Organizational-economic maintenance of innovation activity in the region: comparative assessment

Development of competitive industries, capable of assimilating innovation technologies, is one of the socio-economic development directions of the RF subjects.

In this regard, one considers organizational and economic support of innovation processes at the regional level as an independent object of study, which includes regulatory support of innovation activity, institutions and mechanisms of their functioning.

The regulatory support is the key condition of government assistance to the country’s economic development and its regions in this direction.

At present, the state is making great efforts to create the legal base for innovation activity. At the federal level the following important documents have been approved: the Strategy for Innovation Development of the Russian Federation till 2020 [1], long-term sector development strategies, state programs to support industries [2], the complex program “Creation of Science and Technology Parks in the Sphere of High Technologies in the Russian Federation” [3], Priority Directions in Science, Technology and Technique Development, List of Critical Technologies of the Russian Federation” [4].

What is more, the activities of the leading Russian innovation development institutes are prescribed by normative legal acts. The federal laws on state support of innovation activity, the country’s industrial development, public-private partnership are drafted (but not adopted).

The Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation presents the classification of innovation infrastructure objects, which consists of three main parts:

• 1.    Production and technological infrastructure, that includes:

  – science and technology parks, including research-and-production complexes, providing a wide range of services to small and medium enterprises in the innovation sphere, businessincubators, innovation and technology centers, science and technology parks in the high technologies sphere, science parks, academic parks;

  – territories of innovation development, including SEZ of a technology-innovative type at the regional level, science cities, innovation cities (being built and existing);

  – other objects of innovation infrastructure, supporting the commercialization of research results, including cluster development centers, common use centers, engineering centers (prototyping centers), technology transfer centers, certification centers and testing laboratories (centers), that monitor whether innovation (high tech) products meet established requirements or not.

• 2.    Information and expert-consulting infrastructure, including information centers (centers/institutes of scientific and technological information, industry forecasting centers of scientific and technological development), subcontracting centers, European Information Correspondent Center in Russia (EICC-Russia), the Russian office of the Entrepreneurship Europe Network (EEN-Russia) and the associations (agencies) to

• 3.    Financial infrastructure, including funds for venture investment development assistance for small and medium enterprises in the scientific and technological sphere (noncommercial enterprises), venture capital funds (regional venture capital funds, investing into small enterprises in the scientific and technological sphere, seed/start-up funds), guarantee funds [5].

support entrepreneurship and other organizations, member of the regional EICC-Russia affiliation.

At the same time most Russian regions are developing their own normative-legal base, regulating the implementation of innovative activity. Its availability is analyzed in 17 regions of the Central Federal District (CFD) (except Moscow). The normative legal acts of these regions are structured by five main areas: the innovation law; the legal act, regulating the development and functioning of the innovation infrastructure in the context of innovation infrastructure objects, the normative-legal act, stipulating allocations to innovative enterprises; the legal act, contemplating the functioning of the advisory body on state regulation issues of innovation system development; the regional target programs, aimed at innovative activity development (tab. 1) .

The table shows that the given regions have adopted the regulatory legal acts on financial assistance for innovative enterprises; almost all the regions have approved innovation laws, and the advisory bodies’ activities, concerning innovation policy, have legal basis. The normative legal base, promoting innovation infrastructure development, is not significant. Only 3 regions have normative legal acts, that regulate the creation and functioning of technology development special economic zones at the regional level, 4 regions – science cities, 1 region – cluster development centers, 2 regions – engineering centers, 3 regions – information centers, 7 regions – agency of entrepreneurship support, 2 regions –

Table 1. Institutional support of innovative activity in the Central Federal District regions

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The assessment of regulatory support of innovation processes is carried out in points (using weight coefficients) in order to develop the most perspective development directions of the innovative activity legal base. The method to calculate this assessment was developed on the basis of the method, assessing the use efficiency of the federal budget funds, allocated for capital investments [6]. The method is intended to estimate the use efficiency of federal budget funds, allocated for capital investment, for investment projects, that are planned to be fully or partially financed by the federal budget. The efficiency estimation is based on the integral efficiency estimation and the efficiency estimation on the basis of 9 qualitative and 5 quantitative indicators.

The assessment of regulatory support is based on the four following quantitative indicators, characterizing the existence (absence) of the following normative legal acts:

• 1)    regional law on innovation activity;

• 2)    legal act, regulating the innovation infrastructure activities, including:

  • 2.1    production and technological infrastructure;

  • 2.2    information and expert-consulting infrastructure;

  • 2.3    financial infrastructure;

• 3)    act, providing financial support for innovative companies;

• 4)    act on the advisory body’s activities, concerning innovation policy.

