The CEO of International CEOE and permanent secretary of CEIB, Narciso Casado, participated yesterday in Panama City in the Conference "International Experiences in Innovation", the second edition of the Conference of "The Routes of Innovation", organized by CAF, the Development Bank of Latin America. The event brought together leaders in innovation and technology, academics and representatives of the public and private sector of the region, whos discussed the importance of innovation management as a catalyst for productive development. In addition, relevant international experiences from different sectors were presented.
CAF Executive President Luis Carranza opened the day and highlighted the importance of business associations to promote innovation and the construction of joint networks. To address this issue, the CEO of International CEOE and permanent secretary of CEIB, Narciso Casado; the general director of REDIT Innovation Network in Spain, Gonzalo Berenguer; the director of the AINIA Technology Center in our country, Sebastián Subirats; and the partner of Transforme Consultores in Chile, Guillermo Beuchat.
During the conference, other issues were discussed, such as the relevance of the construction of public policies to promote innovation and the need to create support financing instruments; the role of the academy in identifying business needs and building capacity for innovation; and the presentation of regional experiences to boost innovation. The conference was closed by the vice president of the Private Sector of CAF, Jorge Arbache.
CEOE proposals in innovation
The permanent secretary of CEIB, Narciso Casado, highlighted the need to reinforce throughout the Ibero-American region the business commitment to innovation and digitalization, given that it has direct effects on productivity, competitiveness and welfare levels in society. From CEOE, he insisted, "we consider that both digitalization and innovation are not an option, but something absolutely necessary." In fact, he informed that, in order to improve the current legislative framework and the so-called innovation ecosystem, at CEOE, there is the Research, Development and Innovation Commission and the Digital Society Commission, whose objective is to establish the lines of action of the organization, as well as defining and agreeing the main messages to transfer them to public administrations and society.
From CEOE, Casado said, it is proposed that this type of activities be placed in the axis of government policies, with a vision of long-term continuity for its development. "We must also work on legislative and administrative simplification, in order to facilitate administrative procedures for aid to companies within administrations, enabling management through a Single Window," he suggested. He also advocated support for the transfer of technology to facilitate permeability towards the productive fabric and the research society. Another fundamental aspect, according to Casado, consists of financing, which plays a key role in the development of R & D & I, and there must be a stable and uniform fiscal support system that provides legal security to all actors. in this ambit.
As for the formation and retention of talent, From CEOE it is understood that it is necessary to adapt university curricula and professional training to the real needs of companies, as well as to stimulate students for their incorporation into scientific-technical careers, Casado. All this, he added, must be accompanied by an adequate protection framework, an area where intellectual and industrial property is key.
Also, Casado as a CEOE representative highlighted digitalization, an area in which he considered it necessary to strengthen the implementation of Information and Communication Technologies in SMEs and public administrations. In this regard, he also advocated fostering innovative culture in companies, as it is a fundamental element for generating business growth.
Fundación Telefónica and CEOE Project
Casado highlighted as an example of the activities that are being carried out in the field of innovation and digitalization, the joint training program that the Telefónica Foundation and CEOE have launched, to contribute to the training of workers in the different productive sectors of Spain, through free online modules and content in “nanograd” format, being the first one that has been developed in the construction sector, under the name of “Construction 4.0"
This project has started in this sector because, as indicated by the report made by the "COTEC Foundation for Innovation", called "The digital reinvention: an opportunity for Spain”, Construction is the sector with the lowest digitization rate in our country, being precisely the productive sectors of construction, agriculture and transport and logistics that have the most need to be digitized.
Role of business organizations in innovation
From Panama, Casado said that business organizations should play an important role in promoting innovation and in the construction of articulation networks, especially in Latin America. In this regard, he stressed, business organizations have a great responsibility to defend and promote policies that promote innovation and digitalization of economies and societies, as well as to establish networks that promote the creation of ecosystems where universities, research centers, companies interact , start-ups, banks, venture capital funds and public institutions. From CEOE, it is also committed to promoting the use of new technologies in the area where business organizations tend to be more active, such as training.
