“Unleashing the talent and the drive for innovation of the young generations” (en)

Dear Mr. President Kiska,
Dear Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Miroslav Lajcak,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today’s event is an excellent opportunity for all of us not only to share our expertise and to establish useful contacts and long-term partnerships. It is also the occasion to reflect on innovation, on the role it plays in shaping tomorrow’s society and in the opportunities it can offer in improving our lives.

There is no doubt: innovation is the key to solve many future challenges. As President Kiska mentioned, one of these is demographic change and the fact that our societies are getting older on average. Another major challenge we must address with innovation is youth unemployment. Some countries in Europe have over 50% of their youth that has no fixed employment – this is both an individual tragedy for all these young people concerned and a risk for the future stability and prosperity of our societies.

Innovation is the key to solve many problems – I think we all agree on this. But can we “create” innovation? Or can we encourage it? And if yes: how? Or is innovation simply there, if we are lucky, like some sort of magic that happens by chance? I will attempt to give an answer to these questions in the next few minutes.

Innovation is a process that manifests itself when new products or new services are successfully brought to the market or new processes contribute to improve the production efficiency.

Innovation requires a complex, value-added chain: you start with fundamental research and continue with applied research; you go on with the development of laboratory prototypes and demonstration equipment; this in turn leads to regulatory approval, market launch, and it ends up in market diffusion and exports.

Innovation is the fruit of a complex interplay between the private and the public sector.

In Switzerland, more than two third of the total expenditure for research and development derive from the private sector. Public research funding is allocated on liberal principles, according to the proactive work of researchers and through principle of competition.

Basic research mainly takes place at the federal institutes of technology and at universities, which are both financed in large parts by the public sector.

Applied research and development and the transfer of knowledge into marketable innovations, however, is primarily the domain of the private sector and universities of applied sciences.

In Switzerland, state institutions at all political levels cooperate in creating favourable conditions and a good ecosystem for excellent research and successful innovation.

A fundamental condition to encourage innovation is a high-quality education system.

The Swiss education system includes on one hand the very efficient vocational and professional education and training system, and on the other hand an outstanding system of higher education, including federal institutes of technology, public universities and universities of applied sciences.

Let me first say a few words about the vocational and professional education and training system. In Switzerland, a majority of young people choose vocational training rather than a university degree.

The content of the vocational and professional education and training curricula lies partly in the responsibility of the private sector. This ensures that young people obtain skills and qualifications that meet the needs of the labour market. Young people are trained and educated by teachers and mentors and the young ones can benefit from the experience from the older ones. This vocational system is a perfect example of a win-win public-private partnership: the private sector takes a part of responsibility and of the costs of the systems but in turn it obtains young workers perfectly qualified.

I am convinced that such a training and education is the main reason why the youth unemployment rate is so low in Switzerland: the young that finish their education are already integrated in the market, and perform very well there. They usually find a job very soon for their own, for their employer’s and for the society’s profit.

A project which aims at optimizing the match between the vocational education system’s priorities and the needs on the labour market is currently implemented in Slovakia, in the framework of the Swiss programme to reduce social and economic disparities in the enlarged EU.

Running until 2016, this project is carried out by the Slovakian State Vocational Training Institute, in partnership with its Swiss counterpart, the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training.

The Swiss education system is designed for permeability. This means that young people engaged in vocational education and training can obtain a baccalaureate and direct their education towards a University education if they wish.

Such a permeable system, with a vast variety of different career options for all needs and capabilities, is very helpful to create a value-added chain with highly trained workers that have a large experience in practical and theoretical matters.

Universities of applied sciences, in particular, are a key factor on the path to innovation. They are very important because they focus on applied research and thus form a bridge between fundamental research and companies. By doing so, they are crucial for the knowledge and technology transfer.

A relatively high number of University and research institutes, plus a dense network of Small and medium-sized enterprises are a good asset for interaction between research and business, between the public and the private sector. These factors form a fertile soil for innovation.
Innovation by itself is no guarantee for success. Innovation needs skilled workforce in order to be transformed into prosperity. Here lies again the importance of the system of vocational and professional education and training.

