Gatekeepers in Regional Networks of Innovators

Strong interaction of innovative actors within a local network is commonly said to increase the region-specific knowledge-stock, leading to a comparative advantage. However, it might also lead to a lock-in situation, if local trajectories are directed towards inferior solutions. Accordingly, it is argued that successful clusters are characterised by the existence of gatekeepers, i.e. actors that generate novelty by drawing on local and external knowledge. We study the role and characteristics of gatekeepers within regional innovation systems by applying social network analysis based on patent data for four East-German regions. The regional networks appear to be significantly different with respect to the degree of interaction and with respect to their outward orientation. Concerning the characteristics of gatekeepers, we find that absorptive capacity is more important than size. Public research organisations serve the functions of a gatekeeper to a higher degree than private actors.Innovator networks; Gatekeeper; R&D co-operation; Mobility

Cooperation and Specialization in German Technology Regions

We investigate cooperative behavior within technology regions in patenting activities. Case studies of local innovation systems point out certain characteristics fruitful to innovation and regional growth but often pronounce historical singularities as major influence. We provide evidence on the same theoretical basis in an econometric study. Based on a theoretical discussion of research cooperation hypotheses are derived which relate a regions technological characteristics to that regions account of research cooperation. Patent data are used to define the technological specialization of German regions and identify cooperations within and between them. Most cooperations tend to take place in modestly specialized regions, indicating a need for similar technological capabilities between partner firms.

Structural properties of cooperation networks in Germany: From basic to applied research

Economists pay more and more attention to knowledge networks and drivers of their development. Consequently, a rich literature emerged analyzing factors explaining the emergence of intra-organizational links. Despite substantial work focusing on the dyad level, only little is known about how and why (global) network structures differ between technologies or industries. The study is based on a new data source on subsidized R&D cooperation in Germany, which is presented in detail and discussed with respect to other types of relational data. A comparison of networks within ten technologies allows us to identify systematic differences between basic and applied research networks.R&D subsidies, network, cooperation, Foerderkatalog, Germany

Public Research in Regional Networks of Innovators: A Comparative Study of Four East-German Regions

Universities and public research organizations are said to be an integrative and essential element of a functioning innovation system as they play a vital role not only in the generation of new technological knowledge, but also in its diffusion. We analyse four East German local networks of innovators which differ in structure and innovative performance and investigate the characteristic role of public research within these local systems by applying methods of social network analysis. Our results show that universities and non-university institutions of public research are key actors in all regional networks of innovators both in terms of patent output and in terms of centrality of their position in the networks. Further we find the 'thicker' networks to have more central public research organizations. Higher centrality of public research compared to private actors may be due to the fact that universities are explicitly designed to give away their knowledge and that they increasingly face the need to raise external funds.Innovator Networks; Public research; R+D Cooperation; Mobility

The Network of Innovators in Jena: An Application of Social Network Analysis

We apply social network analysis methods to describe the evolution of the innovator network of Jena, Germany in the period from 1995 to 2001. We find this evolution to be directed towards an increasing focus on core competencies of the local innovation system. Further we analyze the network resulting from R&D cooperations and explain - by means of network regression techniques - that the job mobility of scientists and the technological overlap between the actors, rather than past cooperations, can best predict the resulting structure. We also observe an increasing importance of the university while the former "Kombinate" begin to lose their prominent role.Innovator Networks, Network Regression, Local Innovation Systems, R+D Cooperation, Research University

Public research in regional networks of innovators: a comparative study of four East-German regions

Universities and public research organizations are said to be integrative and essential elements of a functioning innovation system. We analyze four East German regional networks of innovators and investigate the characteristic role of public research within these networks by applying methods of social network analysis using patent data. Our results show that universities and non-university institutions of public research are key actors in all regional networks. Differences between regional innovative performance seem to be related to differences in the structural properties of the networks

Innovationssystem und Gründungsgeschehen in Jena: Erste Erkenntnisse einer Unternehmensbefragung

Das Max-Planck-Institut zur Erforschung von Wirtschaftssystemen Jena führte im Sommer 2002 in Kooperation mit dem Lehrstuhl für Mikroökonomik der Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena eine Befragung der in Jena ansässigen Unternehmen durch. Die wichtigsten bereits erkennbaren Ergebnisse dieser Befragung werden in dieser Arbeit zusammengefasst. Das Gründungsgeschehen in Jena spielte sich in zwei Wellen ab. Die erste, die 1991 ihren Höhepunkt erreichte, war vermutlich wiedervereinigungsbedingt. Die zweite Gründungswelle erreichte im Jahr 1999 ihren Höhepunkt. Gründungsentscheidung und die Wahl des Standorts Jena werden von folgenden Standort-Faktoren positiv beeinflusst: der Verfüugbarkeit qualifizierter Arbeitskräfte, dem Vorhandensein wichtiger anderer Firmen, dem sozialen Netzwerk der Gründer, den Hochschulen und dem positiven Image der Stadt Jena. Neben der Bedeutung von Spin-offs und lokalen Netzwerken zeigt sich eine starke innere Verflechtung bei der Wissensgenerierung in Form von Forschungskooperationen und bei der Mitarbeiterwahl.

Modelling and certification for electric mobility

The EnergyBus specification is the basis of an ongoing joint IEC/ISO standardisation effort focussing on public charging infrastructures for and interoperability of light electric vehicle components. This paper highlights how these efforts are supported by formal methods, starting at the design and specification level, up to establishing a certification framework for standards compliance of devices implementing the specification. The Modest Toolset supports the model-based analysis methods needed in this context

Experimental Evidence for Non-Thermal Contributions to Plasmon-Enhanced Electrochemical Oxidation Reactions

Photocatalysis based on plasmonic nanoparticles has emerged as a promising approach to facilitate light-driven reactions under far milder conditions than thermal catalysis. Several effects, such as strong local electromagnetic fields, increased electron and lattice temperatures, or the transfer of non-thermal charge carriers could contribute to the reaction rate enhancement. In order to understand plasmon-enhanced catalysis and to enable plasmonic platforms, a distinction between the different underlying effects is required. We investigate the electrochemical model reactions oxidative hydroxide adsorption and glucose oxidation and deconvolve the enhancement processes via their dependence on excitation wavelength. We observe that non-thermal effects contribute significantly to the plasmonic enhancement

Green change: renewable energies, policy mix and innovation

A far-reaching transformation to green, CO2–free solutions is needed to achieve the ambitious climate policy target of limiting the global temperature rise to not more than 2°C. With this in mind, the GRETCHEN project explored the impacts of the policy mix on innovation in renewable power generation technologies in Germany at three levels: the micro level, focusing on the perspective of individual companies, the meso level, examining industry structures and the innovation system, and the macro level, modelling macroeconomic effects and CO2 emissions. The impact of the policy mix was analysed at these three levels for the following aspects: political targets to expand power generation from renewable energy sources, technology push, demand pull and systemic instruments as well as their interaction within the instrument mix, and the consistency and credibility of the policy mix and the coherence of political processes. The policy mix needed for a green transformation of the energy system can be considered holistically and valuated with regard to its innovation impact based on the policy mix concept developed in the GRETCHEN project. The corresponding findings are synthesized in this report on the results of the GRETCHEN project concerning the influence of the policy mix on technological and structural change in renewable power generation technologies in Germany