Organizations in the international arena
The permanent secretary of CEIB reported that, at the international level, the Global Business Coalition (GBC), which encompasses the most representative business organizations of the G20 countries, has taken numerous positions related to digitalization and information technologies , which have been reflected in documents about the digital society, smart cities and standardization in information technologies and telecommunications.
Likewise, he pointed out, we have worked very actively in all the innovation and digitalization work groups of all B20s. Proof of this is the B20 Joint Declaration on Society 5.0 and the Sustainable Development Goals, presented at the B20 Summit in Japan to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abbe. In it, Casado reported, It is committed to articulate a global governance model in data management and refers to electronic commerce, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence or the promotion of digitalization in society.
On the other hand, in the BIAC (Business in the OECD), Casado said, there is also an Innovation and Technology Commission, which aims to agree positions in this area and interact with government representatives of the Innovation and Technology Working Group of The OECD
In the International Organization of Employers (OIE), which represents more than 150 organizations from more than 140 countries, he said, work is very active in the debate on the future of the company and work, guiding on the new changes promoted for the technological transformation. In this regard, the OIE and the ILO Employers' Activities Office They have prepared a joint document on the five trends that are transforming business models: technological innovation, talent, globalization, demography and sustainability.
Casado reported that, in addition, the OIE is a founding member of the GAN (Global Apprenticeship Network) initiative, formed by international organizations, business confederations and multinational companies, which work to establish the connection between education and employment through a learning system based on the job. His goal, he added, is to eliminate the educational gap and promote employment through public-private initiatives.
European and Latin American organizations
The permanent secretary of CEIB highlighted from Panama the organizations at European and Latin American level, which have also taken initiatives to promote innovation and digitalization at a global level. In the European case, he informed, BusinessEurope has R + D + i and Digitalization commissions, where representatives of the most representative business organizations in the EU adopt positions and messages that the organization has to try to transmit to the Council, the Commission and to the European Parliament
During this year, he explained, both commissions have taken positions on the protection of intellectual and industrial property, investment in innovation or cybersecurity in the 5.0 ecosystem, among other issues.
From Panama, Casado emphasized the intense activity in defense and promotion of business interests that the Council of Ibero-American Businessmen (CEIB) does, an organization that has the support of the OIE and encompasses the most representative organizations in Latin America. CEIB organizes, together with the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), the Business Meetings on the occasion of the Summit of Heads of State and Government and other meetings focused on specific topics, such as MSMEs.
Among the messages transmitted, Casado said, innovation and digitization are among the priority areas of CEIB. A clear example is the contribution of CEIB to the Declaration of the XXVI Ibero-American Summit of 2018 on sustainable development, which emphasizes the need to facilitate the mobility of students and scientists and make greater efforts in the areas of innovation .
In this regard, the permanent secretary of CEIB also mentioned the Meeting of Presidents of Ibero-American Business Organizations held within the framework of the Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Antigua, Guatemala, where there was an exchange of experiences regarding to the open innovation practiced by multilatinas companies and the management of venture capital funds. On the other hand, he added, In the III Summit of Mipyme Companies, organized in July in Buenos Aires by CEIB, SEGIB and CEOE, the need to reduce administrative burdens, adapt the regulatory environment, boost investment in innovation and create and retain talent was emphasized.
Bilateral meetings
During his visit in Panama, the Director of Relations of CEOE International also held meetings with representatives of homologous business organizations and with Panamanian government authorities, such as the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carmen Gisela Vergara. During this last meeting, Casado reported on the events planned in the field of innovation and organized jointly by CEOE, CEIB and SEGIB.
In this regard, he announced the Open Innovation Forum, which is entitled "The Ibero-American space as an open innovation platform" and will be held at the end of November in Madrid; and emphasized the next Summit of Heads of State and Government that, under the motto “Innovation for sustainable development – Objective 2030”, will take place in Andorra also in November.