Open Innovation and the Role of Hubs of Knowledge in a Regional Context
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Open Innovation and the Role of Hubs of Knowledge in a Regional Context Roberto Gabriele 1 & Anna D’Ambrosio 1 & Francesco Schiavone 2,3
Received: 15 October 2015 / Accepted: 28 October 2015 # Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015
Abstract We investigate R&D collaborations of firms in a regional context, and we try to assess how and how much small and medium companies rely on external source of knowledge, as prescribed by the open innovation framework, to carry on research activity and pursue innovations. Results show that firms make use of hubs of knowledge represented by public research institutions. Moreover, firms can be grouped according to the sophistication of the knowledge procurement strategy. “Smarter” firms acquire knowledge not only from local hub but also from sources outside the region. Finally, we show that public subsidies do play a role in shaping such procurement strategies. Keywords Open innovation . Network analysis . Hubs of knowledge . Public support to R&D
Introduction Open innovation (henceforth, OI) is currently one of the mainstream topics in innovation literature (Chesbrough 2003; Chesbrough et al. 2006). Indeed, firms given the increasing availability and mobility of knowledge workers, the flourishing of the internet and venture capital markets, and the broadening scope of possible external
* Francesco Schiavone [email protected] 1
Department of Economics and Management, University of Trento, Via Inama 5, 38122 Trento, Italy
2
Department of Management and Quantitative Studies, University Parthenope, Via Generale Parisi 12, 80132 Naples, Italy
3
Department of Strategy and Management, Paris School of Business, 59 Rue Nationale, 75013 Paris, France
J Knowl Econ
suppliers often rely on external sources—beyond firm boundaries—to carry on innovation processes (Lee et al. 2010). One implication of the adoption of such paradigm implies the creation of rich inter-organizational R&D networks made out of both private and public actors. The rise of formal R&D collaborations between such different types of organizations is one the typical traits of adoption of the OI paradigm at regional level. Recent studies report many cases (e.g. Philips in the “Dommel Valley” in the Netherlands) of regional “hub and spoke” models of innovation and development which are based on the OI paradigm (e.g. Schiavone and Simoni 2009). Public policies play a critical role in promoting the adoption of OI between firms (Chesbrough and Vanhaverbeke 2011). In particular, hubs of knowledge, i.e. entities working as repositories and distributors of knowledge for private firms, are critical in designing and promoting this type of R&D collaborations. In this respect, universities are important players for the diffusion of OI across regional networks of small and medium enterprises (henceforth, SMEs) (Chesbrough and Vanhaverbeke 2011). In this paper, we aim to assess how and how much localized SMEs within one specific regional context rely on external sources of knowledge to develop their R&D activitie
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