Saverio Romeo

Entrepreneurial regions: Evidence from Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire

Understanding the growth of entrepreneurial regions and the extent to which the actors in the triple helix model are dominant at particular stages in development is the theme of this article. Both Oxfordshire and the Cambridge sub-region are important high-tech economies dominated by historic universities, Oxford and Cambridge (often referred to collectively as Oxbridge), two of the world’s leading research universities. As entrepreneurial regions, however, they differ in a number of respects. In the article different dynamics leading to the inception, implementation, consolidation and renewal of regions characterized by very high levels of technology-based entrepreneurship are explored. It is argued that, although they are leading locations of multiple clusters of high-tech firms, they could have been more successful in creating more and bigger firms. It is proposed that part of the explanation lies in the relative lack of engagement of their major assets (the universities) in leading local economic development.

Business and professional networks: scope and outcomes in Oxfordshire

This paper examines the relationship between formal networks, such as business and occupationally based professional networks, and place in determining network patterns and types in regional economic development. It distinguishes between ‘network-rich’ and ‘network-poor’ regions and considers why and how formal networks operate as a service and a resource to participants and as components of regional business infrastructures. Formal networks in the Oxfordshire to Cambridge Arc in the UK are used to illustrate these points.

University Enterprise: The Growth and Impact of University-Related Companies in London

Over the last decade policies framing the enterprise agenda for UK higher education institutions (HEIs) have consistently emphasized the potential impact of successful universities on both regional and national economies. Such policies have been backed by significant public funding to ensure that the UK HEI sector is able to compete globally in the creation and exploitation of cutting-edge science. Collectively, these initiatives have led to the development of a ‘third mission’ for universities – increasing the pace and impact of knowledge-exchange activities – while simultaneously maintaining and improving their more traditional research and teaching activities. Previous studies have demonstrated the contribution of universities to the growth of high-technology clusters as well as to knowledge exchange activities more generally. However, the extent to which these activities, particularly the formation of new university-related companies, deliver benefits to particular regions and cities is imperfectly understood. As a consequence, the economic and social impact of companies originating in universities in the UK is generally under-reported by official surveys, which frequently fail to capture details of the trajectories of such companies after formation. These considerations form the context for this paper, which presents the results from a detailed study of the impact of science and technology based academic spin-offs from a cross-section of Londons HEIs.

Entrepreneurial Academics and Regional Innovation Systems: The Case of Spin-Offs from London's Universities

In this paper we explore the spin-off process from Londons universities using a regional innovation systems (RIS) framework. We examine the pattern of spin-offs in the context of changes in institutional support systems, both within the universities and in the London region. The majority of the university-related spin-offs are small and medium-sized enterprises concentrated in biomedical sectors, as elsewhere. However, over a third have left London. We explore these patterns, the implications for understanding the role of universities in RIS, and consequent policy implications.

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.