Why imitation isn’t enough — and how innovation depends on education, institutions, and business culture.

Listen to the full conversation with Ayaz Zeynalov on Horizont VŠE:
🎧 research.vse.cz/news/ayaz-ze...

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By building circularity from day one, startups are changing the rules of the food industry — and showing that innovation can make sustainability profitable. 🌱

👉 Read more: research.vse.cz/news/how-cir...

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“These startups act as a compass for entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers,” say researchers Meisam Ranjbari, Michal Kuděj, Jan Kubálek, and Alberto Ferraris.

They highlight where the greatest potential for a sustainable food system lies. 💡

Researchers analyzed 79 agri-food startups and identified three main types driving the circular economy:

🥬 Biotech innovators – turn waste into resources
📲 Digital enablers – use data to reduce waste
📦 Packaging pioneers – make packaging reusable and sustainable

A thought-provoking discussion on how institutions shape progress — and how countries like the Czech Republic can thrive in the green transition 🌍

🎧 Listen here: research.vse.cz/news/from-ma...

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Read the full issue on LinkedIn 👉 www.linkedin.com/pulse/nejlep...

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💬 A wide-ranging discussion on how Europe can grow greener, stronger, and smarter.

Part II of our talk with Magnus Henrekson is out now — don’t miss it!

They dive into:

🔹 What really drives economic growth
🔹 Whether government size matters
🔹 Lessons from post-Communist transitions
🔹 Europe’s green transformation & nuclear power debates
🔹 Why education and research still matter most

They explore:
🔹 Why entrepreneurship drives growth
🔹 How innovation fuels competitiveness
🔹 Why the Czech Republic lags in innovation
🔹 What role institutions play in shaping outcomes

👉 A must-listen if you care about the future of Europe’s economy.

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✨ What to expect?

- 12+ speakers (VŠE academics & alumni)
- Inspiring talks up to 15 mins — sharp, dynamic, impactful
- Accompanying program & networking
- Entirely in English

🎟 Tickets via GoOut from Oct 1.

Don’t miss your chance to experience “ideas worth spreading” right on Prague campus.

A risk flagged in the study: the middle-income trap. Countries that depend too long on imitation, without building innovation capacity and institutions, might stagnate.

🚀 Policy takeaway: boost R&D, foster creativity, strengthen institutions — or face being left behind.

Zeynalov uses a fresh metric: Economic Complexity Index rather than just total factor productivity. Examined data from 95 countries (1995–2019), uncovered two thresholds:

- the moment imitation contributes less than innovation
- the point where imitation actually slows #growth

Early-stage economies benefit greatly from copying mature technologies — it's easier, cheaper, faster. But as a country approaches the tech frontier, copying starts to offer diminishing returns.

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