Strategic Intelligence Platforms and Technology Watch in Companies Current situation and perspectives in the Region of Murcia (Spain)

Enterprises’ Current Aproach There is not formalised process of Technology Watch and Strategic Intelligence (TW & SI) in the vast majority of the companies –There is NOT an special department, with personnel and resources –There is NOT a previous identification of the critical factors that should be watched But ALL of the companies made a kind of “home made” TW & SI –The companies watch competitors & clients carefully. They also take into account regulations (laws), markets, inputs (machinery and raw materials) –The main sources are: trade fairs and specialized magazines –Other sources: companies associations, providers, internet, etc.

Special characteristics of the Companies in Murcia (I) Internationalisation: worldwide competition –They produce commodities (furniture, food, natural stone, metalmechanics, plastics, etc.) with low added value –Transport costs are increasingly cheaper, so there are competitors from all over the world –The companies have clients, providers and competitors from many different locations (countries) an that are currently taking them into account Weak Technology approach –Still very low investment in R&D (below 1% of GDP) where the private share is about 50% –There are not many engineers, scientist or technologu dedicated pesonnel in the companies –The Technology Watch and Strategic Intelligence unformalised tasks are carried out by the the manager and the marketing or sales staff. This implies strong dificulties on a technology based watch What they look at? Who?

Special characteristics of the Companies in Murcia (II) Conventional software –The companies do not have special tools for TW & SI, just the to send messages to colleagues of the same companies and in some big companies there is a common server. Staff training –There are not strong technical associations –Continuos trainning is less than 25%, one of the weakest in Europe –Technical based personnel contracting and/or mobility is not a common source to improve the knowledge of the company Tools Knowledge on the heads of the staff of the companies

PSIP – Platforms and Providers of Information in the Region of Murcia Industrial Associations of Companies: Prices, Regulations, Grants and subsidies Chambers of Commerce: markets –INFO has a strong platform of providing information on this topic that could be seen in Regional Devleopment Agency (INFO): Grants and subsidies –It is also part of the European Innovation Relay Center Network (IRC) with a platform that could be seen in Technology Centers: new technologies, regulations –On its web page there are information resources, alerts –Magazines –Workshops, trainning courses to its associated companies

Current & Future projects Stratinc: –Pilot platform to be extended to other Technology Centers INFO: –Platform focused on innovation management and partners Technology Centers –Improve the existing platform, Cecotec.com in the framework Automatization of repetitive tesks Introduction of analysis tools (?)

Lessons learned GOOD THINGS –It is good to have a JAVA approach with a strong database behind (ORACLE) –We have been able to establish a common repository of information for all the Technology Centers at the same time PLEASE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT… –It is better to Use / Buy / Copy EXISTING Platforms Dificulties on defining and setting-up tools –It is dificult to design a common platform for DIFFERENT INSTITUTIONS Better to use pilot approach and extend to the rest of the partners –There is a WEAK INTEREST of the companies on TW & SI services We hope to provide a more valued service once it would work more satisfactorily –Technology Watch and Strategic Intelligence is not only a product to be supplied to the associated companies to a Technology Center These tools should be used also INTERNALLY, I want to mean, inside of a Technology Center by its experts and technologies for their daily work –Languages understanding dificulties is still an issue that shoul be taken into account Contents in English or French will not be widely used, as for example the ISI Web of Knowledge