A workshop organised by the Government Strategic Analysis Centre (STRATA) together with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) was held on 17-18 February to discuss the development, challenges and improvement of the Lithuania‘s innovation policy. This stocktaking workshop is a milestone in the OECD project on support to “Improve Effectiveness of Lithuania’s Innovation Policy” funded by the European Union via the Structural Reform Support Programme, and implemented by the OECD in cooperation with the European Commission.

During the workshop more than 50 participants of science, technology, and innovation (STI) system shared insights about the country’s innovation ecosystem, its efficiency, functionality, gaps and possible policy improvement directions. “We are glad that the event brought together such a wide circle of innovation community, and meaningful expert presentations and insights involved in the fruitful discussions. This diffusion of knowledge and ideas is useful for the current planning of further developments in STI, which will be accompanied by changes in the ecosystem”, says policy analyst Artūras Malysis who coordinates the project in STRATA. According to the analyst, the information collected by experts who continue their work will become guidelines for further analytical work and help to clarify problematic areas, as well as formulate conclusions and practical recommendations for improvement of the country’s innovation policy.

The two-day seminar focused on development of STI policy in recent years, gaps, implementation paths, challenges, and planned changes. The first day of the workshop included an overview of the actions accompanying the previous recommendations of the OECD, other aspects of STI development, and discussions on the formation of the STI Council and Innovation Agency in the context of coordination of all STI policies. Mission-oriented innovation policy implementation options and alternatives in Lithuania was also discussed. The second day of the workshop provided an overview of the application, challenges, and opportunities of innovative public procurement, as well as features, emerging problems and opportunities of industrial transformation process and artificial intelligence application.

Preliminary OECD insights to improve the country’s innovation system were presented and discussed during the workshop. Expert insights enriched with the experience and estimation of the situation of policy makers, implementers, scientific and business partners, and other stakeholders. The final conclusions and recommendations of this ongoing project are expected to be prepared in the third quarter of 2021.