Coffee Break with Researchers

·       Fort Collins is a city on the forefront on climate action since 1990s. The city has worked across a diversity of activities.

·       Retrofitting homes for resilience and energy efficiency through the “Epic Homes Program” is a leading activity by the city.

https://www.fcgov.com/utilities/epichomes/

·       Key collaborations in Fort Collins include working regionally and across a group of cites to form a consortium for a public utility.

·       Malmö in Sweden is an inspiration – it has provided the opportunity for collaboration at the ICLEI World Congress in Malmö to learn and share with cities around the world and in particular how to support the most vulnerable in our cities and communities.

Abstract

Maritime transport faces increasing pressure to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to be in accordance with the Paris Agreement. For this to happen, low- and zero-carbon energy solutions need to be developed. In this paper we draw on sustainability transition literature and introduce the technological innovation system (TIS) framework to the field of maritime transportation research. The TIS approach analytically distinguishes between different innovation system functions that are important for new technologies to develop and diffuse beyond an early phase of experimentation. This provides a basis for technology-specific policy recommendations. We apply the TIS framework to the case of battery-electric and hydrogen energy solutions for coastal maritime transport in Norway. Whereas both battery-electric and hydrogen solutions have de- veloped rapidly, the former is more mature and has a strong momentum. Public procurement and other policy instruments have been crucial for developments to date and will be important for these technologies to become viable options for shipping more generally.

Recent attempts to conceptualize the multi-level governance of transformative innovation policy make strong arguments in favour of pursuing societal challenges at the subnational scale. This article suggests, that these recent efforts risk falling into a scalar trap, because they rely on a theoretical assumption about the policy effectiveness of the subnational scale. In response, the paper proposes a constructivist approach to the spatial organization of transformative innovation policy. The constructivist approach views scale as continuously produced and contested by actors. Moreover, it suggests that rescaling may be an important aspect of multi-level governance of transformative innovation policy because it has the potential to alter the influence of actors in the prevailing socio-technical system. The approach is illustrated with an empirical analysis of waste management in Denmark where a transformative innovation policy has recently been introduced, rescaling decision-making away from a traditionally strong subnational scalar arrangement.

The entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) literature has attracted much

attention, especially in policy circles. However, the concept suffers

from a number of shortcomings: (1) it lacks a clear analytical

framework that makes explicit what is cause and what is effect in

an EE; (2) while being a systemic concept, the EE has not yet fully

exploited insights from network theory, and it is not always clear

in what way the proposed elements are connected in an EE; (3) it

remains a challenge what institutions (and at what spatial scale)

impact on the structure and performance of EE; (4) studies have

often focused on the EE in single regions or clusters, but lack a

comparative and multi-scalar perspective and (5) the EE literature

tends to provide a static framework taking a snapshot of EE

without considering systematically their evolution over time. For

each of these shortcomings, we make a number of suggestions to

take up in future research on EE

Here, we combine information from a systematized review of the literature and a qualitative analysis of the institutional developments in different world regions. Through this triangulation, we synthesize and map the different developmental streams of biodiversity offsetting governance around the globe over the last four decades. We find that there is a global mainstreaming of core principles such as avoidance, no-net-loss, and a mitigation hierarchy, as well as pooling and trading of offsets for unavoidable residual damages. Furthermore, we can observe an ongoing diversification of institutional designs and actors involved. Together this constitutes an emerging regime complex of biodiversity offsetting governance that comes with both a set of shared norms and a growing institutional complexity. While this may imply institutional innovation through diversification and policy experimentation, it also raises questions regarding the effectiveness of offsetting practices.

ABSTRACT

The bioeconomy has become a central concept in many strategies for future economic development, emphasising an increasing need for collaboration across industries and sectors for innovation. This paper unpacks aspects of collaboration in the bioeconomy by looking at the development of innovation networks for biorefinery technologies from 2004 to 2014 based on innovation project data from Swedish public funding agencies using a stochastic actor-oriented model for network analysis. The analysis shows that although the network grew significantly during the time period, indicating an increasing interest in biorefinery technology innovation, inter-sectoral collaboration is not favoured over intra-sectoral collaboration. As is known from previous work on social networks trust-building is a key driver for collaboration, as actors tend to form collaborations with previous partners or indirectly connected partners, creating clustered networks.

