Issues in modelling innovation intense environments: The importance of the historical and cultural context

Abstract

Since the 1970s the number of developments labelled as innovation intense environments has increased at an exponential rate. Innovation intense environments are defined here as those spaces that are purported to accelerate the rate of innovation and the proliferation of high technology industries. A number of academic fields now study existing innovation intense environments like Silicon Valley, in order to explain how they are constituted and how they can be replicated.Over the years a wide variety of model innovation intense environments has been proposed including: science park, technopolis, information city, milieu, industry cluster and regional innovation system. These different models are compared and analysed in terms of their portrayal of appropriate form, core innovation dynamics and policy recommendations. The discussion of models is then placed within the post-war history of the most famous innovation intense environment-Silicon Valley. It is concluded that such models must be well grounded within a specific historic and cultural context in order to function as useful analytic tools.

Science and technology parks: habitats of innovation: introduction to special section

“…It has been stated that there are special spaces and environments which increase and accelerate innovation. Classical examples like Silicon Valley and Route 128 have been quoted for many years, and S&T parks, technopolises, technology corridors, innovation regions, industry clusters, industrial districts, science and knowledge cities, and innovation milieus, have been analysed as key instruments or environments for that purpose (Roberts, 2005). Moreover, those environments take advantage of the great variety of knowledge and sources available in these micro/mini-and macro-systems of innovation with their networks.…”

“…The capacity to develop new technology-based products, processes, systems and designs in those decades, has been an indicator of creativity within a number of varied economic, social and political contexts. Some cultures have been considered more creative than others (Roberts, 2005), thus creativity can also be considered within the local/regional value system, similarly to innovation and entrepreneurship.…”

“…In addition to most of the elements highlighted, government funding is also a key factor and a strong support in the development of innovation infrastructures and in the subsequent local and regional innovation system as a whole. This type of interventionism has also been discussed with regards to the role of the entrepreneur's dynamic activity and creativity (Roberts, 2005).…”

Knowledge Ecologies and Ecosystems? An Empirically Grounded Reflection on Recent Developments in Innovation Systems Theory

“…For the economic state of a people does not emerge simply from the preceding economic conditions but only from the preceding total situation'' (page 58). Indeed, the historical metamorphosis of Cambridge from a predominately university town to a knowledge and innovation intense environment (Roberts, 2005), in which biotech is the most important high-tech cluster, took place as a result of the total economic, social, and political situation. The data presented in the previous section suggest that nothing happened spontaneously as an unintended consequence of human action.…”

The effect of science and technology parks on tenant firms: a literature review

“…Barbera & Fassero, 2013;Chou & Lin, 2007;Hommen et al, 2006;Howard & Link, 2019;Hu, 2011;Ku et al, 2005;Kulke, 2008;Lee & Yang, 2000;Miao & Hall, 2014;Phillips & Yeung, 2003;Yan et al, 2020;Zou & Zhao, 2014) or a group of STPs (Bakouros et al, 2002;Chordà, 1996;Eto, 2005;Kim & Jung, 2010;Scott, 1990;Sofouli & Vonortas, 2007;Suzuki, 2004;Yang, Hsu, et al, 2009;Yang, Motohashi, et al, 2009) in a territory, region or country. The importance is acknowledged of the historical and cultural contexts of these innovation intensive environments (Roberts, 2005), and some papers focus on the historical and contextual evolutions of STPs (Feldman, 2007;Kim et al, 2014;Mathews, 1997;Park, 2004;Shin, 2001;Zhou, 2005) and compare STPs in different countries (Bruton, 1998;Garnsey & Longhi, 2004;Gašparíková, 1998;Huang & Fernández-Maldonado, 2016). With few exceptions (e.g.…”