The Strategy aims for the Czech Republic to become one of the most innovative countries in Europe. It consists of nine chapters, on which there is a broad agreement among entrepreneurs, academicians and researchers. It puts an emphasis on research evaluation and funding.
The Strategy puts emphasis on research funding and evaluation and aims to increase the Czech Republic’s share of science and research spending of GDP to 2.5 percent by 2025 and to three percent in 2030. In terms of spending on science, the Czech Republic is currently behind the European average. For example Sweden, Austria and Germany fund science more than the Czech Republic. On the contrary, Poland, Hungary and southern European countries invest less.
The document also emphasizes the development of start-ups and spin-off companies, or smart infrastructure. The Czech Republic is now very dependent on the automotive industry that will not only deal with car production in the future but also with the development of solutions for self-driving cars.
Another pillar of the strategy is a change in support for patent policy as the Czech Republic lags behind the most advanced countries in the world in protecting intellectual property. One of the pillars also addresses the promotion of the country abroad.
The Government Research, Development and Innovation Council has received a positive stance from the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, universities, business associations such as the Chamber of Commerce and the Industry and Transport Association, and key Czech innovators. The Council was inspired by geographically and similar sized countries, such as the Scandinavian countries and Switzerland.
