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Types of Innovation, Competencies of Firms, and External Knowledge Sourcing—Findings from Selected Sectors and Regions of Europe

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  • Franz Tödtling
  • Markus Grillitsch

Abstract

Many innovation studies have focused on a narrow concept of technological innovation, such as the generation of patents or the introduction of new products. The performance of firms, however, often depends on innovation defined from a broader perspective. This includes process, organizational, and market innovations as was pointed out already by Schumpeter and more recently by other scholars and the OECD. Still underexplored, however, are the questions on what kinds of knowledge sources such different types of innovations rely and which spatial levels (regional, national, and international) are most relevant for acquiring knowledge. Also, sector and regional contexts are argued to matter for knowledge sourcing and innovation. Drawing on the concepts of knowledge bases and innovation systems, we investigate these relationships by analyzing evidence from seven European countries regarding patterns of knowledge sourcing and their relation to innovation. Based on a multivariate model, we are able to show that product, process, strategic, and organizational innovations rely on partly similar, partly different types, and sources of knowledge reaching from regional to global levels. We also found evidence that sector contexts and the institutional characteristics of regions and countries matter. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014

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  • Franz Tödtling & Markus Grillitsch, 2014. "Types of Innovation, Competencies of Firms, and External Knowledge Sourcing—Findings from Selected Sectors and Regions of Europe," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 5(2), pages 330-356, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jknowl:v:5:y:2014:i:2:p:330-356
    DOI: 10.1007/s13132-012-0139-y
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    1. Franz Tödtling & Markus Grillitsch, 2015. "Does Combinatorial Knowledge Lead to a Better Innovation Performance of Firms?," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(9), pages 1741-1758, September.
    2. Anna‐Maria Kindt & Matthias Geissler & Kilian Bühling, 2022. "Be my (little) partner?!—Universities' role in regional innovation systems when large firms are rare," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(5), pages 1274-1295, November.
    3. Michalis E. Papazoglou & Jen Nelles, 2023. "Keeping Pace with Technological Change: Insights into the Recency of Internal Knowledge Inputs," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 14(4), pages 3724-3740, December.
    4. Markus Grillitsch & Magnus Nilsson, 2015. "Innovation in peripheral regions: Do collaborations compensate for a lack of local knowledge spillovers?," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 54(1), pages 299-321, January.
    5. Martin Warland, 2016. "What kinds of regional innovation systems occur around federal agencies?," Diskussionsschriften credresearchpaper10, Universitaet Bern, Departement Volkswirtschaft - CRED.
    6. Safora Allahy & Reza Naghizadeh & Saeed Shavvalpour & Joao Ferreira & Naser Bagheri Moghaddam, 2022. "The Nature and Geography of Knowledge Sourcing in a Developing Region: the Case of Engineering-Based Cluster," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 13(4), pages 3076-3102, December.
    7. De Noni, Ivan & Orsi, Luigi & Belussi, Fiorenza, 2018. "The role of collaborative networks in supporting the innovation performances of lagging-behind European regions," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 1-13.
    8. Natália Barbosa & Ana Paula Faria, 2023. "Science and productivity in European Firms: How do regional innovation modes matter?," GEE Papers 0175, Gabinete de Estratégia e Estudos, Ministério da Economia, revised Jul 2023.
    9. Markus Grillitsch & Roman Martin & Martin Srholec, 2017. "Knowledge Base Combinations and Innovation Performance in Swedish Regions," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 93(5), pages 458-479, October.
    10. Martin, Roman & Wiig Aslesen, Heidi & Grillitsch, Markus & Herstad, Sverre, 2017. "Regional Innovation Systems and Global Flows of Knowledge," Papers in Innovation Studies 2017/7, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    11. O'Brien, Kieran, 2020. "Innovation types and the search for new ideas at the fuzzy front end: Where to look and how often?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 13-24.

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