Manuel Fernández-Esquinas

Measuring university–industry collaboration in a regional innovation system

Studies of university–industry collaboration remain subject to important limitations due to the shortage of empirical data and a lack of consistency in that obtained to date. This article puts into practice a set of universities Third Mission indicators in a regional innovation system. Selected indicators previously compiled from literature were reorganized and pre-tested. We have undertaken two face-to-face surveys of 737 firms and 765 heads of research teams, respectively. The results test the validation of indicators and provide a complex map of university–industry linkages as well as some observations on the flexibility needed to address this issue.

Dissemination practices in the Spanish research system: scientists trapped in a golden cage

The aim of this paper is twofold. On the one hand, it offers a systematic analysis of the data available regarding Spanish scientists’ dissemination activities; on the other, it seeks to shed light on their behaviour and motivations. To do this, we consider the context of Spanish society and the conditions affecting the work and professional promotion of scientists. We present evidence from two surveys of CSIC researchers and of participants in Spain’s main science fair, with the caveat that the data were obtained in a methodologically favourable scenario. A contrast exists between scientists’ vocation to disseminate and the limitations derived from a low degree of interest in science in Spanish society, together with professional promotion policies that do not give priority to dissemination activities. This leads us to conclude that Spanish scientists are trapped between dissemination activities governed by moral values and a scarcely favourable social and professional context.

Emerging forms of cross-sector collaboration in the Spanish innovation system

The Spanish innovation system has grown since the 1980s following a predominantly supply-side model where R&D capacities have concentrated in universities and public research organizations. Since then efforts have been made to stimulate cross-sector linkages. These have relied on university-industry projects, various forms of interface organizations, technology centres and programmes to encourage mobility. However, initiatives have encountered some significant drawbacks. Due to a lack of progress, a range of centres and other collaborative arrangements have emerged since 2000 to try to foster greater collaboration and firm based innovation. The process of policy change and their institutional structure are examined in the context of current and potential impact on the national innovation system. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.

Key Knowledge Providers as Sources of Business Innovation

Studies of innovation are giving increasing attention to the relationships that businesses maintain with different participants in the innovation process. It is generally assumed that interaction with other businesses, universities and government organizations can generate knowledge that will improve the ability to innovate. However, there is little evidence of the specific roles that businesses assign to partners with regard to the provision of knowledge for innovation activities. This paper presents results from research on the dynamics of Triple Helix networks, where such networks provide the basis for building innovation capacity for businesses in catch-up geographical regions. The principal assumption is that businesses adopting an open collaboration strategy have a greater capacity to combine knowledge from different sources and adapt the knowledge to suit their innovation processes. A large set of key indicators is used to identify which regional sources are considered by businesses to be important for acquiring knowledge. The study is based on a survey of 737 businesses in the Andalusia region of Southern Spain and analysis of the results provides a typology of businesses characterized by the extent to which they focus their interest on specific groups of participants in the innovation process. The conclusions highlight and compare the role of universities with that of business networks, service providers, government and other sources.

Introduction to special issue: The policy rationale for cross-sector research collaboration and contemporary consequences

National policies and practices shape the tools and institutional form of cross-sector research collaboration (CSRC). However, because innovation systems vary considerably across different countries, so too has the evolution of policy. In this special issue contributions review the policy processes and their implications in seven countries: Australia; Norway; Germany; the USA; Spain; Ireland; and the UK. Overall the comparisons reveal some common trends. For example, there is a general trend toward the institutionalisation of collaborative processes and practices in formal organisational structures. However, the variation across systems, governance and industrial structures reinforce the need for a diverse approach to CSRC policy. Many policy mechanisms reflect a response to the policy challenge of achieving a balance between maintaining long-term scientific excellence as well as solving short-term problems for industry. A lesson that emerges from the comparative perspective is to also take into account the pressure for organisational change in organisations engaged with CSRC that is driven by these policies. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.

