Geographies of Knowledge and Learning: The Example of Medical Technology

Abstract

This paper brings a geographical perspective to debates in research on knowledge and learning for the innovation of products and firms. The importance of understanding the development of "composite knowledge," which should be understood as knowledge developed through the bridging of different knowledge fields, is stressed. The empirical focus of the study is medical technology. The arguments in this paper are based on a literature review, secondary data, and a "knowledge biography" case study of a firm located in Stockholm, Sweden. The discussion describes how knowledge networks may be multilocal, thus connecting partners in local, national, and international geographical settings. This paper shows that synergies and complementary relations between regional, network, and corporate spaces are focal points for the processes of knowledge dynamics. It also illustrates how "soft" factors in innovations (in addition to important and "hard" factors of technology and functionality improvements, for instance) are important. "Soft" factors include market, process and input innovations, and aesthetic expressions. discussions about emerging industries and with the development of information and communication technologies (ICT), it is a field with a long tradition that includes such products as X-ray equipment and pacemakers. Medical technology has closely followed the development of health services and work in hospitals and other health care institutions.Sweden, which is the geographical context for the empirical study presented in this paper, has a strong tradition in the engineering industries and in ICT, areas that underlie the development of medical technology firms. In 2009, there were 480 medical technology firms in Sweden with five or more employees and at least 1 million SEK in turnover (approximately 100,000 euros). This corresponds to more than 20,000 employees in all. Eighty percent of the firms were small-and medium-sized enterprises. Export income from medical technology in 2009 was 24 billion SEK (approximately 240 million euros), with slightly more than one-third of the exports going to the U.S., one-third to Europe, and one-tenth to Japan (Swedish Medtech n.d.). In the major markets for Swedish medical technology firms-the U.S., Europe, and Japan-the health care sector has historically developed in national settings that are strongly regulated and controlled.Knowledge fields in medical technology comprise medical and technical research, software and hardware ICT, management, business intelligence, and marketing. Knowledge interactions occur in the relationships among different types of actors such as firms, organizations, universities, and public agencies. Hospitals with professional staff, including physicians and nurses, and patients have particularly crucial roles. In this study, these complex knowledge dynamics are analysed and conceptualized through a literature review of medical technology research, using secondary data on the sector and a case study of the knowledge dynamics of one medtech product and ...

Local and Global Geographies of Innovation: Structures, Processes, and Geographical Contexts from a Firm Perspective

“…Knowledge, based either on internal or external sources, can reside at the level of individuals or be shared (Lam ). Knowledge can further be developed through the bridging across different knowledge fields, a topic Hermelin, Dahlström, and Smas () refer to as “composite knowledge.” In addition, firms, projects, and individuals can be inspired and triggered by knowledge and actions from the outside. Pressures and positioning from others may also play a role.…”

“…It can also be a way of including a valuable third party opinion. How client involvement forms the content of project is both an issue found in the article by Stein () and Hermelin, Dahlström, and Smas (). Knowledge concerning the client can also be obtained through use of participant observation.…”

“…The three papers selected for this special issue in particular address how , from where (institutionally and geographically), and when knowledge feeds into innovation projects. The empirical evidence covers, respectively, Norway/Spain, Germany, and Sweden and are as follows: Larsen (), “Governance, quality, conventions and product innovation in a value chain: the case of the Spanish salted fish market;” Stein (), “The significance of distance in innovation biographies—the case of law firms;” and Hermelin, Dahlström, and Smas (), “Geographies of knowledge and learning: the example of medical technology.”…”

“…She also demonstrates how traditions set a standard for product quality, content, and performance for a collective of producers. Stein's study on legal services addresses how and when in the project process the project develops between the client and service provider, whereas the medical technology paper by Hermelin, Dahlström, and Smas () addresses how knowledge is generated and feeds into a unique niche product dependent on a broad specter of competence and knowledge providers throughout the process. There are also other interesting characteristics in this collection of papers.…”

Changing locus of innovation: a micro-process approach on the dynamics of proximity

“…To the best of the author's knowledge, only a few studies have researched the spatial organization of innovation activities through a micro-level perspective on innovation processes (Davids & Frenken, 2017;Gallaud & Torre, 2004;Hermelin, Dahlström, & Smas, 2014;Moodysson, 2008;Strambach, 2012). Although these studies all adopt a procedural approach, their findings show diverging results, which confirms the need for further examination.…”