Centre for Technology Management

Challenging the European Paradox: A Joint Initiative of Technology Focused European Universities

1. Hugo Tschirky , 2. David Probert

1. Center for Enterprise Science, Group for Technology and Innovation Management, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), Zurichbergstr. 18, CH 8028 Zurich

2. Center for Technology Management, Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge, U.K.

Abstract

On a global scale the competitiveness of Europe is lacking innovativeness in direct comparison to the US and Japan. Since a number of years the European Commission is referring to this critical situation. Calling it the European Paradox reference is made to the discrepancy bertween the high level of scientific achievements and the capability to convert these into marketable products and services. As a result of this analysis the promotion of technology and innovation management is recommended. Facing this challenge a group of representatives from six technology focused European universities founded the European Institute for Technology and Innovation Management (EITIM) with the purpose to actively contribute to overcoming the pardoxical gap. With the vision “bringing technology into the boardroom” the EITIM is undertaking efforts in research, teaching and dessimination in order to demonstrate today’s possibilities to master the manageability of technologies more effevtively than in the past.