At the first meeting of the Group of specialists in the field of Policy of Innovation and Competitiveness (TOS-ICP) in the frame of the Economical Commission of United Nations for Europe (UNECE), that took place in Geneva, Switzerland on March 8-9, 2007, there took part 78 delegations from 27 member states of UNECE, as well as representatives of the European Community, WIPO, intergovernmental organizations, Committee of Eurasian Economy Community Integration, private sector, some scientific institutes and prestigious universities. The Republic of Moldova was represented by a delegation constituted of 3 members of the Working group on co-ordination of the activity of the national experts in the frame of UNECE Committee on Economical Cooperation and Integration, instituted under the Government of the Republic.
Andrei Timus, vice-director of the general Direction on Extern Economical Cooperation of the Ministry of Economy and Commerce (head delegation), Alexandrin Caraganciu, head Center "Social policy and competitiveness" in the frame of the Institute of Economy, Finances and Statistics, Svetlana Munteanu, counselor director general of the State Agency on Intellectual Property of the Republic of Moldova, were members of the National Working group.
The scope of the meeting consisted in determining the aims of the group TOS-ICP, of the Plan of activity on 2007-2008 and in the identification of measures that shall be performed this current year. The Secretariat of the meeting presented the mandate, aims and the draft of the working plan for the above mentioned period.
- The TOS-ICP Group was instituted in September 2006, at the first session of Committee UNECO on Economic Cooperation and Integration (CECI). The task of the group is maintaining the realization of the Working program of CECI in the field of "Reanimation of the competitiveness of the member states by the encouragement of the economy based on the knowledge and innovation", taking in consideration the problems referred to the innovations and competitiveness.
- According to the mandate established by CECI, the TOS-ICP Group has a mission to examine matters related on the creation of the environment proper to the development of the innovations and competitiveness in the member states of UNECE on the base of knowledge, to pay attention of the governments on the needs and take into account the needs of the private sector consumers, universities and businessmen, as well as the civil society entirely.
- The TOS-ICP Group will realize the following activity functions:
a) Change of accumulated experience, consultations in order to elaborate the organizational models for development of the innovations and competitiveness, as well as of the canals through which the results of the technologic development and innovation will get in to the modern national economy;
b) meeting of the experts in order to establish the best practice in relation of the organizational models contributing the innovations and diffusion thereof, to making a synthesis and dissemination of this practice among the large public;
c) UNECE regional meetings of the experts in the field of the innovational policy and competitiveness, in order to make evident the best practice and the existent problems;
d) synthesis of the known methods in order to create the conditions for the development of innovations, discussing and testing thereof by CECI;
e) diffusion of the best practice of the known methods in the above scope, etc.
- According to the CECI Working Program on 2007-2008 in the field "Creation of a medium favorable for the innovational development and competitiveness based on the knowledge", the specialists of TOS-ICP The Group shall carry out following specifying functions:
a) 2007 – the comparative analysis of the organizational models of the innovational development and competitiveness, as well as of the canals through which the results of the technologic development penetrate in the modern economy, and the role thereof in the development of the economy and competitiveness on the national level; making conclusions from the best experience on the facilitation of generation and diffusion of the innovations;
b) 2008 – the comparative analysis of the governmental policy on the facilitation of the technologic development and innovation; totals of the political options in order to create the favorable medium for the innovational development.
In the frame of the meeting there were also represented the brief communications on:
- The virtual web platform for the information exchange, elaborated by the UNECE secretariat, that has a scope to facilitate the collaboration between the TOS-ICP Group members and experts associated in the periods between the sessions, as well as dissemination of the information and communication (representative – José Palacin, Secretary of TOS-ICP);
- Innovation, systems of innovation and competitiveness in the UNECE countries. Discussions related to the key policy (representative – prof. Slavo Radosevic, Great Britain);
- Totals of the main results of the test made by the experts in the field of innovation and competitiveness (representative – Rumen Dobrinsky, UNECE);
- Mobilization of the results in maintaining the future activities (representative – Andrey Vasilyev, Director Economical Cooperation and Integration Department, UNECE).
The delegation of the Republic of Moldova expressed its readiness to represent any relevant information on the national policy of innovation and competitiveness and to contribute effectively to the realization of the working plan of the TOS-ICP Group. The participation of the RM in the work of the group is possible both owing to the respect by our country of the UNECE member obligations and taking over the positive experience.
At the end of current April each country shall represent to the UNECE Secretariat documents on the policy and national program, studies, statistical data and other information for the realization of the p. (a) of the working program on 2007-2008.