·       Malmo is taking the lead on working with climate action. The city has worked with sustainability and climate issues for decades.

·       Collaboration is key. Malmö is working with Copenhagen and region to share and learn.

·       The most significant challenge for Malmö related to climate is emissions from transport and energy. Waste to energy is used by Malmö to heat homes and provide electricity. Carbon capture and storage is on the agenda, and geothermal energy is being explored as an alternative to burning waste.

https://tomorrow.city/a/malmo-climate-neutral-swedish-city-renewable-energies

·       Freiburg in Germany is an inspiration – it has a massive solar park and there are hopes that Malmö can do more on solar.

ABSTRACT

In the face of reduced public funding of science and increased demands for ‘value for money’, academic researchers find themselves hard pressed to produce relevant research and demonstrate their utility to society. These pressures are particularly prominent in the humanities and social sciences (HSS) where practical value is frequently questioned. This article investigates how HSS can be made ‘relevant’ through the qualitative case study of a funding instrument fostering immersive collaboration between HSS researchers and non-academic actors. The research is a qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with the funded researchers and representatives of the funding agency. The paper provides insights into the motivations and experiences of HSS researchers embarking on the quest for relevance and the difficulties they encounter. In particular, the study finds that the key challenge for HSS researchers lies in balancing the level of engagement required to be relevant with the requirements of an academic career.

Merle Jacob & Leila Jabrane (2018) Being there in the flex: humanities and social science collaborations with nonacademic actors, Studies in Higher Education, 43:10, 1718-1729, DOI: 10.1080/03075079.2018.1520414

·       Kampala is the capital city of Uganda and works with both the city and region on climate change.

·       Shifting mindsets is a pivotal challenge for local governments when it comes to climate and environmental action.

·       Kampala has a climate change action plan in place with an independent committee to work with conservation and climate.

https://www.urbanagendaplatform.org/best-practice/kampala-climate-change-action-plan

·       Vitoria in Spain is an inspiration – the waste management system is impressive and sets the world standard to benchmark against.

Amanda Stone, Former Mayor and Council Member - Yarra, Melbourne, Australia

·       Yarra is a city that has been out in front on climate action for decades. The city has declared a climate emergency as a foundation to climate action planning.

·       The council operations are in fact carbon neutral and the focus has shifted to making the city or community also meet this ambition.

·       The “Yarra Energy Foundation” has a role to facilitate collaborations and act as hub to pull together disparate groups and organisations to work on a zero carbon future.

https://www.yef.org.au/

·       Malmö in Sweden is an inspiration – with its people-centred focus and creating local neighbourhoods that are walkable and good for people and the planet.

A holistic innovation policy is defined in this article as a policy that integrates all public actions that influence or

may influence innovation processes. The Swedish National Innovation Council (NIC) was created by the Swedish

Prime Minister, Stefan Löfven, in February 2015. It is personally chaired by the prime minister. Another atypical

characteristic of the Swedish NIC is that it has a dominant and wide focus on innovation policy. In other

countries, such councils focus predominantly on science and/or research policy and treat innovation policy, if at

all, as an “appendix” to research policy. The purpose of this article is to answer the following four questions:

1. Has Swedish innovation policy recently become more holistic?

2. Has the Swedish National Innovation Council (NIC) had a role in the transition towards a holistic innovation

policy?

3. Have conceptual specifications and advancements played a role in the changes in Swedish innovation

policy?

4. Can the Swedish NIC serve as a role model for other countries and regions in their attempts to initiate and

govern a holistic innovation policy?

