Biotechnologies are nowadays considered to be crucial for the transition to a knowledge-based economy and their development has a positive effect on the competitive strength of countries and regions. The aim of this diploma thesis is to assess, in a complex way, the biotechnology sector development potential in a particular region -- in the Olomouc Region. The theoretical part provides a general theoretical framework for the subject matter and a general description of the sector. The complex assessment of the development potential of biotechnologies is based on several partial analyses. The thesis analyzes the general characteristics of the innovation environment in the Olomouc Region, the education and research facilities that are present in this region, the biotechnology business sector and their mutual cooperation. Thesis also maps the current projects in the area of biotechnology and the key personalities in terms of the development of biotechnologies in the Olomouc Region.

The concept of innovation hubs are increasingly being adopted by different sectors as a means to accelerate innovation. Previous research on innovation hubs have focused on large-scale and trans-regional hubs on its managerial practices instead of its geographical situation. This paper studies an innovation hub in the Northern Swedish city of Skellefteå, in a region historically relying on heavy industry trying to transform into a high technology economy. The study aims to answer the research question: “what are the challenges and opportunities in building and managing an innovation hub to foster innovation in a geographically isolated region with a relatively small population?” To answer this question, interviews with stakeholders in the innovation hub has been conducted as part of a qualitative case study. The results indicate that the region’s large heavy industry companies provide a fertile ecosystem for startups in the digital industry by enabling the necessary supporting industries and infrastructure. Meanwhile, the lack of certain important elements needed in the startup process, most prominently private funding in the form of angel investors and venture capital, pose challenges to the development of the digital startup community in the region.

The main goal of this work was to contribute to an understanding of the role of the knowledge bases in regional innovation systems and to identify whether the sizes of the different subsystems of regional innovation systems differ in relation to their economic and innovation maturity, and the structure of the knowledge bases is relevant. Work has also sought to identify factors limiting the more efficient interconnection of the two sub-systems of regional innovation systems and how these negative factors can be overcome. The analyses carried out have shown that economically and innovatively developed regions follow different trajectories in the composition of knowledge bases than less developed regions. More developed regions have more developed analytical knowledge base and less developer regions are more oriented on synthetic knowledge base. The analyses also revealed that regional innovation systems vary in size and internal structure of each subsystem. Advanced regions have a much more developed subsystem of knowledge exploitation, that is the demand side, while less developed and less innovative regions have more developed the supply side, that is, the knowledge generation subsystem. Trust, information exchange and shared strategic vision have proved to be among the key aspects that can...

Fostering innovation, managing the innovation process, and promoting entrepreneurial activities have long been identified as critical elements of successful economic and social systems. By their very nature, both innovation and entrepreneurship relate to the creation of novelty and the introduction of change, i.e., dynamics. This means that despite the considerable progress that has been made in our understanding of both the theoretical characteristics as well as practical applications of innovation and entrepreneurship, many aspects of these analyses require constant updating. Further, the evidence increasingly suggests that many relevant aspects are not only context specific but also undergoing significant structural change. These include the micro and macro stimuli of innovation and entrepreneurship processes, the factors that contribute to start-up and innovative firm performance, as well as the broader effects of innovation and entrepreneurship on economies and societies. This dissertation explores how innovation and entrepreneurial processes and outcomes vary across linguistic, geographic, regulatory and technological contexts. The empirical evidence regarding all of these aspects remains mixed and ambiguous, indicating a need for more nuanced conceptualizing. The relevance of contextual idiosyncrasies to innovation and entrepreneurial processes of these aspects remains understudied, presenting an opportunity to extend theory and make a valuable contribution. In the first chapter of this dissertation, I introduce the groundwork for the dissertation, and review the conceptual foundations of each of the three dissertation studies. I also summarize the findings and insights, braiding them together to show how my findings reinforce each other, forming an organic whole. Each subsequent chapter addresses different aspects of innovation and entrepreneurial processes mentioned above. In the second chapter, I evaluate how linguistic variability relates to cross-national innovation processes and outcomes. In the third chapter, I assess how different forms of connectivity across geographic space among innovators contribute to the development of regional innovation systems across Italy’s core and peripheral areas. In the fourth and final chapter, I evaluate the relevance of regulation and technological change to the entrepreneurial process in a specific context within the financial services industry. / Business Administration/Strategic Management

The thesis deals with the analysis of Nachod and Tachov regions' economic structure. The aim of this work is to discover the range and character of differences between these regional economic structures within a national innovation system. Regions showing approximately similar vertical geographic position were chosen for the analysis deliberately, however they differ in various actualities, such as, for instance, their position in terms of west-east gradient, or more precisely horizontal geographic position. Based on the analysis of the relationship between the suppliers and consumers, manufacturing programmes, and not least ownership structures, the basic typology of the economic subjects from the manufacturing industry was executed. The results of this analysis point out significant dependence of the Tachov region on the activities of foreign investors and underdeveloped entrepreneurial environment. Nachod region reports, in the interregional comparison, better results in assessing the economic structure and features clearly more endogenous regional development than Tachov region. Key words: global production network, regional innovation system, manufacturing industry, economic structure

Title: Factors Influencing Innovation Capacity of Regional Innovation Hubs Authors: Sanvida Vishani Sawunda Hannadige & Dona Kithmini Chiranthini Weerasinghe Supervisor: Ehsanul Huda Chowdhury Examiner: Maria Fregidou-Malama Date: 28- Jan- 2021   Aim: This study aims to identify the factors influencing innovation capacity of innovation hubs and explore how innovation hubs influence regional innovation process.    Methodology: This is a qualitative study which follows the inductive approach and the strategy of multiple case study. Primary data were collected through semi-structured interviews with ten respondents in the network of an innovation hub.   Findings: The findings of this study suggest five main factors which positively influence the innovation capacity of an innovation hub. Those are infrastructure, knowledge sharing, culture, marketing strategies and supporting network of the hub. Further through the findings we identified that innovation hub creates a well-balanced socio-economic impact on the region it operates.   Contribution: This study provides a comprehensive knowledge to the existing theories by discovering five theoretical areas which influence innovation capacity. Also it assists the stakeholders of innovation hubs to overcome their deficiencies in order to build a strong innovation capacity. Further, this study encourages innovators, entrepreneurs and investors to work in collaboration with innovation hubs.   Suggestions for Future Research: Qualitative or quantitative methods can be used to explore the outcomes in different perspectives. The newly identified features under marketing strategies can be further studied for their importance in other domains such as ecosystem and stakeholders. The revised framework can be tested in future researches.

The present thesis discusses the topic of public-private collaboration in research and development in Czech regions. A bibliometric keyword analysis was used in this elaboration, based on which a theoretical framework of the thesis was compiled, presenting the most important theoretical concepts related to the interaction of private companies with universities and research institutes. The thesis has two main objectives, based on which it aims to reveal the nature of the size of partial subsystems of regional innovation systems in Czech NUTS 3 regions in relation to economic and innovation performance and to confront the thesis on the link between the innovation performance of regions and the degree of interconnectedness of subsystems on data of collaborative projects in Czechia. The conducted analyses showed a negative dependence of the size of the private R&D segment and innovation performance. It turned out that in the conditions of Czechia the statement that developed regions with a developed innovation system show a larger relative representation of the private segment is not valid. The second finding supports the thesis of a correlation between the intensity of collaboration between research institutions and firms and their innovation performance. Keywords: regional innovation systems,...

長江三角洲的迅速發展已經成為改革開放之後中國大陸經濟發展的主要表徵，然而在面對全球化的挑戰下，長江三角洲整合的問題也成為各方關注長江三角洲能否持續發展的關鍵。 本文以區域創新系統理論解析改革開放以來的長江三角洲區域經濟發展變遷，並提出對長江三角洲區域整合議題的看法。 第一章為緒論─本文簡介，介紹本文之研究動機、目的，研究方法，研究範圍及研究流程安排。 第二章為新區域主義理論及文獻評述─本文的主要理論基礎為區域創新系統，而區域創新系統屬於新區域主義的重要流派。因此針對新區域主義的源流、相關理論基礎以及發展做一評述，並歸結出新區域主義重要的三個特色：在地化的地域空間與產業組織─地理空間；產業群聚與生產網絡的形成─網絡；區域發展的絕對優勢─創新。 第三章為區域創新系統理論─區域創新系統是新區域主義理論當中，結合空間、網絡、創新的重要流派，本章從創新理論到創新如何影響地理空間與產業的轉型，歸納出區域創新系統的立論基礎、結構、以及在方法論上的重要意義。 第四章為長江三角洲區域發展─應用區域創新系統理論作為分析框架，對於長江三角洲自改革開放以後的發展進行分析。 長江三角洲區域創新系統主要的特色在於地方政府治理性格上的差異性，以及地方廠商與產業的發展模式與專業市場，這些現象的產生都與地方背景與環境有關。研究建議，長江三角洲整合的目標應該是市場化、促進區域內網絡的交流以及持續產業群聚的發展。 / The rapidly development of Yanzi River Delta has become one of the main characteristics of China economic reform. Under the trend of globalization, the regional integration issues about this area has also become a main perspective whether Yanzi River Delta could ever continually develop. In this article, we use “Regional innovation system” to analyse the economic development and evolution of Yanzi River Delta, thus providing some perspectives of regional integration of Yanzi River Delta under the basis of our analysis. The first chapter is introduction, we introduce our motivation, the main purposes, the research methods and tools, the definitions, the arrangement and the process of the reasearch. The second chapter is concept backgound; we introduce and generalize the theory of New Regionalism. New Regionalism has been recognaized as the oringin of regional innovation system. New Regionalism is also the main stream in nowtime economic geography. We introduce its development, theory basis, and related theories development. We conclude that New Regionalism has three main pillar: localized geographical space, industry networks, and innovation. The third chapter is the introdcution of theory; we sum up the development, the structrue, and the methodology of regional innovation system. The fouth chapter is the analysis; we use regional innovation as framework to analyze the development and evolution of Yanzi River Delta afer the China economic reform began. The fifth chapter is the conclusion; the main characteristics of Yanzi River Delta is the defferent governence of local governments; the clusters, develop patterns and local market of local industries. These developments were highly influenced by local context. And we sujest the main objects of regional integration in this area is common market, the developments of regional networks, and industrial clusters.

國家整體經濟發展向來與產業本身有著相互依存的關係，產業園區的設立更是被賦予經濟、政策上的特定目的。然而過去以計畫、政策為導向進行園區的設立已難以因應國際景氣波動及創新、知識型產業競爭衝擊，情勢是轉為考量產業根本及新興產業軸線的發展，由產業需求決定園區轉型、再生方向。 本研究一方面探究我國具備優勢性的產業聚落以產業群聚的角度著手，呈現出產業發展上最有效率的模式，另一方面是以典型探討的區域創新理論，反映區域網絡間創新效果以提高區域競爭力。針對兩層面的的正向能力評估目前國內各個產業園區其中的新興產業發展潛力，進而將產業適地適當的置入、整體的布局，作為促進地區新興產業發展啟動點，擴散至周遭的區域產業發展。 研究結果是得以將區域創新及產業群聚兩層面，轉化為實質架構體系做為衡量績效的評估模式，並可由編定工業區環域做為未來研擬產業發展分區的基礎。另外，在經評定下新興產業的高發展潛力地區仍是以六都所在之環域範圍，並劃分出策略核心發展區及主力發展區做為在有限的資源分配上可行的新興產業實質發展地區。 / A country’s overall economic development and its industries are interdependent; the establishment of industrial parks bears the specific goals of economy and policy. However, the establishment of an industrial park bases on plans and policies is getting more difficult to tackle the competition impacts of global economic fluctuation and innovation, knowledge industry. It’s about time to consider the basis of industry and emerging industrial developing axis, determining industrial park transformation and regeneration direction by industrial demand. There are two discussing aspects in this research, one of which is to investigate Taiwan’s advantaged industrial cluster, In terms of industrial cluster, the research tries to present the most efficient model of the industrial development; another discussion is about the classic discussion of regional innovation theory, through an overall discussion the research tries to reflect the innovative effect among regional networks so as to increase regional competitiveness. According to the positive ability of these two aspects, the research assess the developing potential of emerging industry existed in the current industrial parks in Taiwan so as to find the start of promoting local emerging industrial development and bring a comprehensive, proper industry in the local, extending the industrial development to its periphery. The result of this research is to turn the aspects of regional innovation and industrial cluster to a physical framework so that the evaluation model of performance measurement can be established; furthermore, an industrial surrounding area can be set up being a basis for planning industrial development segment in future. In addition, after the assessment, the emerging industries with high developing potential are mainly in the scope of surrounding areas of six municipalities, and due to an issue of limited resources distribution, the strategic essential development areas and the major development areas are divided becoming specific development areas of feasible emerging industries.

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2017-09-28T13:48:40Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Samuel Martim de Conto_.pdf: 7491691 bytes, checksum: 80110bf6960d9ac867d4989bbe145ffc (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-28T13:48:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Samuel Martim de Conto_.pdf: 7491691 bytes, checksum: 80110bf6960d9ac867d4989bbe145ffc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-06-30 / Nenhuma / A formação histórica da economia do Rio Grande do Sul está alicerçada na produção primária em geral, com predomínio das pequenas propriedades rurais. Atualmente, a característica do setor industrial gaúcho é distinto da maior parte dos demais Estados do pais, como por exemplo São Paulo. Dessa forma, com o constante aumento da competitividade e tendo no RS o predomínio de micro, pequenas e médias empresas de capital nacional, faz-se necessário compreender as estruturas de apoio no desenvolvimento e introdução de inovações nas empresas. Assim, esta tese teve como objetivo geral compreender a dinâmica de relacionamento das empresas gaúchas com os Sistemas de Inovação Regional e Nacional tendo em vista a promoção da inovação. Para atender ao objetivo de estudo, foi utilizado um procedimento metodológico do tipo pesquisa quantitativa descritiva, através da realização de pesquisa junto à 83 empresas da indústria de transformação, localizadas nas cinco maiores regiões do RS em número de estabelecimentos industriais, a saber: Metropolitano Delta do Jacuí, Paranhana – Encosta da Serra, Serra, Vale do Rio dos Sinos e Vale do Taquari. Foi utilizado o teste não-paramétrico de Kruskal-Wallis para identificar com quais atores dos Sistemas de Inovação as empresas tiveram mais interações nos anos de 2015 e 2016. Os resultados gerais apontaram que as empresas industriais participantes da pesquisa, em relação ao Sistema Nacional de Inovação, a interação está associada com a obtenção de financiamento público através, principalmente, dos atores BNDES, FINEP e Banco do Brasil. Já quanto ao relacionamento das pequenas, médias e grandes empresas gaúchas com o Sistema Regional de Inovação, ocorreram principalmente com o ator Universidades, particularmente as regionais, que tem um amplo conhecimento das necessidades e demandas da região onde atuam. Por fim, são apresentadas sugestões de melhorias no dinamismo dos Sistemas de Inovação, sobretudo, na ampliação das políticas de apoio ao desenvolvimento da inovação no ambiente empresarial, bem como, das fontes de financiamento e agências de fomento voltadas à inovação. / The historical formation of the economy of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) state is based mainly on primary sector with a predominance of small rural properties. Currently, the characteristics of the industrial sector of Rio Grande do Sul are distinct from most of the other states of the country, such as São Paulo for example. With the constant increase in the competitiveness and the predominance of micro, small and medium enterprises with national capital, it becomes necessary to understand the support structures required for the development of innovation into the companies of RS. The general objective of this work is understanding the dynamics of relationship between the companies and the Regional and National Innovation Systems in order to promote innovation. For obtaining the study goals, a descriptive and quantitative research was performed through a survey made in 83 companies from the manufacturing sector, all of them located in the five largest state regions in number of industrial establishments (Metropolitano Delta do Jacuí, Paranhana - Encosta da Serra, Serra, Vale do Rio dos Sinos and Vale do Taquari). Still, the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test was made to identify which actors of the Innovation Systems the companies had more interactions in the years of 2015 and 2016, respectively. The general results pointed out that these companies that participated in the survey, in relation to the National System of Innovation, had more interaction associated with the purpose of obtaining public financing through mainly the BNDES (Brazilian Development Bank), FINEP (Funding Authority for Studies and Projects) and Bank of Brasil actors. Regarding to the relationship between small, medium and large companies in Rio Grande do Sul state and the Regional Innovation System, they were mainly universities, particularly regional ones, with a large background of the regional needs and demands where they operate. Finally some suggestions are presented for improvements in the dynamism of Innovation Systems, especially in the expansion of suport policies for the development of innovation in the business environment, as well as funding sources and innovation agencies.