Knowledge Networks in Emerging ICT Regional Innovation Systems: An Explorative Study of the Knowledge Network of Trentino ICT Innovation System

Although the last thirty years Regional Innovation Systems (RIS) received great attention by policy makers, only during the last decade social networks were applied in the fields of innovation and regional economics. The majority of the existing empirical studies on networks adopt a static point of view, representing a regional knowledge network at a certain point in time, while there are few recent attempts exploring the evolution of knowledge networks and the dynamics that drive it. The present work aims at covering some of the gaps in the literature, using the dataset on collaborative projects from the ICT activity in Trentino. It introduces an original multidimensional framework to analyze the knowledge flows inside, from within and towards the regional network. It also identifies the key actors inside the region and describes their role in knowledge creation and diffusion. Concerning the spatial and temporal evolution of the knowledge networks, this thesis investigates the preferences of the economic actors operating inside regional networks, in terms of shared characteristics, while it explores the dynamics developed through time by the behavior of economic agents during high and low certainty periods, contributing to the inertia and the resilience of the regional knowledge network. The present research is the first that introduces Social Network Analysis (SNA) using data on knowledge transfer from Trentino, considering the entire universe of actors involved in the regional ICT knowledge network for the last fifteen years, and allocating it to an original multidimensional framework, in order to reveal the value of the knowledge network per se, and the impact of the regional policies on the network and not on the output of the innovation process. On the spatial evolution of networks, it explores in depth the preferences of the actors of a regional knowledge network, in order to make it more solid through strong collaborations. It proves that the effect of every kind of proximity or distance is different, while it introduces the measure of relational proximity, exploring the effect of the position of an actor inside the knowledge network in relation with the rest of the actors. However, the major finding of this thesis is the introduction of the temporal aspect in the evolution of the regional knowledge network, and the exploration of the agent behavior during periods of uncertainty. The introduction in the network evolution of an external negative event, like economic crisis, allows the deduction of useful conclusions on how the actors behave in terms of trust and collaboration creation

Collective Intelligence for Knowledge Building and Research in Communities of Practice and Virtual Learning Environments: A Project Experience

There is little evidence about how collective intelligence, social networks, and communities of practice work in maternal health projects. In this paper, we discuss the approaches towards collective intelligence in a project by focusing on the virtual and web-based environments communities of practice and social network approach. This paper builds upon a research project IS0907 COST action and focuses on the communities of practice, social media within organization and team projects, and how through these networks and communities collective intelligence is building. Also, the current investigation stands as an example of COST IS0907 team and the relationship built between countries and communities of practice through working groups, manage knowledge transfer, and improve research collaboration and partnerships. This article aims to present the working environment developed to facilitate collective intelligence role in knowledge building and how communities of practice can enrich collaboration, in maternal health project settings, both educational and effective health research and knowledge building

Does participation in knowledge networks facilitate market access in global innovation systems? The case of offshore wind

This article explores how knowledge networks function as structural couplings in global innovation systems (GIS). Based on a unique dataset we investigate the effects of Norwegian offshore wind firms' participation in different knowledge networks on international market access. The results show that international knowledge networks facilitate access to market resources in a GIS under certain conditions. First, participating in pilot and demonstration projects positively affects firms’ access to international markets. Second, participation in R&D projects has only a positive effect on international market access when R&D collaboration involves international partners. This effect is stronger when collaborators come from countries with a domestic market. Our results show that knowledge networks can function as one type of structural coupling (between a country and the GIS), which can facilitate another type of coupling (between knowledge and markets). The extent of coupling depends on the innovation mode and geographic scale of the knowledge networks. An implication for policy is that knowledge resources can be leveraged through incentives for international collaboration, and support for pilot and demonstration activities

Knowledge recombination for emerging technological innovations : The case of green shipping

The paper explores knowledge recombination by analysing how knowledge networks in established technological fields influenced the formation of the emerging field of green shipping in the period 2007–2018. Previous research has demonstrated that embeddedness, proximity, and status are important mechanisms for the evolution of single technological fields. We investigate if these mechanisms also apply across technological fields. By employing dynamic social network analysis models, we find that actors transferred knowledge across technological fields through (re)combination mechanisms, which affected the emergence of the new technological field, but in different ways. While embeddedness and proximity played an important role, status was less important

Oxford and Grenoble: multiple anchors, strong dyadic relationships and national policy in fostering cluster architectures

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.This paper explores the divergence in patterns of regional development in twin towns, one in France, Grenoble and one in the UK, Oxford. Since the early 2000s a number of changes in national policies in each country have had a direct effect on the dynamics of local technology-led economic development. Here the particular interest is in those which relate to inter-relationships (dyads) between anchor organisations (public sector research laboratories) and major local firms. The paper’s focus is on how changes in policy have an effect on strong local relationships and how multiple anchor organisations drive cluster developmen

Oxford and Grenoble: multiple anchors, strong dyadic relationships and national policy in fostering cluster architectures

This paper explores the divergence in patterns of regional development in twin towns, one in France, Grenoble, and one in the UK, Oxford. Since the early 2000s, a number of changes in national policies in each country have had a direct effect on the dynamics of local technology-led economic development. Here the particular interest is in those that relate to interrelationships (dyads) between anchor organizations (public sector research laboratories) and major local firms. The paper’s focus is on how changes in policy effect strong local relationships and how multiple anchor organizations drive cluster development.</p