Business Incubators: Creation of a Fit in Armenia

In this paper, we evaluate the extent to which business incubation services meet tenant’s needs. Additionally, we pose the question of whether the current business incubators actually cover the needs of a particular industry. Our empirical setting is a developing country in the Caucasian Region (Armenia) and we chose to research solely the IT industry. We employed a two stage procedure: first, we conducted interviews with pivotal people familiar with business incubation in Armenia; second, an electronic questionnaire survey was sent to the entire Armenian IT population. The results suggest a moderate need of IT companies for the typical business incubation services. Further, we show that incubated companies are generally satisfied with the services they enjoy albeit this satisfaction level decreases as the needs increase. Non-incubated companies, on the other hand, perceive incubation services to be valuable for their development and this value increases when their needs increase. Our study implies that a more extensive service provision is necessary to fully cover the needs of the Armenian IT industry for business incubation services

Science and technology parks as innovation intermediaries for green innovation

Author's accepted version (postprint).This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Springer in Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering on 18/08/2020.Available online: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-48021-9_101This paper discusses how science and technology parks (STPs) act as intermediaries for projects regarding green innovation. The empirical evidence is gathered through a case study of the City of Knowledge in Panama. For the recent Panama channel’s expansion, local authorities faced the need to improve the water resource management to secure enough fresh water for the canal’s operation. We inductively analysed data from 24 interviews, documents and participant observer. Preliminary results show the intermediation of STPs in green innovation processes in three phases: a first intermediation process is the STP as a hub for knowledge generation, including training for entrepreneurship. A second stage of the park as an innovation intermediary regards to an arena for knowledge and technology transfer, including collaboration with universities. A third phase implies financing and brokerage of green innovation between local and global actors. Our results challenge the existing literature about STPs with a narrow focus on economic spillover effects, or as hubs for attracting and developing cutting-edge technological innovations.acceptedVersio

Industrial Clusters in Russia: The Development of Special Economic Zones and Industrial Parks

This paper investigates the process of developing and implementing special economic zones (SEZs) and industrial parks in Russia. Governments commonly use SEZ policies to develop and diversify exports, create jobs and launch technology/knowledge sharing. The industrial cluster concept is based on the significance of rivalry and supplier networks within the cluster, the combination of geographical specificities and government policies that lead to innovation and productivity growth. This study reveals that in Russia the government′s approach in developing these initiatives has strongly interfered with business activities and prevented the vital competitive and collaborative behavior of firms within these economic zones