Naturvation_Matthew explain nature based solutions in practice 

Urban Nature Navigator

This paper gives an overview of over two decades of research projects on the study of the relationship between local development and social innovation (SI) made by the international action research network coordinated by the first author and funded by the European Commission. It explains the need to study the relationships between local development and opportunities for human development, and the aspirations for an epistemological turn, away from local growth to local development, and from disciplinary to inter- and trans-disciplinary perspectives. Using a chronological overview, the paper concentrates on questions related to the specific objectives of the projects and their epistemological (ontological, theoretical, methodological and validation) challenges. It explains how by meeting these challenges, over the years the network built a Social Innovation Action Research framework that can now be used as a reference for mutual enrichment between different approaches in SI action research.

Moulaert F. & Mehmood A. (2019) Towards a social innovation (SI) based epistemology in local development analysis: lessons from twenty years of EU research. European Planning Studies, 1-20.

Video link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU_lh81h85Q 

Abstract

It is widely accepted that firms in peripheral regions benefit to a lesser extent from local knowledge spillovers than firms located in agglomerations or industrial clusters. This paper investigates the extent to which innovative firms in peripheral regions compensate for the lack of access to local knowledge spillovers by collaborating at other geographical scales. So far, the literature predominantly suggests that collaborations complement rather than compensate for local knowledge spillovers. Using data on the collaboration patterns of innovative firms in Sweden, this paper provides evidence that firms with low access to local knowledge spillovers tend to collaborate more. This effect, however, depends on firm size and in-house capabilities. Our findings suggest that firms with strong in-house capabilities do indeed compensate for a lack of local knowledge spillovers with collaborations while firms with weaker in-house capabilities depend more on the regional knowledge infrastructure.

Reference

Grillitsch M. & Nilsson M. (2015) Innovation in peripheral regions: Do collaborations compensate for a lack of local knowledge spillovers? The Annals of Regional Science 54(1), 299-321.

Link to the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpfWQR8Vx1Q

Urban Nature Mooc

This article aims to unpack and analyse the institutional and political dynamics of strategic coupling from a host region perspective, adopting an actor-centred approach that focuses on regional institutions’ efforts to attract and embed lead firm investments within global production networks. We are particularly concerned with understanding the strategic agency and shifting coalitions of actors that create couplings and shape their evolution over time. This involves opening up the institutional underpinnings of strategic couplings by focusing more specifically on the key episodes in their creation and the organisation of the temporary coalitions that do the work of creating couplings. This approach is operationalised through a case study of the Siemens offshore wind turbine plant in the Humber region of England. In conclusion, we emphasise the need for regional institutions to develop adaptive coupling creation strategies that co-evolve with the reconfiguration of production networks and the reshaping of national institutional and political environments.

Dawley S., Mackinnon D. & Pollock R. (2019) Creating strategic couplings in global production networks: regional institutions and lead firm investment in the Humber region, UK. Journal of Economic Geography, 19(4), 853-872.

Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K0I5jS9V4U 

A burgeoning strand of evolutionary economic geography (EEG) research is addressing questions of regional path creation, based on the idea that placespecificlegacies and conditions play a critical role in supporting the emergence of new economic activities. Yet there has been little effort thus far to take stock of this emerging body of research. In response, the aims of this article are to offer a fresh synthesis of recent work and to develop a broader theoretical framework to inform future research. First, it presents a critical appraisal of the state of the art in path creation research. In an effort to address identified gaps in EEG research, this incorporates insights from sociological perspectives, the global production networks approach, and transition studies. Second, the article’s development of a systematic theoretical framework is based on the identification of key dimensions of path creation and their constitutive interrelations. This contribution is underpinned by a geographical political economy (GPE)approach that provides the ontological basis for the integration of the five key dimensions of path creation within an overarching framework and the positioning of regional processes in relation to the broade dynamics of uneven development. Informed by GPE, the argument is that knowledgeable actors, operating within multiscalar institutional environments, create paths through the strategic coupling of regional and extraregional assets to mechanisms of path creation and associated markets. To inform further research, the article outlines four concrete propositions regarding the operation of path creation processes in different types of regions and explores these through case studies of Berlin and Pittsburgh.

