RIS- The integration of local sticky and global ubiquitous knowledge英文资料.pdfVIP

Forthcoming in Journal of Technology Transfer Regional Innovation Systems: The Integration of Local ‘Sticky’ and Global ‘Ubiquitous’ Knowledge By Bjørn T. Asheim, Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture, Science Park, P.O. Box 1108 Blindern, N-0349 Oslo, and Department of Sociology and Human Geography, P.O. Box 1096, Blindern, N-0317 Oslo, University of Oslo/ STEP Group, Oslo, Norway (E-mail: b.t.asheim@sgeo.uio.no) and Arne Isaksen, STEP Group, Storgaten 1, N-0155 Oslo, Norway (E-mail: arne.isaksen@step.no) Abstract The paper examines how firms in three regional clusters in Norway dominated by shipbuilding, mechanical engineering and electronics industry, respectively exploit both place- specific local resources as well as external, world-class knowledge to strengthen their competitiveness. From these case-studies we make four points: 1) Ideal-typical regional innovation systems, i.e. regional clusters ‘surrounded’ by supporting local organisations, is rather uncommon in Norway 2) External contacts, outside of the local industrial milieu, are crucial in innovation processes also in many SMEs. 3) Innovation processes may nevertheless be regarded as regional phenomena in regional clusters, as regional resources and collaborative networks often have decisive significance for firms’ innovation activity. 4) Regional resources include in particular place-specific, contextual knowledge of both tacit and codified nature, that, in combination, is rather geographically immobile. 1 1. Introduction Even in a globalising economy with its increased interdependency between firms in different nations, several authors simultaneously point to an increased importance of place-specific and