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Innovation Dynamics of Global Competitive Regional Clusters: The Case of the Norwegian Centres of Expertise

2008; Routledge; Volume: 43; Issue: 9 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/00343400802094969

1360-0591

Arne Isaksen,

Innovation and Knowledge Management

Abstract Isaksen A. Innovation dynamics of global competitive regional clusters: the case of the Norwegian Centres of Expertise, Regional Studies. This paper analyses the innovation dynamics in six regional clusters that have been appointed as Norwegian Centres of Expertise and have been assessed as some of the most internationally competitive regional clusters in Norway. The most consistent finding concerns the great importance of strong Norwegian innovation systems in the maritime and oil and gas industries in underpinning the innovation dynamism of these clusters. This finding has some theoretical implications because the national level is mainly absent in the discourse on local buzz (knowledge spillovers inside the cluster boundaries) and global pipelines (international relations and knowledge flows). What remains as an important local factor is the historically developed, unique competence of firms, which is strengthened by the fact that locally sited, state-owned higher education and research institutions have adapted activity to the needs of key local industries. Isaksen A. La dynamique d'innovation des grappes régionales compétitives mondiales: étude de cas des systèmes expert en Norvège, Regional Studies. Cet article cherche à analyser la dynamique d'innovation dans six grappes régionales classées comme Systèmes expert norvégiens et considérés parmi les grappes régionales les plus compétitives de Norvège sur le plan international. Le résultat le plus constant concerne l'importance attachée aux systèmes d'innovation norvégiens forts dans les industries maritime, pétrolière et gazière quant à l'étayage du dynamisme d'innovation de ces grappes-là. Ce résultat a des conséquences théoriques parce que le niveau national n'est pas présent en règle générale dans le discours sur le bourdonnement local (les retombées de connaissance dans l'enceinte des grappes) et les chantiers mondiaux (les relations internationales et les flux de connaissance). Ce qui reste un facteur local important c'est la compétence unique des entreprises qui relève de son histoire, renforcé par le fait que les instituts d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche locaux, subventionnés par l'Etat, ont adapté l'activité aux besoins des industries locales clés. Grappes régionales Systèmes d'innovation Dynamiques d'innovation Systèmes expert Norvège Isaksen A. Die Innovationsdynamik von global wettbewerbsfähigen Regionalclustern: der Fall der norwegischen Expertisezentren, Regional Studies. In diesem Beitrag wird die Innovationsdynamik in sechs regionalen Clustern analysiert, die zu norwegischen Expertisezentren ernannt und als eine der international wettbewerbsfähigsten Regionalcluster Norwegens eingestuft wurden. Das konsistenteste Ergebnis betrifft die hohe Bedeutung der leistungsstarken norwegischen Innovationssysteme in der Meeres-, Öl- und Gasindustrie bei der Stärkung der Innovationsdynamik dieser Cluster. Dieses Ergebnis hat einige theoretische Auswirkungen, denn die nationale Ebene ist in den Diskursen über lokales Rauschen (Wissensübertragungen innerhalb der Grenzen des Clusters) und globale Pipelines (internationale Beziehungen und Wissensströme) weitgehend abwesend. Was als wichtiger lokaler Faktor bleibt, ist die historisch entwickelte, einzigartige Kompetenz von Firmen, die durch die Tatsache bestärkt wird, dass lokal angesiedelte weiterführende Bildungs- und Forschungseinrichtungen im Staatsbesitz ihre Aktivitäten an den Bedarf der lokalen Schlüsselindustrien angepasst haben. Regionale Cluster Innovationssysteme Innovationsdynamik Expertenzentren Norwegen Isaksen A. Las dinámicas de la innovación de aglomeraciones regionales globalmente competitivas: el caso de los Centros de Experiencia noruegos, Regional Studies. En este artículo analizo las dinámicas de innovación en seis aglomeraciones regionales que han sido nombradas como Centros de Experiencia noruegos y han sido valoradas como unas de las aglomeraciones regionales más competitivas a nivel internacional en Noruega. Los resultados más uniformes tratan sobre la gran importancia de los sistemas fuertes de innovación noruegos en las industrias marítimas y de petróleo y gas, ya que respaldan el dinamismo innovador de esas aglomeraciones. Estos resultados tienen algunos efectos teóricos debido a que el nivel nacional está principalmente ausente en el discurso sobre la creación de conocimiento a nivel local (desbordamientos de conocimiento dentro de los límites de aglomeración) y rutas globales (relaciones internacionales y flujos de conocimiento). Lo que permanece como un factor local importante es la competencia única e históricamente desarrollada de las empresas, lo que se refuerza por el hecho de que las instituciones dedicadas a la educación superior y la investigación situadas localmente y de propiedad estatal han adaptado las actividades a las necesidades de las industrias locales principales. Aglomeraciones regionales Sistemas de innovación Dinámicas de innovación Centros de experiencia Noruega Keywords: Regional clustersInnovation systemsInnovation dynamicsCentres of ExpertiseNorwayJEL classifications: R11 Acknowledgement This paper builds on the baseline analysis of the Norwegian Centres of Expertise (NCE) programme carried out by Oxford Research during Fall 2006. The paper is part of the project ‘City-regions, Knowledge Bases and Innovation Support Systems’, financed by the Research Council of Norway. Comments from two anonymous referees helped in strengthening the arguments in the paper. Notes The Ålesund city region has 85 000 inhabitants, while the nearby Ullstein region has more than 25 000 inhabitants. Raufoss (or Vestre Toten municipality), Kongsberg and Horten have 12 000, 23 000 and 25 000 inhabitants, respectively. All these cities are, however, part of larger labour market areas. The survey includes nine responses from Microsystems Vestfold, nine from Systems Engineering Kongsberg, 14 from Raufoss, 20 from Subsea Hordaland, 15 from Maritime Møre, and eight from Instrumentation Trøndelag. The author has performed intensive case studies in three of the clusters: Vestfold, Kongsberg and Møre. These are published, amongst others, in Asheim and Isaksen Citation(2002), Isaksen (Citation2007a, Citationb), and Onsager et al. Citation(2007). The last paper also includes analyses of Raufoss (by Johnstad) and Kongsberg (by Fraas). For another case study on Møre, see Hervik Citation(2001). The most important R&D institutions have been The Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research at the Norwegian Institute of Technology (SINTEF) and The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim for all the clusters, the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), near Oslo, for the Systems engineering cluster, and FFI and the former Central Institute of Industrial Research (SI, now SINTEF Oslo) for the Microsystems cluster. For more detailed information of the historical development of some of the clusters, see, for example, Isaksen (Citation2007a, Citationb) and Onsager et al. Citation(2007). The share of firms agreeing that regional/national customers are demanding are highest in the Subsea cluster (92% of the firms) and lowest in the Systems Engineering cluster (50%).