Science and Technology Parks in Two Lagging Regions of Spain: A Comparative Evaluation Using an Innovation Network Approach

Science and Technology Parks (STPs) have been widely used as innovation support and regional development instruments in most European countries. In Objective 1 regions of South Europe STPs projects were developed during the 90s through regional, national or EU structural funds as tools for promoting innovation and technology upgrade. Most existing studies cast doubt on the effectiveness of parks in achieving their goals, focussing on the traditional measures of the parks added-value (profitability and growth) to the tenant companies, the university-industry linkages developed. However, more recent developments of territorial innovation models stress the role of networks and interactions for knowledge creation and diffusion. While these approaches imply that the Parks – in their strict spatial nature – may become redundant in a networked space, they can also be used to identify additional performance assessment criteria focusing on the role of the park for the development of interactions, linkages and cooperation inside as well as outside its area. The quantity and quality of linkages inside and outside the STP area and its operation as an innovation cooperation promoter in the regional and broader space are used in this assessment. The present work assesses the performance of STPs in Objective 1 regions of South Europe. It develops an evaluation framework that integrates – together with the traditional linear performance criteria – the concepts of networking, interaction and cooperation and uses it to compare the performance of Parks in two regions in Greece (Thessaloniki and Crete) and two in Spain (Asturias and Andalusia). Our preliminary results from in depth analysis show that while there are different levels of success in terms of the traditional metrics/criteria, we observe in general low levels of interaction and cooperation developed inside the parks as well as with the broader region. The Parks do not seem to operate – at least so far – as places that facilitate intensive knowledge exchange inside and outside their area.

Science and Technology Parks in the less favoured regions of Europe: An evaluation of their performance and the parameters of success.

Science and Technology Parks (STPs) have been promoted during the last 40 years by governments as key instruments to support innovation, technological development and economic growth. They were motivated by the success of places like the Silicon Valley and based on what theory identified as the positive role of physical proximity between R&D and production activity for knowledge exchange, technology transfer, synergies development and the creation of innovation. However, there is mixed empirical evidence in the literature regarding the success of STPs in technologically advanced countries and regions that cast doubts about their viability and their theoretical underpinnings. Yet despite this mixed evidence, governments and decision-makers have increasingly resorted to STPs as a means to promote innovation and growth in lagging European regions. This study examines this paradox by assessing the feasibility of creating successful STPs in lagging regions of the European Union (EU) and examines how the local regional context, their design and characteristics affect their performance. The analysis compares the innovation intensity, the linkages supporting knowledge and innovation creation, the formation of New Technology Based firms, and the broader regional impact of the STPs in four Parks located in four lagging regions of Southern Europe. The results support the initial hypothesis that lagging regions are not supportive environments for the creation of successful STPs. The Parks have remained primarily real-estate projects. They do concentrate R&D and innovative activity at levels above those of their regional context but linkages and knowledge and technology transfer remain largely absent and the NTBFs formation records poor. Their role in their regions' technological development is marginal, as most technologically advanced activities tend to remain disconnected from their local economy. A weak local technological base and the absence of genuine demand for the STPs' mechanisms and cooperation processes limit critically their impact. The comparison of the four cases reveals however that professional management structures, increased and dedicated public resources, the promoters' long-term commitment and their integration in broader regional innovation support strategies enhance the Parks' prospects of success

Greece’s new Balkan Economic Relations: policy shifts but no structural change

The advent of transition in the former communist countries set in motion significant changes not only in the countries concerned but also in the economic and geo-political environment of Greece. Together with many positive developments, some new challenges also emerged, as the country was suddenly presented with a new set of political problems and economic threats and opportunities that were urgently calling for a new approach to managing its economic and international relations. This paper examines exactly these developments in the Greek foreign economic policy in the Balkans and argues that, despite some significant innovations and policy shifts, a paradigmatic structural change in Greece’s economic approach to the region is still lacking.Greek economic diplomacy, regional cooperation, Southeast Europe.

Influence of Carbon Quantum Dots on the Electrical Performance of Triboelectric Generators

In this work we investigate the triboelectric properties of Carbon Quantum Dots (CQDs) films for potential application in triboelectric generators. CQDs were deposited on silicon wafers, using spin on techniques. Device performance was estimated in sliding mode experiments, where the CQDs-surface was sliding on top of a flexible substrate. The triboelectric signal as well as the charging of capacitors, after signal rectification, was monitored as a function of time. Our results indicate that surface roughness plays a very important role in the triboelectric signal and could compensate opposite trends due to other parameters, such as the dielectric film thickness