Network structure and regional innovation: A study of university–industry ties

Urban Studies ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 931-952 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Huggins ◽  
Daniel Prokop

The emergence of the network paradigm has led to growing interest in understanding network structures relating to knowledge flows and patterns of regional innovation. This paper explores the structure of knowledge networks stemming from ties between universities and other actors, principally firms. Based upon a network analysis of empirical data for regions across the UK, it is found that the most innovative and economically developed regions are more likely to be the location for actors holding highly central and influential positions within knowledge network architectures. It is concluded that network structures, and resulting stocks of structural network capital, influence patterns of regional innovation and development.

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 329-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorella Cannavacciuolo ◽  
Luca Iandoli ◽  
Cristina Ponsiglione ◽  
Virginia Maracine ◽  
Emil Scarlat ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a social network approach for identification of micro-organizational re-design interventions to make more efficient and fluid the knowledge flow in a rehabilitation multidisciplinary team. The structural information of different kinds of knowledge networks within a team is augmented with additional analyses aimed at collecting information about the ways through which participants use knowledge, the motivation behind knowledge exchange, and the non-human knowledge sources used by subjects to perform their work. This paperwork was supported by CNCSIS – UEFISCDI, project number PNII – IDEI 810/2008. Design/methodology/approach The authors propose a definition of knowledge network including human and non-human knowledge source (documents and knowledge repositories) as it is more adequate for the analysis of knowledge flows in multidisciplary medical teams. The mapping and analysis of the network are carried out through: elicitation of knowledge flows between people within and outside the team through a structured questionnaire; mapping of the knowledge flows toward non-human knowledge sources; and identification of critical aspects and proposal of re-engineering interventions to make knowledge flow more efficient and effective. Findings The analysis of the critical aspects emerged in the field study identifies a number of opportunities to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of knowledge sharing through the re-design of the team network. The re-design interventions concern three main features of knowledge network: “knowledge centralization,” “Over-reliance on External experts,” “Unshared knowledge tools and sources.” Originality/value The originality of the work resides in applying social network analysis (SNA) for healthcare management settings, proving evidence and guidelines to show how healthcare organizations can benefit from the adoption of SNA-based approaches.


2003 ◽  
Vol 02 (04) ◽  
pp. 309-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angel J. Salazar Alvarez

The accelerating change and innovation in the biotechnology sector has increased the pressure on firms to challenge the traditional "Mode-one" approach to manage and transfer scientific and technological knowledge from university research centres. Firms, and universities, are increasingly adopting new and more complex approaches for the management and transfer of such knowledge and related innovations. This paper illustrates and conceptualises these emerging approaches from a strategic and knowledge management perspective. In so doing, this chapter draws from key theoretical contributions from the academic literature in order to explain the emerging management and transfer processes, which are identified in five specific University-Industry collaborations in the Biotechnology Sector in the United Kingdom. The paper integrates these transfer processes into a wider strategic framework, which would enable firms to successfully manage and internalise public scientific and technological knowledge.


2021 ◽  
pp. 097172182110204
Author(s):  
Yi Su ◽  
Xuesong Jiang ◽  
Zhouzhou Lin

A small-world simulation model of a regional innovation system combining the strength of the intersubject relationship of the regional innovation system with the loosely coupled system is constructed. We use a simulation to observe knowledge flow within the regional innovation system under relationships of varying strength. The results show that when the relationship between the subjects of the regional innovation system reaches a certain strength, the system will exhibit high module independence and high network integrity, forming a loosely coupled system. The knowledge flow in the system exhibits the emergence of a fast flow rate, a high mean value and little variance. When relationship strength is at other levels, the emergence of knowledge cannot be identified.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1124
Author(s):  
Freddy Marín-González ◽  
Alexa Senior-Naveda ◽  
Mercy Narváez Castro ◽  
Alicia Inciarte González ◽  
Ana Judith Paredes Chacín

This article aims to build a network for the exchange of knowledge between the government and production, community and university sectors for sustainable local development. To achieve this, the authors relied on the concepts of sustainable local development, social capital, the relationship between sectors or intersectorality, networks and interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary knowledge. Regarding the methodology, the abductive method was used. Under a documentary design, the research techniques were a content analysis of theoretical documents and the deductive inference technique. The construction of a knowledge exchange network for sustainable local development stands out as the result. It is concluded that knowledge networks for sustainable local development have positive implications in the establishment of alliances and links between the sectors that make up society.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 329-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cigdem Baskici

