There is no territorial fatality! (or how innovation interactions between KIBS and SMEs may modify the development patterns of peripheral regions)

Observing regions, for instance in Europe, one may easily notice inequalities in the resources they devote to innovation activities and in the results they reach in terms of economic success. In this respect, it may be assumed at first glance that a hierarchy of regional environment could be established. Nevertheless, it is advocated in the paper that this does not obligatorily imply a "territorial fatality". More precisely, the analysis constitutes an attempt to highlight the role of actors who have been insufficiently taken into account by comparison to the ones traditionally examined: large companies, universities and other higher education institutions, technology transfer organisations, regional administrations and other public bodies. The actors on which the paper focuses are: (i) small and medium-sized manufacturing firms (SMEs); and (ii) knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS). In particular the case of SMEs is of interest since SMEs represent the largest proportion of manufacturing firms located in peripheral regions (and in certain peripheral regions, the whole population of manufacturing firms). For similar reasons, it seems relevant to examine also KIBS. The expansion of KIBS reflects the growing importance of their economic activity. Moreover, they are locally available even in regions with no or only little traditional innovation infrastructure. Additionally, the hypothesis is made that potentially the virtuous circle linking the innovation activities of SMEs and KIBS may compensate the impact of less favourable regional environments. The paper contains two main sections. The first section establishes the theoretical framework of the analysis. At first, the nature of the innovation phenomenon is examined, stressing its interactive character. Then, since some regional environments seem to be more favourable to innovation than others, the question of territorial fatality is addressed. In this respect, the concept of a regional hierarchy featuring the inequality between environments in terms of innovation support is introduced. Finally, two models sketching interactions implying KIBS are discussed: the first arguing that the development of KIBS reinforces the domination of core regions, the second showing a possibility for peripheral regions to escape from territorial fatality thanks to the virtuous circle of innovation linking potentially KIBS and SMEs. The second section examines empirical results. With the help of three distinct statistical treatments, the regional innovation hierarchy is contested. In fact, the empirical evidence establishes that the influence of the type of regional environment is negligible compared to other determinants. Considering that SMEs and KIBS mutually benefit from the virtuous circle associating them, the consequences regarding regional evolution patterns are discussed in the concluding section. --

Business services as actors of knowledge transformation and diffusion: some empirical findings on the role of KIBS in regional and national innovation systems

Over the last years, there has been a significant increase in the attention paid to the activities of knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS). KIBS produce and duffus knowledge, which is crucial for innovation processes. The paper gives an overview of the role and function of KIBS in innovation systems and their knowledge production, transformation and diffusion activities. Focusing on innovation interactions between manufacturing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and KIBS; the empirical analyses gasps KIBS in position in five contexts. The analysis leads to the conclusion that innovation activities links SMEs and KIBS through the process of knowledge and diffiusion. --

Universities and knowledge intensive business services as actors of the creative regional technological infrastructure: The case of the Upper-Rhine Valley

Characterizing the innovative capacity of a territory, and his specific attractivity for external direct investment in new fields, needs the definition of measurable concepts and the design of a proper methodology to gather relevant quantitative data. The aim of the paper is to propose a general theoretical view of the functional characteristics of the various actors and institutions that compose the ?technological infrastructure? of a region, then to show some results of studies made in the Upper-Rhine Valley (in France as well as in Germany) that cast a light on the contribution of certain important players like universities and ?knowledge intensive business services?. Universities have an important and very composite economic impact in their region. As a regular public administration they contribute to local economic activity throug personal incomes, capital expenses and current expenses. But they also attract students, contribute to the image of the city and sometimes propose valuable services for firms. Where universities (and public research centers associated to them) play a very specific role is by training young researchers, who are at the same time inputs and outputs of the research process and fulfill an important role in the cooperation and transfer networks with the most creative local firms. New types of knowledge intensive services are increasingly developed in the environment of industrial firms, either as a result of the process or of ?externalization? of large firms or as an autonomous process of creation ? for instance start-ups initiated by the academic system, but other sorts of services too. These business services could play a crucial role not only for large technology based firms, but also for the small firms at the basis of the regional industrial fabrique. They participate to the technological infrastructure, and more largely to the managerial skills? supply and the innovative climate of the territory.

Entering the KIBS' black box: there must be an angel! (or is there something like a knowledge angel?)

