IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/scient/v102y2015i1d10.1007_s11192-014-1435-z.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Do science parks promote research and technology? A scientometric analysis of the UK

Author

Listed:
  • David Minguillo

    (University of Wolverhampton)

  • Robert Tijssen

    (Leiden University)

  • Mike Thelwall

    (University of Wolverhampton)

Abstract

This study investigates whether scientific publications can give plausible suggestions about whether R&D support infrastructures in the UK successfully foster scientific activity and cooperation. For this, research publications associated with UK SPs were identified from Scopus for the years 1975–2010 and analysed by region, infrastructure type and organisation type. There was apparently a systematic intensification of R&D from the 90s as evidenced by the publications of on-park firms and research institutions. Science Parks and Research Parks were the most successful infrastructures in fostering cooperation and research production, in comparison to Science and Innovation centres, Technology parks, Incubators and other parks, and HEIs were the major off-park partners for the on-park businesses. The East of England, the South East, and Scotland concentrate the highest proportion of parks, each of these three major geographical agglomerations exhibit distinct areas of scientific specialisation. Parks seem to have a positive impact on the overall level of collaboration and production of science and technology, which are highly concentrated in competitive regions. Nevertheless, industry-academia collaborations show that on-park firms tend to collaborate with partners beyond their local region rather than the local HEI. Support infrastructures may therefore not help to reduce the uneven development and geographic distribution of research-intensive industries in the UK.