Purpose Although there have been a considerable number of studies regarding subsidiary role typology in multinationals’ management literature, there appear to be few studies that consider knowledge-based role typology from the network-based perspective. The purpose of this study is to fill this gap and extend the study of Gupta and Govindarajan (1991). Thus, the study focuses on answering the following research question: Do subsidiaries have different roles in terms of knowledge flows within a multinational company (MNC)? Design/methodology/approach This empirical study has been carried out as an explorative single case study. An MNC with 15 foreign subsidiaries headquartered in Turkey, which operated in the manufacturing of household appliances and consumer electronics, has been selected as the case. Knowledge transfer is analyzed in this MNC from the network perspective. Findings Four role typologies are detected for subsidiaries of the MNC: collector transmitter, collector diffuser, converter transmitter and converter diffuser. Research limitations/implications Findings of this study are specific to this case. Testing the findings in a sample consisting of subsidiaries of MNCs producing transnational products may contribute to the generalizability of these roles. Practical implications This study offers potentially important findings for MNC managers to use. First, in this study, knowledge flows' route could be defined within MNCs’ dual network. Second, role typologies could inform MNC managers to design their MNCs’ knowledge network. Originality/value The suggested typologies are expected to more accurately define the roles of subsidiaries within contemporary MNCs which are accepted to be transformed from hierarchical structures to network-based organizations.


2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Antonio Belso-Martinez ◽  
Isabel Diez-Vial

Purpose This paper aims to explain how the evolution of knowledge networks and firms’ strategic choices affect innovation. Endogenous factors associated with a path-dependent evolution of the knowledge network are jointly considered with a firm’s development of international relationships and increasing internal absorptive capacity over time. Design/methodology/approach In a biotech cluster, the authors gathered data on the firms’ characteristics and network relationships by asking about the technological knowledge they received in the cluster in 2007 and 2012 – “roster-recall” method. Estimation results were obtained using moderated regression analysis. Findings Firms that increase their involvement in knowledge networks over time also tend to increase their innovative capacity. However, efforts devoted to building international links or absorptive capacity negatively moderate the impact of network growth on innovation. Practical implications Practitioners have two alternative ways of increasing innovation inside knowledge networks: they can increase their centrality by developing their knowledge network interactions or invest in developing their internal absorptive capacity and new international sources of knowledge. Investing in both of these simultaneously does not seem to improve a firm’s innovative capacity. Originality/value Coupling firms’ strategic options with knowledge network dynamics provide a more complete way of explaining how firms can improve their innovative capacity.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 37-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huilan Chen ◽  
Shaofeng Liu ◽  
Festus Oderanti

Making the right decisions for food supply chain is extremely important towards achieving sustainability in agricultural businesses. This paper explores that knowledge sharing to support food supply chain decisions to achieve lean performance (i.e. to reduce/eliminate non-value-adding activities, or “waste” in lean term). The focus of the paper is on defining new knowledge networks and mobilisation approaches to address the network and community nature of current supply chains. Based on critical analysis of the state-of-the-art in the topic area, a knowledge network and mobilisation framework for lean supply chain management has been developed. The framework has then been evaluated using a case study from the food supply chain. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) has been used to incorporate expert's view on the defined knowledge networks and mobilisation approaches with respect to their contribution to achieving various lean performance objectives. The results from the work have a number of implications for current knowledge management and supply chain management in theory and in practice.


1995 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 264-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andy Pike ◽  
David Charles

The authors examine the impact of international collaborative research programmes on university—industry links in the UK, with particular reference to the relations involved in the European Union's Framework Programme research. The evidence presented in the paper suggests that international collaboration has generated benefits as well as significant costs for UK university—industry linkages. More importantly, it is argued that the alleged general convergence in university and industry research needs has been somewhat illusory in the UK due to the rationalization of its R&D activity. In addition, these tendencies have been supported to a degree by EU funding rules, the internationalization of UK universities and the ‘repeat’ nature of international collaboration networks. In conclusion, the authors suggest that many of the problems may be specific to the UK and that policies are needed to strengthen links between UK universities and industry within such collaborative projects.


2009 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 649-667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Ramos-Vielba ◽  
Manuel Fernández-Esquinas ◽  
Elena Espinosa-de-los-Monteros

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