Between vision and reality: promoting innovation through technoparks in Kazakhstan

A common motivation for the technopark movement is the belief that technoparks promote innovation and economic growth at regional and/or national levels. The paper analyses the role of technoparks as instruments of innovation promotion in Kazakhstan using data from a firm survey and interviews. Our results suggest that, unlike what is assumed in the innovation policy literature, technoparks do not house firms dealing with the commercialisation of innovations that are ready for introduction to the market. Technopark firms are no more innovative than other firms. They are oriented largely towards the local market, and operate in traditional sectors; the frequency and intensity of their external links are more developed than are their internal links. The key motivations for relocating to a technopark seem to be lower rents and the possibility of accessing finance. Overall, Kazakh technoparks seem to be successful in terms of facilitating business incubation, but much les so in terms of innovation promotion and diversification of the economy. Currently, Kazakh industry does not make any demands for local R&D, and its sources of competitiveness lie in non-R&D activities. This suggests that innovation policy should focus on assisting companies to upgrade their technological capabilities to the level that they can articulate their R&D demands. Focusing on technoparks as the main mechanism to improve competitiveness and diversify the economy is an ineffective and uncertain a policy option at this stage of the country's economic development. However, there seems to be significant scope for supporting business incubation. These conclusions are of relevance to other emerging economies

From Concept to Policy: Building Regional Innovation Systems in Follower Regions

In the spirit of “The Lisbon strategy”, public policies are redirecting support from investment-driven policies to knowledge building as the main driver for competitiveness and innovation. This re-orientation poses different challenges to regions and RIS concept may be the central element, simultaneously goal and toolbox, for devising innovation promotion policies. The RIS framework stresses the need to combine a systemic and inclusive view of innovation along with territorially embedded specificities. In this paper we explore how to operationalize the concept of RIS in terms of innovation policy, arguing against a “one size fits all” approach. Concentrating our analysis on follower regions, we bridge the concept of RIS with the structural deficiencies and challenges posing to this kind of regions, for which innovation policy should seek an adequate combination between science push and demand pull perspectives. We also address the importance of taking advantage of the catching-up status, building upon R&D cost-advantages and clustering around external initiatives as well as the correction of important constraints to the construction of a RIS.Innovation, Regional Innovation Systems, Innovation Policy, Follower Regions

Bridging Science to Economy: The Role of Science and Technologic Parks in Innovation Strategies in “Follower” Regions

The concept of Regional Innovation System (RIS) builds upon an integrated perspective of innovation, acknowledging the contribution of knowledge production subsystem, regulatory context and enterprises to a region’s innovative performance. Science and Technology parks can act as a platform to the production of knowledge and its transfer to the economy in the form of spin-offs or simple knowledge spillovers, enhanced by the co-location of R&D university centers and high technology enterprises on site. Although reflecting mainly a science push perspective, they may constitute central nodes in an infrastructural system of competitiveness that articulates other entrepreneurial location sites and bridges Universities to the economy in a more efficient and effective way, being crucial to increasing technology transfer and interchange speed, promoting the technological upgrading of the regional economy. In this paper we discuss the importance of Science and Technology Parks in the building up of a Regional Innovation System, promoting the technological intensification of the economy, a more effective knowledge transfer and sharing and the construction of competitive advantages, with particular importance in follower regions facing structural deficiencies. We oppose to the predominant closed paradigm, which understands science parks’ role in a narrow and “enclavist”, arguing in favor of an open and “integrative” paradigm where the interconnection to other infrastructures and agents boosts the park’s performance and upgrades the regional economies competitiveness infra-structures and innovation capability. We further stress the importance of science parks in signaling capabilities and hence attracting R&D external initiatives, namely, R&D FDI.Science Parks, New technology-based firms, Innovation, Regional Policy

Policies for Industrial Learning in China and Mexico: Neo-developmental vs. Neo-liberal approaches

Abstract Previous work has shown that the results of both China and Mexico’s export-led market reforms over the past quarter century have been strikingly different. In contrast to China, Mexico has not managed to increase the value added of its exports of manufactured goods and has subsequently had a difficult time competing with China in world markets. Building on this previous work, in this paper we conduct a comparative analysis of the role of government policies in industrial learning and the development of capabilities of indigenous firms in Mexico and China in order to shed light on why China is so outperforming Mexico. We find that Mexico and China have had starkly different approaches to economic reform in this area. Mexico’s approach to reform has been a “neo-liberal” one, whereas China’s could be described as “neo-developmental.” Mexico’s hands-off approach to learning has resulted in a lack of development of endogenous capacity of domestic firms, little transfer of technology, negligible progress in the upgrading of industrial production, and little increase in value added of exports. By contrast, China has deployed a hands-on approach of targeting and nurturing domestic firms through a gradual and trial and error led set of government policies.International trade, development, competitiveness, value added, government policy, assembly operations

Cooperation and Cluster Strategies Within and Between Technology-Intensive Organizations: How to Enhance Linkages among Firms in TechnoParks

