Luís Farinha

The Impact of Polytechnic Institutes on the Local Economy.

Higher education institutions and, particularly, polytechnic institutes in Portugal are, generally speaking, recognized as the key stakeholders in regional development. However, due to the economic recession of recent years and the consequent budget constraints, higher education institutions more than ever need to demonstrate the social and cultural impact of their activities within their communities and their contribution to its economic development. The aim of this paper is to estimate the economic impact of a group of polytechnic institutes located in regions with diverse socio-economic characteristics using a common methodology. This common framework enables a comparative study and a better identification of the variables that differentiate the different regions, the respective polytechnics and their impacts.

Introduction to Multiple Helix Ecosystems for Sustainable Competitiveness

This chapter summarizes the evolution of the metaphorical concept of the triple helix, through the quadruple helix and quintuple helix; the second Leydesdorff (J Knowl Econ 3(1):25–35, 2012), a founder of Triple Helix, invites the submission of other model proposals with more than three helices. Based on the literature review on these currents of collaborative interaction for innovation, knowledge and technology transfer, we set out to build a conceptual model that can help explain the improvement of sustainable competitiveness of economies and companies. The model has been designed from the concept of “Multiple Helix Ecosystems for Sustainable Competitiveness”, opening doors to its empirical verification.

Conditions Supporting Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Growth

There are a variety of different conditions that support entrepreneurship and affect sustainable development. The aim of this paper is to focus on the issue of territorial advantage, based on the dimensions analysed by the World Economic Forum (WEF). This helps to assess the sustainable competitiveness of different geographic regions in the world based on the variables of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM). The geographic regions the authors focus on in the analysis are 1) Asia and Oceania, 2) Europe and 3) Latin America and the Caribbean. From the analysis they analyse which variables best explain the socio-economic development of these geographic regions and whether there are any major differences. The results based on partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) show the variables within each group of countries, which best explain the regional development. This helps to understand the association between competitiveness and entrepreneurship variables with sustainable growth in order to help explain best interventionist priorities to use in order to foster entrepreneurship.

Following the Footprints of SME Competitiveness in a High-Technology Sector

This chapter examines the competitiveness footprints of SMEs within a high-tech cluster. A mixed methodology combining quantitative and qualitative data is used. More specifically, a case study is offered to show trends in innovative and entrepreneurial collaboration associated with an internationally competitive high-tech cluster. The findings shed light on the importance of collective efficiency strategies, with a focus on RD&I, implemented by SMEs that operate in an international and competitive market. This chapter highlights the lessons learned in two specific aspects: the role of innovation in the competitiveness of SMEs and the role of innovation and entrepreneurship networks in enhancing the functions of a high-technology industrial cluster, the Portuguese Engineering and Tooling Cluster.

Regional innovation systems and entrepreneurial embeddedness

There has been an increased interest in understanding entrepreneurship practices in a regional development context, which has led to the concept of entrepreneurial regional innovation systems being...

Smart specialization policies: innovative performance models from European regions

ABSTRACT This research seeks to identify the factors that best explain the performance of regional innovation in Europe, in the era of smart specialization. Data were collected from the Regional Innovation Scoreboard 2016 and a quantitative methodology was followed using linear regressions as statistical methods. The results allowed us to reach four explanatory models of performance innovation for Innovative Regions Leader, Strong, Moderate and Modest. Some policies have also been suggested as possible regional innovation measures that can help policy makers to clarify and improve the innovation performance of these regions.

Linking innovation and entrepreneurship to economic growth

The purpose of this paper is to study the linkage of innovation and entrepreneurship to economic growth in countries with different levels of development.,Following quantitative analysis, the authors carry out three empirical approaches to examine the effects of innovation and entrepreneurship on competitiveness. In accordance with their initial study framework, they test the conceptual model of competitiveness through applying descriptive statistics, structural equation modelling (SEM) and hierarchical cluster analysis. Descriptive statistics and SEM data sources from the Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum were analysed for 148 countries. The hierarchical cluster analysis furthermore analysed Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data on 67 different countries.,The study confirmed that innovation and sophistication factors are crucial to the competitiveness of economies. The study also revealed the definition of five clusters relative to the competitive performance of advanced economies following the introduction of new entrepreneurship variables.,This research aims to open up avenues for the development of regional competitiveness studies.

Metrics for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Networks

This study aims to find a model to measure the regional dynamics of the Triple and Quadruple Helixes (Academia-Firms-Local Governments and Civil Society), based on innovativeness pillars. In accordance with this purpose, different strands of literature are identified according to their focus on specific regional competitiveness governance mechanisms. We put forward an overview of the state-of-the-art of research and is duly assessed in order to develop and propose a framework of analysis that enables an integrated approach in the context of collaborative dynamics. We conclude by presenting the Regional Helix Scoreboard (RHS) for the study of regional collaborative dynamics, which integrates and associates different backgrounds and identifies a number of key performance indicators for research challenges.

Geographies of Growth: Comparing Oxfordshire, a Core High-Tech Region in the UK, with an Emerging High-Tech Region—The Centro of Portugal

This chapter reports on a comparative project comparing the evolution of the Oxfordshire high-tech economy with a newer and much smaller high-tech region, the Centro of Portugal. Previous research on Oxfordshire has been mainly qualitative. This new study using quantitative data allows insights into what makes regions distinctive, how the performance of regions with some similar and some different attributes differ, and what might contribute to or inhibit their potential growth trajectories. The conceptual framework for the study is drawn from the ‘regional triple-helix spaces’ (The triple helix: University–industry–government innovation in action. Engineering, Routledge, p. 164, 2008) and the regional innovation systems concept (Environ Plan A 30:1563–1584, 1998). The two regions compared are very different in stages of development. The nature of entrepreneurship and innovation in the two regions is explored as well is responses to the growth of that activity by the local triple-helix actors.