Find the video here: http://www.coffeebreakwithresearchers.org/?s=danny

This paper analyses the role of regional context on innovation persistency of firms. Using the Community Innovation Survey in Sweden, we have traced firms' innovative behaviour from 2002 to 2012, in terms of four Schumpeterian types of innovation: product, process, organizational, and marketing. Controlling for an extensive set of firm‐level characteristics, we find that certain regional characteristics matter for innovation persistency of firms. In particular, those firms located in regions with: (i) thicker labour market or (ii) higher extent of knowledge spillover exhibit higher probability of being persistent innovators up to 14 percentage points. Such higher persistency is mostly pronounced for product innovators.

Tavassoli S. & Karlsson C. (2018) The role of regional context on innovation persistency of firms. Papers in Regional Science, 97(4),: 931-955.

Watch the video here: http://www.coffeebreakwithresearchers.org/coffee-break-with-researchers-sam-tavassoli-the-role-of-regional-context-on-innovation-persistency-of-firms/ 

The concept of smart specialization has rapidly acquired a central position in European policy and academic circles. It raises interesting challenges for the regional studies agenda. First, smart specialization is about not only policy formulation, implementation and evaluation but also pooling scattered resources, competencies and powers to serve both shared and individual ambitions. Thus, policy formulation and implementation need to be seen in a new light. Second, when smart specialization is seen as one of the platforms for aligning several actors to boost regional economic development, the need to understand agency in its multiplicity emerges as central. This paper argues that to achieve truly transformative smart specialization strategies, there is a need to investigate in more depth the multi-actor strategy processes and new forms of leadership, as well as to invest time and money in advancing related capabilities across European regions.

Sotarauta M. (2018) Smart specialization and place leadership: dreaming about shared visions, falling into policy traps? Regional Studies, Regional Science, 5(1), 190-203.

Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20b104cDWso 

Project Coordinator of the Naturvation Project 

Abstract

Social innovation has gained an important position in policy agendas at the international, national, and local levels. The article investigates two empirical cases of local social entrepreneurship initiatives in two comparable small towns located in Norway and in Sweden. These projects endeavour for social integration of young persons into education programmes and adult persons into work. Through these empirical cases, this article aims to conceive how place conditions the capacities and practices of social entrepreneurship. The place-based approach of the discussion shows how the interplay of local and multiscalar relations impacts social entrepreneurship initiatives.The analysis of the empirical cases involves considering the role of the local context as well as the institutional systems of the welfare states and wider policy regimes endorsing social investment strategies. The discussion employs a model for organisational arrangements focusing on capacities of learning, exploiting, and linking. The capacity of linking across organisations and sector boundaries is found to be a particularly intriguing aspect of the investigated social entrepreneurship initiatives and is something that the place-based approach of the article is able to explicate.

Reference

Hermelin B. & Rusten G. (2018) A place-based approach to social entrepreneurship for social integration–Cases from Norway and Sweden. Local Economy, 33(4), 367-383.

Abstract: 

While psychologists and ecologists have identified many factors that increase the odds of resilience in a person or an ecosystem, economic development officials and planning scholars do not yet have a firm grasp on how economic development planning relates to regional resilience. This study explores ho two regions – Buffalo, New York and Cleveland, Ohio – have adapted and responded to deindustrialization using economic development. Interviews were conducted with past and present planning and economic development leaders and historical and current economic development plans were analyzed in order to increase our understanding of how regions respond to challenges, how economic development planning shapes these responses, and how both economic development planning and the larger response relate to adaptive resilience in distressed regions.

Cowell M.M. (2013) Bounce back or move on: Regional resilience and economic development planning. Cities, 30, 212-222.

Abstract

Innovation has moved to the foreground in regional policy in the last decade. Concrete policies were shaped by “best practice models” derived from high-tech areas and well performing regions. These are often applied in a similar way across many types of regions. Here an attempt is made to show that there is no “ideal model” for innovation policy as innovation activities differ strongly between central, peripheral and old industrial areas. In this paper we analyse different types of regions with respect to their preconditions for innovation, networking and innovation barriers. Based on this classification different policy options and strategies are developed.

Reference

Tödtling F. & Trippl M. (2005) One size fits all?: Towards a differentiated regional innovation policy approach. Research policy, 34(8), 1203-1219.