Certainly, there are several other factors influencing the innovation-capacity of a country. I am thinking notably about the following points:

- advisory and networking support for small and medium-sized enterprises;
- reliable protection of intellectual property;
- low administrative hurdles;
- and finally, access to international knowledge and technology transfer.

This final point – international knowledge and technology transfer between higher education institutions and business partners in different countries – is of paramount importance.

The promotion of the cooperation between Switzerland and Slovakia in the field of innovation is the aim of today’s Forum and this is why it is so important. Your presence here today is an indication of your awareness of the importance of mutual cooperation.

The added-value-chain in innovation is no longer bound to national borders. It is for many companies vital to internationalize their strategies and research and development activities. It is the only way for them to remain competitive and capable of generating growth.

Slovakia is an ideal partner for Switzerland. Many synergies have already been created and many more will be developed in the years to come.

Swiss Universities and Research institutions are among the best in the world. The 2 Swiss Institutes of Technology rank among the 4 universities in Europe obtaining the most grants of the European Research Council (ERC Grants) for the period of 2007-2013 with the British Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. They reinforce the competitiveness of the European research area. But they could not perform so well without strong international links.

It is therefore of mutual importance to assure the access of Swiss Universities to the European research area and vice-versa. Switzerland and the EU could sign last week an agreement on the Association of Switzerland to the Programme Horizon 2020. But it is only a temporary one.

We will have to work hard together to create the conditions to make it a sustainable one, because it reinforces both the EU and Switzerland, our capacity to search and discover, our capacity to innovate and our capacity to create jobs for our youth. The question is do we want to take advantage of the potential of the best research capacities or not?

Universities of our two countries already cooperate closely. Under the 7th EU Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development, for instance, more than a hundred projects involving both Swiss and Slovakian researchers were carried out.

An efficient instrument to further support and foster bilateral innovation projects in order to develop new products or services is the programme EUREKA.

Specifically designed to cater to the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises - which represent 99% of all companies both in Switzerland and Slovakia - EUREKA is a market-oriented research and development initiative.

EUREKA currently counts 41 full members, which includes both EU Member States and third countries.

Slovakia joined in 2001; Switzerland is a founding member and currently chairs the initiative. Our two countries have successfully worked together within EUREKA in the past.

I therefore invite you, ladies and gentlemen, to make the most of the opportunities offered to you!

The corollary of innovation is trade and investment. Between 2000 and 2013, trade between Switzerland and Slovakia has tripled.
Last year, the total trade volume between our countries amounted to 1,25 billion Euro, with a trade surplus of 450 million Euro in favour of Slovakia. This is a lot. But there is still big room for increase when you remember that the trade between Switzerland and the EU is worth nearly 1 billion Euros - each working day.

Direct investments between our countries also increased steadily. By end of 2012, Swiss companies had invested about 750 million Euros in Slovakia, in business branches providing more than 7’300 jobs.

This is good news, and here too I am convinced that the trend will keep going in that positive direction.

I would like to congratulate the organizers of this Forum. As I said, it is an important contribution to fostering innovation in our two countries. A special thank goes to Minister Miroslav Lajcak and to the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs for kindly hosting this symposium.
My thanks also to you, President Kiska; the very fruitful and substantial discussion we had just before the opening of this forum leaves no doubt in my mind that the relations between our countries are excellent – the best precondition for a good cooperation in the field of innovation.

I would like to conclude by saying that the Youth of the European continent has a lot to offer, many ideas and big talents. There are many potential innovations in its heads and its hearts. It is our responsibility, as public authorities and as business leaders to create the best conditions to promote and stimulate its possibilities to transform these visions into reality. Let us unleash the talent and the drive for innovation of the young generations. We know how to do it. So we should do it. I wish you interesting and fruitful discussions, enabling you to establish solid and long-term innovation partnerships

Thank you. Ďakujem pekne