Suggested Citation

  • David Minguillo & Robert Tijssen & Mike Thelwall, 2015. "Do science parks promote research and technology? A scientometric analysis of the UK," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 102(1), pages 701-725, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:102:y:2015:i:1:d:10.1007_s11192-014-1435-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-014-1435-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11192-014-1435-z
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11192-014-1435-z?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Westhead, P. & Storey, D. J., 1995. "Links between higher education institutions and high technology firms," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 345-360, August.
    2. Philip Cooke, 2002. "Biotechnology Clusters as Regional, Sectoral Innovation Systems," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 25(1), pages 8-37, January.
    3. Bollingtoft, Anne & Ulhoi, John P., 2005. "The networked business incubator--leveraging entrepreneurial agency?," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 265-290, March.
    4. Howells, Jeremy, 2006. "Intermediation and the role of intermediaries in innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 715-728, June.
    5. Siegel, Donald S. & Waldman, David & Link, Albert, 2003. "Assessing the impact of organizational practices on the relative productivity of university technology transfer offices: an exploratory study," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 27-48, January.
    6. Slavo Radosevic & Marat Myrzakhmet, 2006. "Between vision and reality: promoting innovation through technoparks in Kazakhstan," UCL SSEES Economics and Business working paper series 66, UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES).
    7. Godin, Benoit, 1996. "Research and the practice of publication in industries," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 25(4), pages 587-606, June.
    8. Keld Laursen & Toke Reichstein & Ammon Salter, 2011. "Exploring the Effect of Geographical Proximity and University Quality on University-Industry Collaboration in the United Kingdom," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(4), pages 507-523.
    9. Godin, Benoit & Gingras, Yves, 2000. "The place of universities in the system of knowledge production," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 273-278, February.
    10. Cockburn, Iain M & Henderson, Rebecca M, 1998. "Absorptive Capacity, Coauthoring Behavior, and the Organization of Research in Drug Discovery," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(2), pages 157-182, June.
    11. Laura Abramovsky & Helen Simpson, 2011. "Geographic proximity and firm--university innovation linkages: evidence from Great Britain," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 11(6), pages 949-977, November.
    12. Wesley M. Cohen & Richard R. Nelson & John P. Walsh, 2003. "Links and Impacts: The Influence of Public Research on Industrial R&D," Chapters, in: Aldo Geuna & Ammon J. Salter & W. Edward Steinmueller (ed.), Science and Innovation, chapter 4, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    13. Fukugawa, Nobuya, 2006. "Science parks in Japan and their value-added contributions to new technology-based firms," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 381-400, March.
    14. Phillip Phan & Donald S. Siegel & Mike Wright, 2016. "Science Parks and Incubators: Observations, Synthesis and Future Research," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Phillip H Phan & Sarfraz A Mian & Wadid Lamine (ed.), TECHNOLOGY ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND BUSINESS INCUBATION Theory • Practice • Lessons Learned, chapter 9, pages 249-272, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    15. Colombo, Massimo G. & Delmastro, Marco, 2002. "How effective are technology incubators?: Evidence from Italy," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(7), pages 1103-1122, September.
    16. Danny Soetanto & Sarah Jack, 2013. "Business incubators and the networks of technology-based firms," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 38(4), pages 432-453, August.
    17. Paul Westhead & Stephen Batstone, 1998. "Independent Technology-based Firms: The Perceived Benefits of a Science Park Location," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 35(12), pages 2197-2219, December.
    18. Link, Albert N. & Scott, John T., 2003. "U.S. science parks: the diffusion of an innovation and its effects on the academic missions of universities," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 21(9), pages 1323-1356, November.
    19. Iain M. Cockburn & Rebecca M. Henderson, 1998. "Absorptive Capacity, Coauthoring Behavior, and the Organization of Research in Drug Discovery," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(2), pages 157-182, June.
    20. E.C.M. Noyons & H.F. Moed & M. Luwel, 1999. "Combining mapping and citation analysis for evaluative bibliometric purposes: A bibliometric study," Journal of the American Society for Information Science, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 50(2), pages 115-131.
    21. Richard Ferguson & Christer Olofsson, 2004. "Science Parks and the Development of NTBFs-- Location, Survival and Growth," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 29(1), pages 5-17, January.
    22. Mei-Chih Hu, 2011. "Evolution of knowledge creation and diffusion: the revisit of Taiwan’s Hsinchu Science Park," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 88(3), pages 949-977, September.
    23. Clara Calero & Thed N. Leeuwen & Robert J. W. Tijssen, 2007. "Research cooperation within the bio-pharmaceutical industry: Network analyses of co-publications within and between firms," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 71(1), pages 87-99, April.
    24. Siegel, Donald S. & Westhead, Paul & Wright, Mike, 2003. "Assessing the impact of university science parks on research productivity: exploratory firm-level evidence from the United Kingdom," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 21(9), pages 1357-1369, November.
    25. Michael Schwartz, 2009. "Beyond incubation: an analysis of firm survival and exit dynamics in the post-graduation period," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 34(4), pages 403-421, August.
    26. Joseph Leibovitz, 2004. "'Embryonic' Knowledge-based Clusters and Cities: The Case of Biotechnology in Scotland," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 41(5-6), pages 1133-1155, May.
    27. Wen Chi Hung, 2012. "Measuring the use of public research in firm R&D in the Hsinchu Science Park," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 92(1), pages 63-73, July.
    28. Perkmann, Markus & Tartari, Valentina & McKelvey, Maureen & Autio, Erkko & Broström, Anders & D’Este, Pablo & Fini, Riccardo & Geuna, Aldo & Grimaldi, Rosa & Hughes, Alan & Krabel, Stefan & Kitson, Mi, 2013. "Academic engagement and commercialisation: A review of the literature on university–industry relations," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 423-442.
    29. Albert N. Link & John T. Scott, 2007. "The economics of university research parks," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 23(4), pages 661-674, Winter.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Alberto Albahari & Andrés Barge-Gil & Salvador Pérez-Canto & Paolo Landoni, 2023. "The effect of science and technology parks on tenant firms: a literature review," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 48(4), pages 1489-1531, August.
    2. Mike Burbridge & Gregory M. Morrison, 2021. "A Systematic Literature Review of Partnership Development at the University–Industry–Government Nexus," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-24, December.
    3. Xie, Kefan & Song, Yu & Zhang, Weiyong & Hao, Jiahui & Liu, Zimei & Chen, Yun, 2018. "Technological entrepreneurship in science parks: A case study of Wuhan Donghu High-Tech Zone," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 156-168.