The assessment of regulatory support (Ars) on the basis of quantitative indicators is calculated by the following formula:

Ars = E Ki x Bi, where: Ki – a point to estimate the quantitative indicator “i”;

Bi – a weight coefficient of the quantitative indicator “i”;

i – a number of quantitative indicators, “I” is 1, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3, 4.

The weight coefficient for each quantitative indicator was calculated by means of the expert estimations method. The experts, developing the region’s innovation policy, were leading specialists of the executive authority, managers of the existing innovative enterprises; representatives of scientific community (Ph.D. in Economics and Doctors of Economics), dedicated to research of innovative development. The indicator “work experience in the sphere under analysis” (not less than 5 years) was chosen to reveal the experts’ competence.

The expert evaluation of the normative legal support of innovation processes in the regions of the Central Federal District is presented in table 2 .

Table 2 shows that the most significant forms of regulatory support of innovative activity are the normative legal act, regulating the activities of production and technological innovation infrastructure (0.25), the regional law on innovative activity, as well as the normative legal act, contemplating the provision of financial support to innovative companies (0.2).

The possible values for each indicator are ranked according to the number of regional normative legal acts, adopted to regulate innovative activity (tab. 3) .

Table 3 indicates that the maximum total value of points, that can be assigned to the region, is 19 (K1max=1, K2.1max=10, K2.2=3, K2.3=3, K3max=1, K4max=1).

The total value of points for each subject of the Central Federal District is presented in table 4 .

The table shows that in the CFD regions less than half of the maximum possible num-

Table 2. Weight coefficient values of the assessment indicators of regulatory support of innovation processes in the CFD regions

Assessment indicator	Value
1. Existence of the regional law on innovation activity	0.20
2. Existence of normative legal acts, regulating activity of innovation infrastructure objects in the region, including:
2.1. Objects of production and technological innovation infrastructure	0.25
2.2. Objects of information and expert-consulting innovation infrastructure	0.10
2.3. Objects of financial innovation infrastructure	0.10
3. Existence of the regulatory act, contemplating the provision of financial support to innovative companies	0.20
4. Existence of the normative legal act, regulating the activities of the advisory body to innovation policy	0.15
Total:	1.00

Table 3. Allowed values of the quantitative indicators of regulatory support of innovation activity in the regions, points

Symbol Admissible valuation Requirements to define points for each indicator evaluation К1 0 *1 1 is assigned to the region, where the law on innovation activity is adopted 0 is assigned to the region, where the law is not approved К2.1 0 *10 10 is assigned to the region, where the normative legal acts, regulating the activities of the maximum possible number (10)* of objects of production and technological innovation infrastructure, are approved 0 is assigned to the region, where these acts are not adopted К2.2 0 *3 3 is assigned to the region, where the normative legal acts, contemplating the activities of the maximum possible number (3)** of objects of information and expert-consulting innovation infrastructure, are adopted 0 is assigned to the region, where these acts are not adopted К2.3 0 *3 3 is assigned to the region, where the normative legal acts, regulating the activities of the maximum possible number (3)*** of objects of financial innovation infrastructure are approved 0 is assigned to the region, where these acts are not adopted К3 0 *1 1 is assigned to the region, where the regulatory acts, stipulating the provision of financial support to innovative companies, are approved 0 is assigned to the region, where these acts are not adopted К4 0 *1 1 is assigned to the region, where the normative legal acts, regulating the activities of the advisory body for innovation policy are approved 0 is assigned to the region, where these acts are not adopted * 1. Business incubators. 2. Science and technology parks. 3. Special economic zone of a technical innovation type. 4. Science cities. 5. Innovative cities 6. Cluster development centers. 7. Common use centers. 8. Engineering centers. 9. Technology transfer centers. 10. Certification centers ** 1. Information centers. 2. Subcontracting centers. 3. Agency of entrepreneurship support (EICC-Russia, EEN-Russia) *** 1. Funds to support small and medium enterprises. 2. Fund for venture investment development assistance for small and medium enterprises. 3. Guarantee funds. ber of normative legal acts, regulating the innovative activity, is adopted. The Moscow, Voronezh and Kaluga oblasts are leaders by the number of points. It should be noted that the maximum score among the regions was 12 points (63% of the maximum possible), that testifies insufficient elaboration of the regulatory support system of innovative activity. In particular, the functioning of information, expert-consulting and financial infrastructures is regulated to a lesser extent. The outsider regions by the total number of points in 2013 are the Ivanovo, Kursk and Smolensk oblasts.

