Comparing Innovation Ecosystems in the UK, EU, and Korea
“Need to Shift Beyond Government-Led Models Toward Network-Based and Inclusive Approaches”
There has been an evaluation that, in the period of synthetic intelligence (AI), a nation’s innovation competitiveness relies upon extra on the way it redesigns its general innovation ecosystem than on securing particular person applied sciences. The evaluation factors out that, as AI, demographic shifts, provide chain restructuring, and geopolitical dangers converge, the limitations of conventional government-led innovation fashions have gotten more and more clear.
The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) introduced that it held the ‘2026 STEPI Global Symposium’ at the Centennial Memorial Samsung Hall at Korea University on May 28, 2026.
Held beneath the theme “Innovation That Responds to Change: Innovation Ecosystems and R&D in the Age of AI,” the occasion introduced collectively students from 5 international locations—UK, Italy, Japan, Taiwan, and Korea—to focus on the evolution of innovation ecosystems in Cambridge, the European Union (EU), and Korea, in addition to coverage instructions for innovation in the age of AI.
In his opening remarks, STEPI President Jiwoong Yoon acknowledged, “AI is fundamentally restructuring the production of scientific knowledge, the management of research and development (R&D), and value creation methods.” He added, “The essential question is no longer how to respond to a single new technology, but how to redesign the entire innovation ecosystem.”
He continued, “STEPI will focus on R&D policy research for the AI era, strengthening data-driven policy capabilities, and establishing a sustainable international cooperation system.”
Delivering the first presentation, Professor Tim Minshall of the University of Cambridge in the UK launched the development course of of the Cambridge innovation cluster, explaining, “Innovation is not achieved through a single policy, but when universities and research institutes, talent, investment, infrastructure, and communities work organically together.”
He described the Cambridge ecosystem as “a space where it is safe to try risky things” and evaluated {that a} network-based tradition of collaboration and a fast-paced startup setting are the core drivers of innovation.
Alberto Di Minin, Dean of the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, Italy, offered examples of EU innovation insurance policies, diagnosing, “The key challenge is to connect outstanding scientific achievements to industrial competitiveness.”
He defined that the EU is constructing a ‘Quadruple Helix’ system, the place authorities, trade, academia, and residents take part collectively by adopting an open innovation mannequin, and that our bodies reminiscent of the European Innovation Council (EIC) act as mechanisms to overcome the ‘Valley of Death’ in the commercialization course of of analysis.
In a subsequent presentation, President Yoon evaluated that Korea’s innovation ecosystem has grown by way of the enlargement of government-funded analysis institutes, universities, corporations, enterprise capital, and regional clusters. However, he recognized structural crises reminiscent of declining nationwide competitiveness, a slowdown in potential development charges, and a discount in science and engineering workforce.
He emphasised, “We must shift from a static innovation system to a dynamic innovation ecosystem, from government-led approaches to network-based coordination systems, and from growth-focused innovation to innovation centered on inclusivity and resilience.”
Hot Picks Today
In the ensuing panel dialogue, comparisons of Tsukuba in Japan, the Daedeok Research and Development Special Zone in Korea, and Cambridge highlighted the limitations of government-led innovation fashions and the want for citizen- and entrepreneur-centered ecosystems. Other key subjects included methods for securing AI sovereignty, strengthening governance capabilities based mostly on public worth, and the want to redesign AI-based innovation ecosystems centered on universities and government-funded analysis institutes.
This content material was produced with the help of AI translation companies.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.