    4. Robert Tijssen & Wouter van de Klippe & Alfredo Yegros, 2020. "Localization, regionalization and globalization of university‐business research co‐operation in the United Kingdom," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 99(5), pages 1215-1236, October.
    5. Marie-Benoît Magrini & Guillaume Cabanac & Matteo Lascialfari & Gael Plumecocq & Marie-Josephe Amiot & Marc Anton & Gaelle Arvisenet & Alain Baranger & Laurent Bedoussac & Jean-Michel Chardigny & Géra, 2019. "Peer-Reviewed Literature on Grain Legume Species in the WoS (1980–2018): A Comparative Analysis of Soybean and Pulses," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-37, December.
    6. Franco-Leal Noelia & Camelo-Ordaz Carmen & Fernandez-Alles Mariluz & Sousa-Ginel Elena, 2020. "The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Actors and Performance in Different Stages of Evolution of Academic Spinoffs," Entrepreneurship Research Journal, De Gruyter, vol. 10(2), pages 1-20, April.
    7. M. Ferrara & F. Lamperti & R. Mavilia, 2016. "Looking for best performers: a pilot study towards the evaluation of science parks," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 106(2), pages 717-750, February.
    8. Hela Miniaoui & Daniele Schiliro, 2017. "Innovation and Entrepreneurship for the Diversification and Growth of the Gulf Cooperation Council Economies," Business and Management Studies, Redfame publishing, vol. 3(3), pages 69-81, September.
    9. Ricardo Arencibia-Jorge & Elena Corera-Alvarez & Zaida Chinchilla-Rodríguez & Félix Moya-Anegón, 2016. "Scientific output of the emerging Cuban biopharmaceutical industry: a scientometric approach," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 108(3), pages 1621-1636, September.
    10. Rotolo, Daniele & Camerani, Roberto & Grassano, Nicola & Martin, Ben R., 2022. "Why do firms publish? A systematic literature review and a conceptual framework," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(10).
    11. Villani, Elisa & Rasmussen, Einar & Grimaldi, Rosa, 2017. "How intermediary organizations facilitate university–industry technology transfer: A proximity approach," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 86-102.
    12. Igors Skute & Kasia Zalewska-Kurek & Isabella Hatak & Petra Weerd-Nederhof, 2019. "Mapping the field: a bibliometric analysis of the literature on university–industry collaborations," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 44(3), pages 916-947, June.
    13. Ito, Yuko, 2015. "Importance of inclusive service for corporate use of university research infrastructure in Japan," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 240-244.
    14. Andrea Bonaccorsi & Daniele Biancardi & Mabel Sanchez Barrioluengo & Federico Biagi, 2019. "Study on Higher Education Institutions and Local Development," JRC Research Reports JRC117272, Joint Research Centre.
    15. Christian Corsi, 2018. "Il ruolo degli spin-off universitari nel contesto socio-economico locale: analisi degli indicatori di performance e innovazione," MANAGEMENT CONTROL, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2018(1), pages 73-94.
    16. Miniaoui, Hela & Schilirò, Daniele, 2016. "Innovation and Entrepreneurship for the growth and diversification of the GCC Economies," MPRA Paper 71898, University Library of Munich, Germany.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. David Minguillo & Mike Thelwall, 2015. "Which are the best innovation support infrastructures for universities? Evidence from R&D output and commercial activities," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 102(1), pages 1057-1081, January.
    2. Laura Lecluyse & Mirjam Knockaert & André Spithoven, 2019. "The contribution of science parks: a literature review and future research agenda," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 559-595, April.
    3. Good, Matthew & Knockaert, Mirjam & Soppe, Birthe & Wright, Mike, 2019. "The technology transfer ecosystem in academia. An organizational design perspective," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 82, pages 35-50.
    4. Alberto Albahari & Magnus Klofsten & Juan Carlos Rubio-Romero, 2019. "Science and Technology Parks: a study of value creation for park tenants," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 44(4), pages 1256-1272, August.
    5. Alberto Albahari & Andrés Barge-Gil & Salvador Pérez-Canto & Paolo Landoni, 2023. "The effect of science and technology parks on tenant firms: a literature review," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 48(4), pages 1489-1531, August.
    6. Albahari, Alberto & Pérez-Canto, Salvador & Barge-Gil, Andrés & Modrego, Aurelia, 2017. "Technology Parks versus Science Parks: Does the university make the difference?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 13-28.
    7. Albahari, Alberto & Pérez-Canto, Salvador & Landoni, Paolo, 2010. "Science and Technology Parks impacts on tenant organisations: a review of literature," MPRA Paper 41914, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Foray, Dominique & Lissoni, Francesco, 2010. "University Research and Public–Private Interaction," Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, in: Bronwyn H. Hall & Nathan Rosenberg (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 0, pages 275-314, Elsevier.
    9. Schwartz, Michael, 2010. "A Control Group Study of Incubators’ Impact to Promote Firm Survival," IWH Discussion Papers 11/2010, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
    10. Kholekile L. Gwebu & Jeffrey Sohl & Jing Wang, 2019. "Differential performance of science park firms: an integrative model," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 52(1), pages 193-211, January.
    11. Kelsi G. Hobbs & Albert N. Link & John T. Scott, 2017. "Science and technology parks: an annotated and analytical literature review," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 42(4), pages 957-976, August.
    12. Fernando Ubeda & Marta Ortiz-de-Urbina-Criado & Eva-María Mora-Valentín, 2019. "Do firms located in science and technology parks enhance innovation performance? The effect of absorptive capacity," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 44(1), pages 21-48, February.
    13. Michael Schwartz, 2013. "A control group study of incubators’ impact to promote firm survival," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 38(3), pages 302-331, June.
    14. Isabel Diez-Vial & Angeles Montoro-Sanchez, 2017. "Research evolution in science parks and incubators: foundations and new trends," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 110(3), pages 1243-1272, March.
    15. Fukugawa, Nobuya, 2006. "Science parks in Japan and their value-added contributions to new technology-based firms," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 381-400, March.
    16. Lukeš, Martin & Longo, Maria Cristina & Zouhar, Jan, 2019. "Do business incubators really enhance entrepreneurial growth? Evidence from a large sample of innovative Italian start-ups," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 82, pages 25-34.
    17. Elisa Salvador, 2012. "Italian Science Parks And Incubators: Some Considerations Arising From A Questionnaire Investigation On Research Spin-Off Firms," Post-Print hal-02093934, HAL.
    18. Ilaria Mariotti & Elisa Salvador, 2015. "On-park and off-park research spin-offs: some insights from an empirical investigation on Italy," International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 19(5/6), pages 405-422.
    19. M. Pilar Latorre & Ramón Hermoso & María A. Rubio, 2017. "A novel network-based analysis to measure efficiency in science and technology parks: the ISA framework approach," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 42(6), pages 1255-1275, December.
    20. Elisa Salvador, 2011. "Are science parks and incubators good “brand names” for spin-offs? The case study of Turin," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 36(2), pages 203-232, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:102:y:2015:i:1:d:10.1007_s11192-014-1435-z. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.