Leading edge or best practice innovative firmsī spatial and organisational aspects of innovation networks in SMEs - evidence from Sweden and Canada (287)

Theme Track: Innovation and New Technologies - Innovation Cluster

Authors:
Doloreux, David ; Edquist, Charles ; Marie-Louise, Eriksson

In recent years there has been a growing interest in co-operation for innovation, with some commentators arguing that innovation is no longer a stand alone activity, but depends increasingly on collective action. In research on regional systems of innovation, network relations among firms and other organisations are considered critical for the creation, use and diffusion of new technology. This has important implications for innovation processes and for regional development. Depending on their absorptive capacity and knowledge base, firms develop different abilities to access and to utilise knowledge. These abilities might also be linked to the types of innovation produced, e.g. whether firms are generating either incremental or radical innovations, or both. The objective of the paper is to examine whether firms behaviours differ with respect to the types of innovation produced. In particular, do innovation adaptors follow similar innovation paths as innovation creators? Who are the relevant partners used to sustain innovation in each case? What is the role of geography in collaborations? Using data from regional innovation surveys carried out in Sweden (East Gothia) and in Canada (Ottawa-Carleton), this international comparison will enable the similarities and differences between these different regional contexts - as they pertain to clusters and innovation dynamics - to be better understood.

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