Innovations oriented development strategies for the European Union

Abstract

The present article deals with possibilities for the development of new forms of economic, social and technological headway designed to create and further improve economies based on knowledge and high technologies sector in the European Union. Innovation processes in economy and culture in the context of the enlargement of the European Union are analyzed in the article. The main emphasis is put on strategic decisions in the area of knowledge economy and high technologies sectors creation and further modernization as well as creation of scientific and technological progress oriented networks of clusters. High technology sectors development and clusterization oriented towards the increase of efficiency of various national and regional economies is a critical precondition for successful creation of modern economy based on knowledge, both in the whole space of the European Union and particular countries. A concept of creation of regional and cross-regional clusters and their networks also known as „economic oazes“ is suggested here. It is explained in the paper that in the economies based on knowledge development of clusters and their networks will soon become one of the core forms of economic and technological advancement. The variety of clusters and their networks is defined, and the idea of clusterization generally oriented towards creation and promotion of high technologies is given. Some typical factors of the economic, technological and social development of the European Union are being described here, and it is subsequently proved that these factors reflect on the common context of creation of the knowledge based economies. The main idea is, that the future of the European Union lies in the creation of the knowledge based society and knowledge based economy. This means that key issues that require strategic decisions are to be considered as issues of creation of the knowledge based society and knowledge based economy. The essence of these issues could be revealed in the following: - what should the knowledge based society and knowledge based economy be in the future in the European Union? - how should the knowledge based society and economy be created in the European Union? Striving to find answers to these questions determines the necessity of elaboration and implementation of appropriate strategies for creation of knowledge based society and knowledge based economy. In its turn, in order to ensure elaboration and implementation appropriate concepts and methodologies of preparation and justification of strategic decisions should be used. This publication analyzes a new approach towards the way how long term strategies designed to create knowledge based economy in the European Union should be prepared. This approach is a result of scientific research the object of which has been creation of the knowledge based economy in the situation of the enlargement of the European Union. The objective of the completed research has been the proof of the fact that key priorities for creation of the knowledge based economy is the urge of technological advancement and enhancement of compatibility and productivity using such opportunities as specialization of national and regional economies, creation of clusters and their networks, as well as the development of so called economic “oases” and hyper-clusters in the entire economic space of the European Union. The main result of the completed research is the concept of strategies oriented towards integration and synthesis, the basis for which is the universal principle of „creation of a new quality“: we should utilize this principle in elaborating and implementing the strategies for creation of knowledge based economy in the European Union. Key tasks of the completed research have been the following: - demonstrate the fact that knowledge based society and knowledge based economy in the European Union should be created according to the universal principle of „creation of a new quality, - reveal the essence of the rational specialization of national and regional economies, - show the necessity of creation and expansion of regional, cross-regional and international networks of clusters and economic “oases” in the European Union, - prove the necessity to create and apply the strategies oriented towards integration and synthesis. These tasks have been of a priority when attempting to create a modern knowledge based society and knowledge based economy in the European Union.