Who are the knowledge brokers in regional systems of innovation? A multi-actor network analysis

Martina Kauffeld-Monz (1) , Michael Fritsch (2)

1 Institute for Urban Research and Structural Policy
2 Friedrich-Schiller-Universität = Friedrich Schiller University Jena [Jena, Germany]

The discussion on regional innovation systems emphasizes the duality of local and global links. Our empirical analysis of 18 German regional innovation networks shows that public research organizations, especially universities, are profoundly involved in knowledge exchange processes and possess more central (broker) positions within their regional innovation networks than private firms. This results, in part, from public re-search's gatekeeper function which can be particularly important in lagging regions that typically suffer from a lack of large firms which often fill this role in advanced regions. The transferred knowledge is absorbed, especially, by private firms without inter-regional R&D cooperation activity.

Mots clés: Social Sciences & Humanities

Martina Kauffeld-Monz, Michael Fritsch. Who are the knowledge brokers in regional systems of innovation? A multi-actor network analysis. Regional Studies, 2010, pp.1. ⟨10.1080/00343401003713365⟩. ⟨hal-00605948⟩