The innovation system, bureaucracy and project evalution should be simplified, head of the Rudjer Boskovic Institute David Matthew Smith said on Monday at the international conference "National Innovation System - Solutions to Global Challenges".

“Success stories may have happened despite the system, not because of the system. There are still many obstacles in the system, and I think it is our duty to try to identify them and then remove them,” Smith said.

Asked whether Croatia has an innovation system and what state it is in, Economy and Sustainable Development Minister Tomislav Coric said that every initiative, including today’s conference, was proof that the innovation system was continuously being worked on.

He said that he was especially pleased the government’s programme clearly specified increased funding for research and development, including innovation.

“The global pandemic has made the world economy aware that solutions should be sought in research and development,” Coric said, adding that people all over the world have been following the progress of companies trying to develop vaccines and medicine.

The international conference “National Innovation System — Solutions to Global Challenges” aims to promote the importance of cooperation between the business sector, research community and public authorities and to emphasise the importance of working on a long-term sustainable national innovation system.

The conference is supported by the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, the Ministry of Science and Education, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and other representatives of the business and scientific communities and the media.