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The R&D knowledge base in city-agglomerations and knowledge searching in product innovative SMEs

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  • Peter Teirlinck
  • André Spithoven

Abstract

This paper looks at the relation between the R&D knowledge base of city-agglomerations and knowledge sourcing in product innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The small open Belgian economy is used as a test case. The characteristics of the city-agglomeration’s R&D knowledge are posited to be instrumental for SMEs’ reliance on particular sources of information for innovation. The R&D knowledge base is studied as a multidimensional concept consisting of R&D capacity, R&D specialization and R&D diversification. A representative sample of product innovative SMEs drawn from two waves of the Community Innovation Survey between 2008 and 2012 reveals that a strong R&D capacity at city-agglomeration level favours private external information sources for innovation, but has no influence on the likelihood to rely on public sources for innovation. Accordance between specialization of the private R&D knowledge base and the SME’s activities positively influences the use of clients as information sources for innovation, whereas under these circumstances supplier responsiveness turns out to be less frequently solicited for. A more diversified private R&D environment reduces the reliance on universities and public research organizations as information sources for innovation. A public R&D knowledge base specialized in natural sciences or engineering favours information sources from universities.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter Teirlinck & André Spithoven, 2019. "The R&D knowledge base in city-agglomerations and knowledge searching in product innovative SMEs," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(5-6), pages 516-533, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:entreg:v:31:y:2019:i:5-6:p:516-533
    DOI: 10.1080/08985626.2018.1545053
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    Cited by:

    1. Jessica Birkholz, 2022. "Transforming Regional Knowledge Bases: A Network and Machine Learning Approach to Link Entrepreneurial Experimentation and Regional Absorptive Capacity," Bremen Papers on Economics & Innovation 2205, University of Bremen, Faculty of Business Studies and Economics.

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