Table 4. Values of the quantitative indicators of regulatory support of innovation activities in the CFD regions, points

Oblast	Total points	Regulatory acts in innovation infrastructure			Law on innovation	Financial support of innovation	Advisory body for innovation policy
		Production-technological	Information and expertconsulting	Financial
Belgorod	7	2	0	2	1	1	1
Bryansk	6	1	2	1	1	1	0
Vladimir	7	2	0	2	1	1	1
Voronezh	8	3	0	2	1	1	1
Ivanovo	4	1	0	1	1	1	0
Kaluga	9	3	1	2	1	1	1
Kostroma	5	2	1	1	0	1	0
Kursk	3	2	0	0	0	1	0
Lipetsk	6	2	0	1	1	1	1
Moscow	12	5	2	2	1	1	1
Orel	7	2	0	2	1	1	1
Ryazan	7	2	1	1	1	1	1
Smolensk	4	0	1	2	0	1	0
Tambov	7	3	1	0	1	1	1
Tver	5	1	0	1	1	1	1
Tula	6	1	1	2	1	1	0
Yaroslavl	5	2	0	1	0	1	1

The limit (maximum) value is set to 100% or 3.65 in absolute terms. The compliance of the numeric value to the established limit value indicates the maximum degree of elaboration of regulatory support of innovative activity in the region. According to the calculations, the numeric value can range:

– from 65% (2.37) to 100% (3.65), indicating a high degree of elaboration of regulatory support of innovative activity in the region;

– 30% (1.09) to 65% (2.37), revealing the average degree of elaboration of regulatory support of innovative activity in the region;

– below 30% (1.09), proving a low degree of elaboration of regulatory support of innovative activity in the region.

The comparative assessment of regulatory support of innovation activities and the corresponding rating of the Central Federal district regions is presented in table 5 .

According to the value of the integral estimate of innovation processes regulatory support in the CFD regions, the leader among the 17 surveyed subjects is the Moscow Oblast. The Kaluga Oblast takes second place, the Voronezh Oblast – third place. Nine regions of the Central Federal District have the average degree of elaboration of regulatory support of innovative activity, eight regions – the low level.

One should make a comparative analysis of the region’s position by the integral estimate and key indicators of its focus on innovation – the enterprises’ innovation activity and the share of innovative products, labor, services in the total volume of the products, shipped by the enterprises in the region [7] (tab. 6) .

Table 6 shows that direct dependence between the indicators is missing: the regions, leading in the regulatory support of innovative activity in quantitative aspects (the Moscow, Kaluga, Voronezh and Tambov oblasts), have a low level of innovation development.

It can be explained by the fact that the development of innovation activity in the region is not mostly influenced by the available

Table 5. Comparative assessment of regulatory support of innovation activities in the CFD regions

CFD region	Calculation of integral estimate	Value of integral estimate	Region’s position in the ration
Belgorod	1x0.2 + 2x0.25 + 0x0.1 + 2x0.1 + 1x0.2 + 1x0.15	1.25	5
Bryansk	1x0.2 +1x0.25 + 2x0.1 + 1x0.1 + 1x0.2 + 0x0.15	0.95	7
Vladimir	1x0.2 + 2x0.25 + 0x0.1 + 2x0.1 + 1x0.2 + 1x0.15	1.25	5
Voronezh	1x0.2 + 3x0.25 + 0x0.1 + 2x0.1 + 1x0.2 + 1x0.15	1.50	3
Ivanovo	1x0.2 + 1x0.25 + 0x0.1 + 1x0.1 + 1x0.2 + 0x0.15	0.75	9
Kaluga	1x0.2 + 3x0.25 + 1x0.1 + 2x0.1 + 1x0.2 + 1x0.15	1.60	2
Kostroma	0x0.2 + 2x0.25 + 1x0.1 + 1x0.1 + 1x 0.2 + 0x0.15	0.90	8
Kursk	0x0.2 + 2x0.25 + 0x0.1 + 0x0.1 + 1x0.2 + 0x0.15	0.70	10
Lipetsk	1x0.2 + 2x0.25 + 0x0.1 + 1x0.1 + 1x0.2 +1x0.15	1.15	6
Moscow	1x0.2 + 5x0.25 + 2x0.1 + 2x0.1 + 1x0.2 + 1x0.15	2.20	1
Orel	1x0.2 + 2x0.25 + 0x0.1 + 2x0.1 + 1x0.2 + 1x0.15	1.25	5
Ryazan	1x0.2 + 2x0.25 + 1x0.1 + 1x0.1 + 1x0.2 + 1x0.15	1.25	5
Smolens	0x0.2 + 0x0.25 + 1x0.1 + 2x0.1 + 1x0.2 + 0x0.15	0.50	11
Tambov	1x0.2 + 3x0.25 + 1x0.1 + 0x0.1 + 1x0.2 + 1x0.15	1.40	4
Tver	1x0.2 + 1x0.25 + 0x0.1 + 1x0.1 + 1x0.2 + 1x0.15	0.90	8
Tula	1x0.2 + 1x0.25 + 1x0.1 + 2x0.1 + 1x0.2 + 0x0.15	0.95	7
Yaroslavl	0x0.2 + 2x0.25 + 0x0.1 + 1x0.1 + 1x0.2 + 1x0.15	0.95	7