The undeniable importance of knowledge and innovation in modern economies justifies the increasing interest that scholars are taking in studying knowledge-intensive busi-ness services (KIBS). Since the mid 1990s, there has been a significant increase in the attention paid to KIBS and their role and functions in innovation systems (den Hertog 2000; Illeris 1991; Miles et al. 1995; Muller/Zenker 2001; Strambach 2001; Tether 2005; Wood 2002). In general terms, the activity of KIBS can be mainly described as the provision of knowledge-intensive inputs to the business process of other organiza-tions, private as well as public sector clients. [...] To sum up, this paper focuses on creative individuals in KIBS, i.e. those persons sus-pected of playing a pertinent role with respect to the innovativeness of their company. We call these specific actors knowledge angels by analogy with business angels. In the same way that business angels can play a decisive role in the development of innova-tive firms through financial support, we assume here that specifically gifted persons can be the knowledge 'catalysts' within KIBS (and in relationship with their clients). The paper contains three sections: the first one formulates the assumption of the exis-tence of knowledge angels and attempts to elaborate a working definition of this spe-cific kind of actor. The second section displays the results of an empirical research pro-ject conducted in France and Germany, whereas the third section synthesizes the find-ings. --

France: innovation system and innovation policy

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A regional typology of innovation capacities in new member States & candidate countries

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Services à forte intensité de connaissances, contexte régional et comportements d'innovation: une comparaison internationale

L'enjeu de cet article est de montrer dans quelle mesure des contextes régionaux différents impliquent des comportements d'innovation différents de la part des services à forte intensité de connaissances SFIC. L'analyse s'appuie sur une comparaison des régions suivantes: le Bas-Saint-Laurent et la Beauce (toutes deux au Canada), l'Alsace (en France) et le Pays de Bade (en Allemagne). Tout en étant conscient de la diversité des terrains empiriques et de la variété des configurations régionales l'analyse s'interroge quant à l'existence d'un rapport spécifique entre comportement d'innovation des SFIC et environnement régional. --Entreprises de service à forte intensité de connaissances (SFIC),comportements d'innovation,perceptions,systèmes régionaux d'innovation,Alsace,Bas-Saint-Laurent,Beauce,Pays de Bade

Heat shock stimulation of a tilapia heat shock protein 70 promoter is mediated by a distal element

peer reviewedWe reported previously that a tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) promoter is able to confer heat shock response on a reporter gene after transient expression both in cell culture and in microinjected zebrafish embryos. Here we present the first functional analysis of a fish HSP70 promoter, the tiHSP70 promoter. Using transient expression experiments in carp EPC (epithelioma papulosum cyprini) cells and in microinjected zebrafish embryos, we show that a distal heat shock response element (HSE1) at approx. -800 is predominantly responsible for the heat shock response of the tiHSP70 promoter. This element specifically binds an inducible transcription factor, most probably heat shock factor, and a constitutive factor. The constitutive complex is not observed with the non-functional, proximal HSE3 sequence, suggesting that both factors are required for the heat shock response mediated by HSE1

Randomised clinical trial: the efficacy of prucalopride in patients with chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction - a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over, multiple n = 1 study

BACKGROUND: Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction is a disabling condition for which there are no established drug therapies. The condition is caused by a diverse range of intestinal myopathies and neuropathies. AIM: To assess the therapeutic efficacy of prucalopride, a selective high-affinity 5-HT(4) receptor agonist, we employed a multiple n = 1 study design. Each patient acted as his/her own control, each day counting as one treatment episode, allowing comparison of 168 days on each of active drug and placebo. METHODS: Double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial of four 12-week treatment periods, with 2-4 mg prucalopride or placebo daily. In each of the first and second 6 months there was a prucalopride and a placebo treatment. Patients with proven chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction, including dilated gut, were included. Evaluation was by patient diary and global evaluation. RESULTS: Seven patients participated (mean 42 years, five female, median symptom duration 11 years). Three discontinued, two due to study length, and one on prucalopride due to unrelated malnutrition and bronchopneumonia. Four patients (three visceral myopathy and one visceral neuropathy) completed the study; prucalopride significantly improved pain in three of four patients, nausea in two, vomiting in one, bloating in four and analgesic intake. Bowel function was not changed substantially. CONCLUSIONS: n = 1 studies in rare conditions allow drug efficacy assessment. Prucalopride relieves symptoms in selected patients with chronic pseudo-obstruction