Abstract 

There is increasing interest in the drivers of industrial diversification, and how these depend on economic and industry structures. This article contributes to this line of inquiry by analyzing the role of industry relatedness in explaining variations in industry diversification, measured as the entry of new industry specializations, across 173 European regions during the period 2004–2012. First, we show that there are significant differences across regions in Europe in terms of industrial diversification. Second, we provide robust evidence showing that the probability that a new industry specialization develops in a region is positively associated with the new industry’s relatedness to the region’s current industries. Third, a novel finding is that the influence of relatedness on the probability of new industrial specializations depends on innovation capacity of a region. We find that relatedness is a more important driver of diversification in regions with a weaker innovation capacity. The effect of relatedness appears to decrease monotonically as the innovation capacity of a regional economy increases. This is consistent with the argument that high innovation capacity allows an economy to break from its past and to develop, for the economy, truly new industry specializations. We infer from this that innovation capacity is a critical factor for economic resilience and diversification capacity.

Reference

Xiao J., Boschma R. & Andersson M. (2018) Industrial Diversification in Europe: The Differentiated Role of Relatedness. Economic Geography, 94(5), 514-549.

Researcher

Jing Xiao

Researcher

CIRCLE – Center for Innovation, Research, and Competence in the Learning Economy

Lund University, Sweden

Abstract

Over the past few decades, universities have been asked to become ever more involved in the development of their regions and countries, through knowledge dissemination, contribution to policy debates or even by becoming leaders in stakeholder coalitions. However, as has been often pointed out, for universities to have an impact on regional fortunes it is necessary to have an appropriate innovation ecosystem, which is often lacking in less developed regions. We approach this issue by discussing the three interrelated dimensions of knowledge supply, demand, and translational activities, through two case studies of university–business engagement in Wales. We also distinguish between narrow forms of engagement, based strictly on the commercialisation of knowledge, and contrast them with broader forms of engagement. Finally, we discuss the practical and normative challenges associated with these interactions, such as the danger of appropriation of public resources by private organisations.

Marques P., Morgan K., Healy A. & Vallance P. (2019) Spaces of novelty: Can universities play a catalytic role in less developed regions? Science and Public Policy, 46(5), 763–771.

Recent thinking about innovation and industrial policy emphasises purposeful related diversification strategies or more transformative—but potentially riskier—challenge-orientated policies. Meanwhile public procurement is increasingly seen as a key means of fostering innovation. We conceptualize the multiple roles of public procurement in an innovation policy landscape shaped by these emerging rationales, and explore the complexities and institutional work associated with its implementation. We identify some possible roles for government in fostering diversification and transformation through public procurement and explore the implementation challenges of institutionalising public procurement as part of innovation policy. Both the multiple potential roles of public procurement and the institutional work associated with its implementation are illustrated with the case of Galicia, Spain.

Uyarra E., Zabala-Iturriagagoitia J.M., Flanagan K. & Magro E. (2020) Public procurement, innovation and industrial policy: Rationales, roles, capabilities and implementation. Research Policy, 49(1).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2019.103844

Due to numerous idiosyncratic features, a profound variety in the level of development and in the nature of regional innovation systems is often acknowledged. This paper has aimed to contribute to existing research by unraveling mutual relationships among knowledge bases, R&D structure and innovation performance of European regions. Our analysis showed that the differences among the European regions in their prevailing knowledge base and in the absolute and relative sizes of key segments of R&D systems are systematic and mutually interwoven. Generally, advanced regions are often typified by the lowest share of synthetic knowledge base and either by a dominance of the private R&D or by a relatively balanced structure between private and public R&D, while the opposite holds for lagging regions.

Blažek J. & Kadlec V. (2019) Knowledge bases, R&D structure and socio-economic and innovation performance of European regions. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, 32(1), 26-47.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13511610.2018.1491000

With more than 2400 citations, this paper has become a very important reference point in regional innovation research. 

Tödtling F. & Trippl M. (2005) One size fits all?: Towards a   differentiated regional innovation policy approach. Research policy, 34(8),   1203-1219.