How effective are interface organizations in the promotion of university-industry links? Evidence from a regional innovation system

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of the interface organizations of a regional innovation system on the dynamics of knowledge transfer between universities and firms. Design/methodology/approach – The Triple Helix approach is used as a heuristic tool. The paper is based on a face-to-face survey to a sample of 800 innovative firms in Andalusia (Spain). The analysis focusses on the effectiveness attributed by the firms to technology transfer offices (TTOs), science parks and the regional innovation agency. Findings – Different organizations have different roles in the relationships that firms maintain with universities in a regional innovation system. Firm’s positive perceptions of TTOs, science parks and the innovation agency in the promotion of knowledge transfer are associated to the kind of relationships maintained with universities. Research limitations/implications – The research focusses on the region of Andalusia. Further studies could consider the applicability of the findings in other regional innovation systems. Practical implications – The paper helps governments and managers of TTOs, science parks and innovation agencies to understand the real use that interface organizations have for the industrial tissue of a regional innovation system. Originality/value – There have been few studies that observe together the value attributed by firms to the several interface organizations in a specific innovation system. The analysis contributes to the debate on the adjustment of the different roles of interface organizations in the promotion of knowledge transfer and innovation dynamics.

Key issues on innovation, culture and institutions: implications for SMEs and micro firms

ABSTRACT This Special Issue is devoted to studying the role of cultural aspects in the innovation dynamics of small firms within the context of their territorial environments. Cultural elements are viewed as strategic assets because of their capacity to enhance small firms’ action and to provide opportunities to compete in the knowledge economy. Innovation studies use a variety of approaches and definitions for studying how the symbolic aspects of social reality shape innovation. In this Guest Editorial, our aim is to help clarify this topic of research. Departing from the contributions of this Special Issue, we use analytical definitions of values, norms, cognitive repertoires and institutions as layers of the cultural domain that can be present both in firms and in the surrounding innovation system. We describe important mechanisms related to innovation processes in SMEs and micro firms. The 10 selected articles provide an intellectual map of current research and investigate different angles of cultural dynamics based on cases in Spain, Portugal, Belarus and the U.K. Based on the findings from these articles, we believe that cultural elements can be integrated and recombined by innovation policies as an essential component of local and regional development.

What do stakeholders think about knowledge transfer offices? The perspective of firms and research groups in a regional innovation system

Abstract Knowledge transfer offices (KTOs) are required to adopt a comprehensive approach to managing a broad set of channels of university–industry collaboration, including collaborative research, business services, exchange of human resources and informal relations within a regional innovation system. The perspectives of firms and academic researchers, the main stakeholders of KTOs, are useful complements to assess KTO activity. The goal of this article is to study the effectiveness that these stakeholders attribute to KTOs. Based on survey data collected in the Spanish region of Andalusia, the article explores stakeholders’ perceptions and determinants. The results show that the level of engagement in a diversified range of activities and the importance attributed to knowledge transfer in the strategy of both research groups and firms are the best predictors of the perceived effectiveness of KTOs. The article also underlines specific differences between the two types of stakeholders.

Organisational Innovations for Science-Industry Interactions: The Emergence of Collaborative Research Centres in Spanish Regional Innovation Systems

This chapter analyses the creation and diffusion of collaborative research centres between science, industry and government. These organisations tend to involve a restructuring of networks of existing relationships in a region, as well as a gradual transformation of the strategies or the institutional structure of the agents involved. The organisational innovations undertaken can be interpreted as form of resilience of regional innovation systems in regard to their R&D capacity.

Exploring the links between culture and innovation in micro firms: cultural dimensions, social mechanisms and outcomes

ABSTRACT This article analyses the role of cultural components in the innovation processes of micro firms. The article develops an analytical and operational approach to the notion of culture of innovation departing from conceptual contributions from cultural and economic sociology. This framework is used in a study of micro firms in the Canary Islands (Spain). A survey, a group of open-ended interviews and in-depth case studies have been used to identify and explain the social and cultural mechanisms that make up the culture of innovation of small firms and shape their open innovation strategies. The results highlight the importance of firms’ knowledge base in the configuration of different innovation behaviours. The findings also help to explore the relationship between homogeneous and pluralistic conceptions of the culture of innovation.