to the development of the region.
During the conference, Mr. Mantzanakis focused on the Triple Helix and the way it can affect the society and economy of Greece.
In particular, in his speech he emphasized that the key to success of Triple Helix is the way Universities-Market-Government interact. Each of these elements/parties can be modified in a way that will allow them to cooperate more effectively and constructively. In addition, he argued that the transformation of academic models into practical achievements, as well as the international cooperation within the research community and businesses, can provide a common discussion framework for the stakeholders involved, so that they could:
– play a decisive role in the regional development of Greece and South-East Europe;
– enhance the dynamics of innovation;
– encourage and support entrepreneurship; and finally
– fight against the ‘brain drain’ caused by immigration of scientists abroad.
Nowadays, research is multi-faceted. Mr. Mantzanakis underlined that even though Europe emphasizes on research, the results of the commercialization of research are not remarkable, compared to the USA. Moreover, special attention should be paid to the private sector, due to the fact that the role of public sector has minimized considerably.
During his speech, Mr. Mantzanakis also suggested the formulation of a joint strategic plan which would prove to be essential for the enhancement/development of the region. However, only few areas can be included in this plan considering that cash is limited. He argued that the collaboration between government, market and universities is necessary in order to align the entire ecosystem and create goodwill. This project would connect universities with industry in a joint venture in order for them to be able to set up new businesses which would operate based on the knowledge of the region.
Mr. Mantzanakis mentioned that enterprises need support in order to gear towards research centers. Undoubtedly, though, the government should provide them with a stable political and fiscal environment. Lastly, given that all three contributors (Universities-Market-Government) have common interests, Mr. Mantzanakis concluded that the ideal solution is their collaboration in order to co-create.