Link to the publication: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2005.01.018

Abstact: Innovation has moved to the foreground in regional policy in the   last decade. Concrete policies were shaped by “best practice models” derived   from high-tech areas and well performing regions. These are often applied in   a similar way across many types of regions. Here an attempt is made to show   that there is no “ideal model” for innovation policy as innovation activities   differ strongly between central, peripheral and old industrial areas. In this   paper we analyse different types of regions with respect totheir   preconditions for innovation, networking and innovation barriers. Based on   this classification different policy options and strategies are developed.

Radical innovation is under-researched in the geography of innovation. In this paper, the focus is on understanding how radical innovations occur in Marshallian industrial districts (MIDs), a phenomenon mostly overlooked. Using an exploratory and in-depth longitudinal case study methodology in two European MIDs, this paper analyzes radical innovation in MIDs and finds that the introduction of technology-distant knowledge and new firms from different (to the focal) industries are both necessary mechanisms, but not sufficient. Access to leading incumbents’ networks, based on social norms, becomes a crucial social factor necessary for radical innovation to occur in MIDs.

Hervás-Oliver J.-L., Albors-Garrigos J., Estelles-Miguel S. & Boronat-Moll C. (2018) Radical innovation in Marshallian industrial districts. Regional Studies, 52(10), 1388-1397.

Jose-Luis Hervás-Olivier

Professor of Innovation Studies

Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain

Abstract: The type of regional innovation system (RIS) strongly affects possibilities of paths

of industrial transformation. This paper argues that traditional manufacturing districts,

corresponding to specialized RISs and characterised by various nuclei of specialization and

know-how, may foster different trajectories in combination with extra-regional networks. In

particular, the paper analyses the interplay between regional and national innovation systems,

providing an overview of the effect that different multilevel dynamics have on local trajectories.

The cases of the textile districts in Prato (Italy) and Borås (Sweden) show SRISs can display

not only path extension but also path renewal and creation strategies.

Chaminade C., Bellandi M., Plechero M. & Santini E. (2019) Understanding processes of path renewal and creation in thick specialized regional innovation systems. Evidence from two textile districts in Italy and Sweden. European Planning Studies, 1-17.

Universities and economic development in lagging regions: ‘triple helix’ policy in Wales. Regional Studies. This paper considers the applicability and relevance of triple helix-based policy and theory, in the weaker region context of Wales, where the success of such approaches has been questionable. It calls for a broader appreciation of the roles of universities in weaker regions beyond a narrow ‘third mission’ conceptualization, moving away from a normative application of the triple helix in contexts very different from those in which it was originated. Instead, it supports the broadening of the original theory beyond the three key actors of university, government and business, and an increasing focus on diverse regional settings and spaces.

Link to publication:  Does combinatorial knowledge lead to a better innovation   performance of firms?

Tödtling F. & Grillitsch M. (2015) Does combinatorial   knowledge lead to a better innovation performance of firms? European Planning   Studies, 23(9), 1741-1758.

The knowledge base concept in the past was often applied in its “pure form”, i.e. it was assumed that there are dominant knowledge bases in particular sectors and firms shaping knowledge and innovation processes and related networks. For “analytical sectors” such as biotech, it has been argued that codified knowledge generated by universities and R&D organizations is the key for innovation, whereas “synthetic sectors” such as machinery innovate more incrementally by recombining existing knowledge often drawn from suppliers or service firms. Empirical literature has partly confirmed these patters, but also shown more complex knowledge processes. More recently it has been argued that combinations of different knowledge bases might enhance the innovation performance of firms. For example in “analytical sectors”, firms might benefit not just from new and basic knowledge generated by research, but also from recombining existing and applied knowledge or by drawing on symbolic knowledge. Combinatorial knowledge bases might also be relevant for “synthetic” and “symbolic sectors”, but in different forms. This study investigates for the ICT sector in regions of Austria if the reliance on combinatorial knowledge leads to a better innovation performance than the use of more narrow knowledge bases.

