Michaela Trippl

Innovation in knowledge intensive industries: The nature and geography of knowledge links

Abstract Knowledge has become a key source of competitiveness for advanced regions and nations, indicating a transformation of capitalism towards a “knowledge economy”. Knowledge intensive sectors in production and in services have a lead in this respect, they can be considered as role models for the future. The innovation process, the mechanisms of knowledge exchange and the respective linkages in those industries differ quite markedly from those in other sectors. Clustering and local knowledge spillovers are frequently stated phenomena, although it is still unclear as to what the nature and geography of those knowledge links are. The aim of this paper is to examine the character of the innovation process and the type of interactions in those industries, in order to find out how strongly they are related to regional, national and international innovation systems. We will analyse the sources and the mechanisms of knowledge exchange and their relevance for innovation. The paper develops a typology of innovation interactions and provides empirical evidence for Austria based on data from a recent firm survey.

Knowledge Sourcing Beyond Buzz and Pipelines: Evidence from the Vienna Software Sector

Abstract This article examines the nature and geography of knowledge linkages in the Vienna software cluster. Empirical studies on the software sector have provided contradictory evidence of the relative importance of different sources of knowledge, the spatial dimension of exchanges of knowledge, and the relevance of different channels for the transmission of knowledge. Recent conceptual work on the geography of knowledge linkages has highlighted that the innovative dynamics of clusters rests on both local and global knowledge flows, that is, the combination of “local buzz” and “global pipelines.” However, the buzz-and-pipelines approach fails to provide a precise understanding of the mechanisms by which actors in a cluster gain access to knowledge at different spatial scales. This article goes beyond the buzz-and-pipelines concept and suggests a differentiated typology of knowledge linkages, distinguishing among market relations, formal networks, spillovers, and informal networks. Drawing on a survey of firms and face-to-face interviews with representatives of companies, we demonstrate that in the Vienna software industry, knowledge flows are informal. We found that spillovers and informal networks are highly significant at all spatial scales and are complemented by formalized research-and-development partnerships at the local and national levels. We also show that the character of knowledge linkages is dependent on the nature of innovation. The more radical the innovation, the larger the variety of sources of knowledge and the stronger the diversity of the mechanisms for transferring knowledge.

Regional Knowledge Economies

This original and timely book presents the most comprehensive, empirically based analysis of clustering dynamics in the high-technology sector across liberal and co-ordinated market economies.

Like Phoenix from the Ashes? The Renewal of Clusters in Old Industrial Areas.

Many cluster studies have focused on growth regions and industries covering only the early phases of cluster development. Little attention, however, has been paid to the renewal of clusters in old industrial regions. The aim of the paper is to address the question of how clusters renew themselves in such regions and how they adjust to changes in their environment. After identifying relevant factors from the literature, a comparison is made of the renewal of the automotive and the metal clusters in the old industrial region of Styria. The paper investigates and analyses the different development paths. Critical factors of cluster renewal turn out to be a well developed regional innovation system, the establishment of new innovation networks and new and more indirect forms of policy approach.

Developing Biotechnology Clusters in Non-high Technology Regions—The Case of Austria

This paper explores the role of distant knowledge links and policy actions for the development of biotechnology clusters. It seeks to challenge the prevailing view that the birth and early development of high technology industries are always spontaneous phenomena which are mainly based on local knowledge. Departing from the theoretical concept of regional innovation systems (RIS), a distinction between “RIS with strong potentials for high technology industries” and “RIS with weak potentials for high technology industries” will be drawn. It will be argued that in the latter case the development of biotechnology clusters is more dependent on distant knowledge sources and proactive policy efforts to create a favourable environment for high technology activities. Furthermore, it will be shown that a far‐reaching transformation of the regional innovation system is crucial for catching‐up processes of regions which are latecomers in high technology sectors such as biotechnology.

