While concurring with the new streams of literature in geography that highlight the importance of face-to-face and buzz in the globalizing learning economy, the article argues that this literature is misleading on three interrelated accounts. Firstly, it conflates face-to-face and buzz;...

Activities’ in innovation systems are the determinants of the development and diffusion of innovations. Examples are R&D, provision of organizations and institutions, financing of innovations, incubation, etc. These activities are partly performed by private organizations and partly by public...

It is often claimed that what traditionally have been called technology policies in many industrialised countries have undergone major changes during the last decades. Until the 1980s technology policies were primarily focused on financial support to different R&D producing organisations. The...

Public organizations may place an order for something (normally a product or a system) that does not exist. This “something” has to be developed by the supplier before it can be delivered. In other words, R&D and/or innovation are needed before delivery can take place. Until about 10 years...

The point of departure for this chapter is that in developing countries SMEs2 are responsible for the largest part of employment and a significant share of added value. And that innovation policy supporting the particularities of SMEs has been widely ignored (occasionally SMEs have even been...

This paper deals with policy measures in the regional innovation system of Scania, Southern Sweden. Focus is dedicated to requirements on innovation policy from actors representing different industries. Previous studies have identified profound differences with regard the organization of...

The vast literature of systems of innovation is rich in theoretical and empirical studies about the complexity and institutionally-embedded processes of interaction and learning. So far, however, this literature has not studied in a comprehensive manner the nature and types of strategic choices...

This paper discusses the implications of the adoption of the National Innovation Systems approach for innovation policy. It starts by positioning the 'systemic' approach against other theoretical approaches, such as neoclassical theories. The authors argue that the adoption of one or the other...

The concluding chapter of the “Small Country Innovation Systems” book develops a comparative analysis that deals with only a very few of the many issues addressed empirically by the ten country case studies. The concluding chapter focuses to some extent on issues related to globalization,...

This study examines the researchers perspective on the impact of recent major changes in the Finnish research environment. Three virtually simultaneous changes are of special importance. The first is the on-going renewal of the Universities Act governing the Finnish higher education system in...