Researchers have long searched for the underlying causes of growth.  In developed countries, as they shifted from industrial to knowledge  economies, researchers have recently stressed the following sources of  growth embodied in its workforce: human capital (linked to education),  entrepreneurship (variously measured), and the creative class  (associated with worker occupations). This study first proposes new  conceptual ways to portray the interrelationship of these  knowledge-based attributes. Then simultaneously considers all of these  factors in an empirical model using U.S. counties. We find that human  capital as measured by educational attainment and the intensity of small  and medium-sized firms are statistically associated with subsequent  growth, while other factors such as the share of creative class workers  or the share of advanced technology industries are insignificant. We  conclude that economic development strategies are too focussed on  attracting large outside firms and attracting advanced technology firms  and not enough attention is given to building a foundation of  competitive small and medium-sized firms.

Faggian, A., Partridge,  M., & Malecki, E. J. (2017). Creating an environment for economic  growth: creativity, entrepreneurship or human capital?. International  Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 41(6), 997-1009.

Link to publication: https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsy012

The article engages in a critical discussion of the related  variety/regional branching argument and foregrounds a more  differentiated perspective on regional industrial path development. It  contributes by (i) sharpening the definition of key concepts, namely  specialisation and diversity, related and unrelated variety; (ii)  discussing their relevance in local and non-local spaces; (iii)  scrutinising related variety as the source for regional branching; and  (iv) developing a conceptual framework capturing the opportunity space  for regional structural change that unveils the relevance of path  upgrading, path importation, path branching, path diversification and  new path creation as different forms of new path development.

Grillitsch M., Asheim B. & Trippl M. (2018) Unrelated   knowledge combinations: the unexplored potential for regional industrial path   development. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 11(2),   257-274.

Link to publication: https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2013.861806

Abstract  In this article, we ask what is the place of institutional  entrepreneurship in an (regional) innovation system. The main research  questions addressed are (a) how does a new science-based concentration  of innovation become institutionalized in an innovation system, (b) who  are the institutional entrepreneurs and what do they actually do in  their efforts to institutionalize new beliefs, practices and activities  within a system, and (c) what knowledge institutional entrepreneurs do  need and what kind of power do they exercise in the institutionalization  process. We add new knowledge to studies focusing on innovation systems  by revealing how new elements are attached into it. We also add power  and knowledge to the study of institutional entrepreneurship and  institutional change. The empirical analysis identifies the main phases  of institutionalization, key actors in different phases and their  strategies of influence. This paper is based on the analysis of  secondary data and 28 interviews with key actors.  

Article’s Reference:  Sotarauta M. & Mustikkamäki N. (2015) Institutional  entrepreneurship, power, and knowledge in innovation systems:  institutionalization of regenerative medicine in Tampere, Finland.  Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 33(2), 342-357.  Researcher:   Markku Sotarauta  Professor of Regional Development Studies  Faculty of Management and Business at Tampere University, Finland www.tuni.fi www.sotarauta.info Twitter: @Sotarauta  

Find us on www.coffeebreakwithresearchers.org

Link to the Publication: https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2013.861806

Abstract: Access to global innovation networks (GINs) has been unequal across the  regions of the world. While certain regions are considered knowledge  hubs in GINs, others still remain marginalized; this points to the role  of regional innovation systems (RISs) in the emergence and development  of GINs. Using firm-level data collected through a survey and case  studies in 2009–2010, this paper systematically compares the patterns of  global networks in the information and communications technology  industry in a selection of European, Chinese and Indian regions. The  results show that GINs are more common in regions, which are not  organizationally and institutionally thick, suggesting that GINs may be a  compensatory mechanism for weaknesses in the RIS.  

Article’s Reference:  Cristina Chaminade & Monica Plechero (2015) Do Regions Make a  Difference? Regional Innovation Systems and Global Innovation Networks  in the ICT Industry, European Planning Studies, 23:2, 215-237, DOI:  10.1080/09654313.2013.861806 

Researcher:   Cristina Chaminade Professor in Innovation Studies at the School of Economics and  Management and CIRCLE (the Center for Innovation, Research and  Competences in the Learning Economy), Lund University, Sweden. www.lu.se  www.cristinachaminade.com   

Find us on www.coffeebreakwithresearchers.org