Programa/Program

6.ª Feira 10.07.2009

SESSÃO PARALELA 21
16:00 – 17:40
SALA B201

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGIC PARKS IN REGIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEMS: A CLUSTER ANALYSIS
Almeida, Alexandre (alex.fep@gmail.com )
Santos, Cristina (cris.fep@.sapo.pt)
Silva, Mário (mrui@fep.up.pt)
University of Porto

The concept of Regional Innovation System (RIS) builds upon an integrated perspective of innovation, acknowledging the contribution of knowledge production subsystem, regulatory context and enterprises to a region’s innovative performance. Science and Technology Parks (S&T) can act as pivots between academic knowledge and enterprises, easing technology transfer and spillovers. Following the success of Silicon Valley, Cambridge or Grenoble, several European regions have developed and supported the creation of S&T parks as a tool for economic development though with questionable success.
In this paper we explore the potential functions of a S&T Park within a RIS, using cluster analysis to identify the different implementation models across a sample of 55 S&T parks in the UK, Spain and Portugal.

FROM CONCEPT TO POLICY: BUILDING REGIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEMS IN FOLLOWER REGIONS
Almeida, Alexandre (alex.fep@gmail.com )
Santos, Cristina (cris.fep@.sapo.pt)
Silva, Mário (mrui@fep.up.pt)
University of Porto

Following “The Lisbon strategy”, public policies are redirecting support from investment-driven policies to knowledge building as the main driver for competitiveness. This re-orientation poses different challenges to regions and RIS concept may be the central element, simultaneously goal and toolbox, for devising innovation promotion policies. Focusing our analysis on 4 follower regions (Norte (PT), Centro (PT), Galicia (ES) and Cantabria (ES)), we conclude that taking advantage of the catching-up status, building upon R&D cost- advantages and clustering around external initiatives appears to be crucial to overcome structural constraints to the construction of a RIS.

INNOVATION IN PORTUGAL: DYNAMIC PATTERNS
Galindo, Purificacíon University of Salamanca
Vaz, Teresa
University of the Algarve

The main goal of the study is to define patterns of innovative capacity of institutions considering that, often, they provide the bases for the dissemination of knowledge, thereby promoting innovations further. This research was applied to an extended set of private companies and public institutions in Portugal, analysed by their WebPages contents. The application of three different multivariate statistical methods detected individual performances driven by pre-established variables. Also comparing institutional performances we could perceive the level of capacity of institutions to sustain innovative development by creating a ggradient of institutional capacity to dynamically innovate.

CLUSTER AND NETWORK INITIATIVES IN A POST- TRANSITION ECONOMY: THE CASE OF GERMANY’S SOUTH EASTERN REGION
Heimpold, Gerhard (Gerhard.Heimpold@iwh.halle.de)
Halle Institute for Economic Research

The contribution is focused on cluster and network initiatives which have been established during the post- transition period in the south eastern part of Germany, in and around the cities of Leipzig, Halle, Dresden and Chemnitz. The research focus is of relevance, since the collapse of the centrally planned East German economy has led to a disruption of networks between the formerly state- owned enterprises. The contribution analyses main characteristics of cluster and network initiatives: targets, industrial and spatial coverage, and the inclusion of public research units. The findings show that not all of the cluster and network initiatives under consideration are backed by an actual economic potential.