How to turn the fate of old industrial areas: a comparison of cluster-based renewal processes in Styria and the Saarland

The aim of this paper is to explore the role of regional innovation systems and clusters in the economic recovery of old industrial regions. We draw a distinction between three types of cluster-based renewal: an innovation-oriented adjustment of mature clusters (incremental change); the emergence of new agglomerations in established industries (diversification); and the rise of knowledge-intensive and high-technology activities (radical change). In the empirical part of the paper we compare cluster-based recovery processes in the regions of Styria and the Saarland. It is shown that Styria rebuilt its regional innovation system more successfully, enabling the innovation-oriented adjustment of a mature cluster, the rise of a new cluster in an established industry, and the emergence of knowledge-intensive activities. In the Saarland, in contrast, the regional innovation system has been more specialised, which has resulted in weak performance with respect to incremental change and diversification and high performance regarding radical change.

Scientific Mobility and Knowledge Transfer at the Interregional and Intraregional Level

Trippl M. Scientific mobility and knowledge transfer at the interregional and intraregional level, Regional Studies. The aim of this paper is to explore the extent and nature of knowledge flows which result from the international mobility of elite scientists. Based on the findings from a worldwide survey of ‘star scientists’ (that is, authors of highly cited journal articles in different research areas), it is shown that these top researchers establish manifold interregional knowledge links between their sending and receiving areas and embed themselves in their location of choice by creating connections to regional actors. Furthermore, the paper identifies a set of crucial factors that determine whether or not star scientists engage in intraregional knowledge transfer activities.

Combining Knowledge from Different Sources, Channels and Geographical Scales

Abstract The aim of this article is to examine conceptually and empirically how innovative firms combine knowledge (1) provided by different sources, (2) accessed at different spatial scales and (3) acquired through different channels. We add to the conceptual debate by contrasting and synthesising the perspectives offered on these issues by four key concepts, namely the local buzz and global pipelines argument, the knowledge-base approach, the notions of Science–Technology–Innovation and Doing–Using–Interacting modes of innovation as well as the regional innovation systems concept. The empirical part of the article contains an analysis of knowledge-sourcing activities employed by 181 firms belonging to the Austrian automotive supplier industry. Our findings reveal that it is, indeed, combinations of knowledge sourced from different partners located at different spatial scales and acquired through different channels that are relevant. However, it is particular combinations that dominate while others are negligible. Austrian automotive supplier firms combine knowledge provided by customers with knowledge inputs from a variety of other sources. Most of the combinations involve the European or global levels combined with the regional and/or national level. Finally, firms combine spillovers with a variety of other channels to acquire innovation-relevant knowledge.

Knowledge links in high-technology industries: markets, networks or milieu? The case of the Vienna biotechnology cluster

In recent years, the innovation process in biotechnology has become a subject of major interest to scholars from different disciplines. Despite an ever growing body of work, the nature of knowledge links and their particular geography remain a highly disputed issue. The purpose of this paper is to shed some light on this topic. We will develop a model of knowledge interactions distinguishing between market relations, formal networks, spillovers and informal links. This model will then be used as a conceptual framework for an analysis of various types of knowledge flows in the emerging Vienna biotechnology cluster. We will show that knowledge exchange is a multifaceted phenomenon and that each type of knowledge interaction exhibits a specific geography.

Regional Innovation Systems and Knowledge Sourcing Activities in Traditional Industries – Evidence from the Vienna Food Sector

The aim of this paper is to investigate the spatial pattern of knowledge links in traditional, long-established, and less-research-intensive sectors and to contribute to a better understanding of the role of the regional innovation system (RIS) as space for knowledge-sourcing activities in such industries. Departing from conceptual work on the science, technology, and innovation (STI) and the doing, using, and interacting (DUI) modes of learning, it is argued that the relation between mature industries and their RIS depends on the relative importance of these two innovation modes and their specific geographies of knowledge-sourcing activities. The empirical focus is on the food industry in the Vienna metropolitan region. Based on ten case studies of firms and ten interviews with research organisations and industry experts, it is suggested that innovation rests on a combination of the DUI and the STI modes of learning. This is related with a complex spatial pattern of knowledge links and a selective integration of innovative food companies into the RIS. The firms investigated use scientific knowledge available within the RIS and tap into extraregional pools of experience-based knowledge.