World today is characterized by rapid transformations in all aspects of human’s life where innovation, technological change and technological progress play the most significant role. Therefore, technologyintensive organizations by engaging in strategic alliances, clusters and networks tend to extract maximum benefits i.e. to enable entry into the international markets and to develop core competences. Even though clusters have become a highly popular strategy, many of them fail to realize their intended goals. Thus, under the scope of this paper we explore why choosing a clustering strategy can be beneficial for technologyintensive organizations. Main focus will be on investigating if there are inter-firm and firm-university linkages among the actors located in a particular techno-park i.e. METU Techno-park and Bilkent Cyber-park. Results of the analysis showed certain extent of firm-university relationships and low level of inter-firm interactions. This further implied necessity of the policy interventions for enhancement of those interactions if the studied techno-parks are to become successful in the sense of the theoretical techno-park model, and if the tenant firms are to extract maximum benefits associated with cluster concept in theory.Clusters, Networks, Innovation, Techno-parks, Policy

University innovative hubs as points of growth of industrial parks of Ukraine

The purpose of the article is generalization of features of expediency of the creation of innovative parks in Ukraine. Practical output of the results consists in the discovered success factors of the activity of innovative parks in Ukraine in order to create new opportunities of innovation development of the country. Current organizational and functional system of innovative entrepreneurship of Ukraine is an imperfect, complex and by all indications, is in the process of formation. It is assumed that infrastructure of international educational innovative hub can structurally corrected according to the area which operates a hub that is: stimulate the dialogue between academics, businessmen and government officials; provide an interactive exchange of explicit and implicit knowledge; generate shared vision on adaptation measures of dynamic environment. Evaluation of the results of scientific and pedagogical activities of working group of innovative hub should be made for following indicators: development of skills of teaching and research work; introducing of innovative approaches for practical individual activity; formation of innovative approaches for collective practical activity; working on the chosen scientific and methodological theme. Main advantage of proposed university innovative hubs is that laid all necessary foundations in order to high school could be as soon as effectively integrate the results of university, academic and sectoral sciences of Ukraine, well as advanced research results of scientific world community in the development and implementation of innovative projects and development innovation

University innovative hubs as points of growth of industrial parks of Ukraine

The purpose of the article is generalization of features of expediency of the creation of innovative parks in Ukraine. Practical output of the results consists in the discovered success factors of the activity of innovative parks in Ukraine in order to create new opportunities of innovation development of the country. Current organizational and functional system of innovative entrepreneurship of Ukraine is an imperfect, complex and by all indications, is in the process of formation. It is assumed that infrastructure of international educational innovative hub can structurally corrected according to the area which operates a hub that is: stimulate the dialogue between academics, businessmen and government officials; provide an interactive exchange of explicit and implicit knowledge; generate shared vision on adaptation measures of dynamic environment. Evaluation of the results of scientific and pedagogical activities of working group of innovative hub should be made for following indicators: development of skills of teaching and research work; introducing of innovative approaches for practical individual activity; formation of innovative approaches for collective practical activity; working on the chosen scientific and methodological theme. Main advantage of proposed university innovative hubs is that laid all necessary foundations in order to high school could be as soon as effectively integrate the results of university, academic and sectoral sciences of Ukraine, well as advanced research results of scientific world community in the development and implementation of innovative projects and development innovation

The impacts of engagement in science park collaborative network on innovation capabilities and financial performance of tenant firms

This study aims to examine how engagement in science park collaborative network (ESPCN) influences innovation capabilities and financial performance of on-park firms. Based on the survey towards Beijing and Shanghai science parks in China, it explores how science park ecosystem creates value for their hosted firms. This research address three research questions, including (1) What should the measurement scale of ESPCN entail in order help tenants exploit benefits associated with science park location? (2) What is the impact of ESPCN on innovation capabilities and financial performance of tenant firms? (2) What are individual impacts of four dimensions of ESPCN on innovation capabilities and financial performance of tenant firms

Strengthening China's technological capability

China is increasing its outlay on research and development and seeking to build an innovation system that will deliver quick results not just in absorbing technology but also in pushing the technological envelope. China's spending on R&D rose from 1.1 percent of GDP in 2000 to 1.3 percent of GDP in 2005. On a purchasing power parity basis, China's research outlay was among the world's highest, far greater than that of Brazil, India, or Mexico. Chinese firms are active in the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, alternative energy sources, and nanotechnology. This surge in spending has been parallel by a sharp increase in patent applications in China, with the bulk of the patents registered in the areas of electronics, information technology, and telecoms. However, of the almost 50,000 patents granted in China, nearly two-thirds were to nonresidents. This paper considers two questions that are especially important for China. First, how might China go about accelerating technology development? Second, what measures could most cost-effectively deliver the desired outcomes? It concludes that although the level of financing for R&D is certainly important, technological advance is closely keyed to absorptive capacity which is a function of the volume and quality of talent and the depth as well as the heterogeneity of research experience. It is also a function of how companies maximize the commercial benefits of research and development, and the coordination of research with production and marketing.Technology Industry,Tertiary Education,E-Business,ICT Policy and Strategies,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems