Co-evolution in Constructing Regional Advantage: Exploring the Multiple Roles of Lund University in Strengthening the Scania Regional Innovation System Björn Asheim, Paul Benneworth, Lars Coenen, Jerker Moodysson CIRCLE: Centre for Innovation, Research and Competence in the Learning Economy, Lund University Sweden Department of Social and Economic Geography, Lund University, Sweden CURDS: Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies, University of Newcastle, UK
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Björn Asheim, Paul Benneworth, Lars Coenen, Jerker Moodysson
Co-evolution in Constructing Regional Advantage: Exploring the Multiple Roles of Lund University in Strengthening the Scania Regional Innovation System. Björn Asheim, Paul Benneworth, Lars Coenen, Jerker Moodysson - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Co-evolution in Constructing Regional Advantage: Exploring the Multiple Roles of Lund University in
Strengthening the Scania Regional Innovation System
Björn Asheim, Paul Benneworth, Lars Coenen, Jerker Moodysson CIRCLE: Centre for Innovation, Research and Competence in the Learning Economy, Lund University Sweden
Department of Social and Economic Geography, Lund University, SwedenCURDS: Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies, University of Newcastle, UK
From comparative to constructed advantage
• Comparative advantage: criticized for dismissing the role of technological change and innovation
• Competitive advantage: too narrowly institutional oriented by focusing on the creation of endogenous capacity of regions to learn and innovate by an interaction of markets and networks
• Constructed advantage: acknowledges more the important interplay between industrial dynamics (knowledge bases) and organisational dynamics as well as private-public complementarities in policy making by a stronger focus on actors, agencies and governance forms in a multi-level perspective.
In Constructing Regional Advantage RIS is still important:A RIS is constituted by two sub-systems and the systemic
interaction between them (and with non-local actors and agencies):
• The knowledge generation and diffusing sub-system (universities, technical colleges, R&D institutes, technology transfer agencies, business associations and finance institutions)
• The knowledge exploitation sub-system (firms in regional clusters as well as their support industries (customers and suppliers))
Third mission (after teaching and research): direct interaction between universities and society– Creating high-tech firms– Consulting for local industry– Delivering advice for politicians– Informing general public debates
Knowledge economy discourse prevails• Generative role: discrete outputs in response to
specific demands• Developmental outputs: development of regional
To analyze and compare three mechanisms through which Lund University has contributed to Scanias RIS– IDEON Science Park– Life Science Cluster Medicon Valley– VINNVÄXT support for the food sector ’Innovation i
Gränsland’ (Food Innovation at Interfaces)
How do different organizations and institutions in the RIS co-evolve over time when the university is faced with competing sectoral demands for regional engagement?
• Ericsson (now Sony Ericsson) funded 20 staff in the early 1980s.
• IDEON, the first Science Park in Scandinavia, established 1983. LU was at this time foremost a supplier of human capital.
• Main challenge: avoid lock in to the former industrial configuration, promote a dynamic ICT cluster.
• IDEON proved to be an important point of stability around which new ICT activities could emerge. LU deepened its engagement in regional policy.
• IDEON was an arena for concrete activity in which various regional partners where co-operating → an institutional opening up process → a more flexible RIS
Life Science – From Local Integration to Global Visibility
• Long history of pharma and medtech in the region (Astra, Pharmacia, Gambro etc).
• Strong growth of biotech firms (DBFs) since early 1990s (today ~ 35 DBFs). Successful academic life science research. High quality health care.
• Medicon Valley Academy established in the mid 1990s as an initiative by Lund and Copenhagen Universities to promote knowledge transfer between companies, universities and health care organisatoins in the region.
• Early enthusiasm has decreased. Global collaboration proved indispensable. MVA strategy was revised. Less focus on local integration, more on global visibility (e.g. attract VC and research funds, link up with other CoE etc).
• Other LU initiatives with similar rationale: BMC, Stem Cell Centre, Swegene, SCIBLU
Food – From Process Streamlining to Innovation at Interfaces
Food Innovation at Interfaces seeks to realise the potential of a latent innovation network between university and food industry
Broad and interdisciplinary approach• Food and Health – Functional Food• Convenience foods and logistics• Marketing of Advanced food products• IDEON Agro food: technology transfer directly related