Тable 6. Comparative analysis of the Central Federal District regions ratings by the level of regulatory support of innovation activity, enterprises’ innovation activity and the share of innovation products, works, services

CFD region Rating of regulatory support of innovation activity Rating of enterprises’ innovation activity Rating of share of innovation products, labor, services Belgorod 5 10 11 Bryansk 7 12 6 Vladimir 5 4 4 Voronezh 3 11 8 Ivanovo 9 13 17 Kaluga 2 7 9 Kostroma 8 15 13 Kursk 10 3 12 Lipetsk 6 1 3 Moscow 1 13 5 Orel 5 8 16 Ryazan 5 6 15 Smolensk 11 14 14 Tambov 4 13 10 Tver 8 9 7 Tula 7 2 2 Yaroslavl 7 5 1 Calculated according to: Federal State Statistics Service: section “Science and innovations”, data of 2012. Available at: wps/wcm/connect/rosstat_main/rosstat/ru/statistics/science_and_innovations/science/ sufficient regulatory base of innovation development at meso-and macro levels, but by the mechanisms for its implementation.

Particularly, the basic documents of the Yaroslavl Oblast are the program for modernization and innovation development of the industry in the Yaroslavl Oblast for 2011–2013 [8] and the program “Development and support of innovation activity in the Yaroslavl Oblast for 2012–2014” [9].

The programs are aimed at technological upgrade of enterprises’ production facilities, development of innovation infrastructure, information and human capacity in the field of innovation, provision of subsidies and grants to innovation enterprises. Their benefits in 2012 are the following: 405.2% of the program of modernization and innovation development of the industry in the Yaroslavl Oblast for 2011–2013 (compared to 55.6% in 2011) and 98.4% of the program “Development and support of innovation activity in the Yaroslavl Oblast for 2012–2014” have been implemented [10]. Such high results of the first mentioned program are achieved due to multiple allocations to innovation industrial enterprises from extra-budgetary sources.

In the Tula Oblast, the key documents, stimulating innovation activities, are the Government resolution on grants [11] and the Governor’s decrees on prizes in the field of science and technology (B.S. Stechkin,

K.D. Ushinsky, S.I. Mosin prizes); agreement between the Tula Oblast and the Russian Foundation for Humanities (RFH) and the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) on the provision of grant support to regional innovation enterprises, ensuring the scientific research development. So, in 2013 the joint RFBR grant amounted to 950 thousand rubles [12]. The government has been supporting the grant for 2 million rubles annually for more than 10 years that demonstrates innovative enterprises’ concern in it. In 2013 eighteen innovative enterprises received government grants [13].

In the Lipetsk Oblast the law “About Special Economic Zones of the Regional Level” [14] regulates the process to set up special economic zones of the regional level as objects of innovation infrastructure in the region. The participants get state supported tax benefits (income tax is 13.5% for 7years, property tax – 0% for 7 years, transport tax – 0% for 10 years), reduced land lease (0–0.6% for 5 years). The region has 10 zones. By the end of 2013 the number of participants was 39, the disbursed investment volume – 14.96 billion rubles, the number of jobs created – 1179, the volume of production – 15.68 billion [15].

Thus, the leading regions’ experience (the Lipetsk, Tula and Yaroslavl oblasts), the specific innovation environment and the unique models of the regions’ innovative development help to single out the following priority directions to develop regulatory acts of innovative activity, ensured by constant financial support:

• 1)    promotion of industrial enterprises’ innovation development on terms of cofinancing by the public sector and interested enterprises (the Yaroslavl Oblast);

• 2)    encouragement of enterprises’ innovation development by creation of regional special economic zones, providing tax and other incentives to residents (the Lipetsk Oblast);

• 3)    promotion of innovation enterprises’ development in the research and education complex by financing the results of their intellectual activity by means of grants and prizes (the Tula Oblast).

Thus, the leading regions can encourage innovation activity in the country, in particular, by means of transferring the accumulated experience as directions to develop institutional provision and the management system as a whole.