Outreach – Page 10 – Insight Foresight Institute

Internationalisation of Spanish Universities

Luis Delgado and Totti Könnölä (CEO of IFI) write in the EAIE Magazine on the role of international officers in Spanish universities. The analysis of job offers for international officers in higher education in Spain leads to the conclusion that their main goal is to support the recruitment of international students. They often work within recruitment teams, managing sales channels for specific regions to fulfil the university´s recruitment objectives. Nowadays, however, the concept of internationalisation of higher education should go far beyond student recruitment, the mere mobility of student, or the signing of international agreements. There is much more to a career in international higher education!

Delgado, Luis and Totti Könnölä. “Spain´s New International Officer.” EAIE Forum Member Magazine Winter 2016:08-09. Print.

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IFI attends the IV National Congress of Entrepreneurial Scientists

Our Member of IFI Innovation Council, Juan Mulet participates in the panel ‘Innovation 6.0’ in the IV National Congress of Entrepreneurial Scientists in Barcelona, 24-25 February 2017. The event represents an inflexion point of entrepreneurial innovation ecosystems in our country.

Its goal is to encourage the creation of scientific and technological based companies, to promote the figure of the scientific entrepreneur, to create synergies between the different agents involved in the sector and to inspire the coming generations, in charge of building the future knowledge society.

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Innovation, purchases and employment

Juan Mulet, the member of IFI Innovation Council writes in Cinco Dias, one of the leading economic daily papers in Spain on how innovation, purchase and employment are, or should be, connected.

The 1987 Nobel Prize for Economics, Robert Solow, proved that the four fifths of the United States economic growth of the first half of the past century, were the consequence of having improved the way in which the production factors were combined. Back in the days it was called a technical change, nowadays we would call it “innovation in its broadest sense”, or, as the economist prefer “total productivity of the factors” (TPF). Only the remaining fifth of the mentioned growth, was attributable to the increase in the use of capital and labour. According to the OECD, between 1985 and 2010, the contribution to the (TPF) to the GDP growth between 1985 and 2010 was of 72% in Germany, of 63% in South Korea and a 52% in France. This percentage represented only a 13% in Spain. It is obvious that our economy hasn´t experience the improvement in the use of capital and labour, one of its main ways and opportunities to grow…

Read the full article in Spanish.

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IFI in the Innovation Panel of the VI General Conference of the Spanish Foundations Association

Our Managing Director, Totti Könnölä attended the innovation panel of the the VI General Conference of the Spanish Foundations Association, which was held the 23^rd of November of 2016 in the headquarters of the Barrie Foundation in A Coruña, in the framework of the 50^th commemorative act of this Galician entity.

Totti made a bet on innovation during his intervention on the round table. “To innovate is, in the last instance, about betting on people”, he suggested. His discourse addressed the challenge of entrepreneurship, innovation, ambition and collaboration. He gave much importance to the last point, and he got to say that “at the end that its not just institutions which collaborate but rather individual persons, and sometimes bonds of complicity are created”, as occurred in a case from his native country, Finland, where the Government “obliged” first companies and the academic world to collaborate for obtaining public funds and, although at first the relationship was “artificial”, little by little links were created between persons which led to effective collaboration. In addition, he indicated that innovation is not just undertaken by the business field, but also science, politics and society. However, he added that “entrepreneurship requires an ecosystem” and that, it is necessary to cooperate and “work hand in hand to advance”. He reflected that in the path of innovation there are risks that have to be accepted and that sometimes also serious difficulties arise; “innovative entrepreneurship is a journey, it always comes with uncertainties, but it has its rewards”. So he encouraged everyone to “have ambition” in their projects.

Sharing Economy…… End of the game?

A lot of businesses within the digital economy are structured around the so called digital platforms. Apple, Google, Amazon and Facebook are platforms, and up to a 70% of the new unicorns, with Uber leading them, as well. In USA and Asia the companies based in platforms represent a substantial part of the new digital economy. Surprisingly, Europe, contributes just a 4% in the total capitalization of the global platforms.

It is clear, that we should act in order for Europe to take advantage of what is still to come with the digital economy, which is a lot. That’s how the EC understands it, recently publishing two statements regarding the challenges and opportunities that the digital platforms represent for the European market; and also about the sharing economy.

Link to the full article in Spanish.