Boundary organisations in regional innovation systems: traversing knowledge boundaries for industry 4.0 regional transformations

Abstract

In this article, we explore and theorise how actors in the Sheffield City Region envision the development and orchestration of an innovation ecosystem in order to capture value from industry 4.0 technologies for manufacturing firms. This is theoretically motivated by the need to harmonise the knowledge combination and recombination practices that are required for the successful existence of innovation ecosystems at a regional level, in the applied context of industry 4.0 regional transformations. Drawing on data originating in semi‐structured interviews, a focus group and a real‐time Delphi with companies, companies associations, Higher Education Institutions, policy makers and Research and Technology Organisations, we examine specifically the role played by boundary organisations and how they respond by dynamically managing and articulating demands from within the network of partners. Our study deepens the theoretical and operational understanding of boundary organisations in the context of regional innovation systems and discusses how to sustain their role of bridging diverse epistemic communities.

Technological Capabilities for the Adoption of New Technologies in the Agri-Food Sector of Mexico

“…This infrastructure has a human part and a strictly material part; however, both refer to the generation, development and dissemination of new scientifictechnological knowledge [70]. A crucial point is having a research and development structure and facilities, and access to networks and financing [71]. In addition, it has been shown that maintaining a link and interaction with the institutions that carry out research has important benefits [72].…”

“…In addition, education and training in emerging technologies has proven to be a good strategy, and at the same time the design of initiatives that encourage change in consumer behavior will be increasingly important [21,71,81], especially for small producers who find it more difficult to access this type of technology, and this could cause greater asymmetries in the different agri-food regions. Lastly, it is important to directly link financial and nonfinancial instruments such as supply and demand incentives, fiscal incentives, economic incentives and subsidies [71,90], facilitate policy making, and provide public services such as the Internet [81].…”

Sustainability by Design: Innovative Ways of Revolutionizing Production Practices for a Better Tomorrow

“…The automotive sector has been significantly transformed by the implementation of lean production concepts, serving as a prominent illustration of the harmonious coexistence of sustainability and efficiency. The primary objective of lean manufacturing is to effectively reduce waste, encompassing several aspects such as surplus materials, time, and labour [25]- [29]. In recent years, there has been a notable increase in the use of sustainable packaging solutions due to the global concern regarding the detrimental impact of excessive packaging waste on the environment.…”

Technological sensing and response capabilities as drivers for radical innovation in the context of apocalyptic uncertainty

“…On a more positive note, SMEs may play a positive role in the recovery of the global economy as key providers of many essential goods and services (Deng and Zhang, 2018; Matsuzaki et al., 2021), using their agility to navigate through major economic crises (Kottika et al., 2020). Thus, we need to identify and understand the factors that may help SMEs use technological innovations to not only recover from economic downturn but also improve their long‐term productivity and capabilities (Petruzzelli et al., 2022; Martins and Singh, 2023).…”