Climate change constitutes a major threat to our planet. Finding and developing new technologies that can utilize renewable sources of energy is an essential component in combating this threat. The concerns are global, and today there is large variation in innovation intensity across advanced countries. Motivated by these differences, this thesis provides an empirical investigation of the determinants of country-level production of patents related to renewable energy generation. The investigation examines the impact of public environmental policy by assessing the effect of policy stringency and environmental taxes on renewable patents. Green innovative capacity is not separated from general innovative capacity. Drawing from the concept of national innovation system we therefore identify country-specific factors of innovation and examine to what extent they can be translated to the domain of environmental technology. We construct a panel of 22 OECD countries over the years 1994-2015 and analyze how governmental R&D expenditures, how different macroeconomic and institutional factors, as well as how environmental policy stimulate innovative activities. We analyze these factors using regression analysis and we use two count data models, namely the Poisson model and the Negative Binomial model. Our findings suggest that public policy is important for inducing innovation, both by deciding the level of R&D resources available to the economy and the level of environmental taxes. Furthermore, our thesis provides evidence that certain determining factors of general innovative performance also affect countries’ innovative capacity in green technologies. / Klimatförändringarna utgör idag ett allvarligt hot mot vår planet. Vår förmåga att ta fram ny teknologi, inte minst inom förnyelsebar energi, har pekats ut som en avgörande faktor för att vi ska kunna möta klimatkrisens utmaningar. Idag kan vi observera stora skillnader mellan länder när det kommer till deras förmåga att introducera och utveckla teknik kopplad till förnybara källor. För att förstå vilka faktorer som avgör ett lands benägenhet att generera ny teknologi inom detta område genomför vi i denna uppsats en empirisk undersökning med fokus på patentstatistik. Vi undersöker både effekten av stringens samt om miljöskatter kan användas för att stimulera mer förnybar innovation. Då länders innovativa förmåga inom grön teknologi är svår att separera och är starkt kopplad till dess generella innovativa förmåga utgår vår studie från teorin om nationella innovationssystem. Genom att använda det ramverket identifierar vi flera olika landspecifika faktorer som antas påverkar länders benägenhet att patentera teknik och vi utvärderar således teorins relevans inom området för förnyelsebar energi. Denna studie bygger på paneldata från OECD-länder mellan åren 1994 - 2015, data som sedermera används för att analysera hur statliga insatser kopplade till FoU, hur olika institutionella och makroekonomiska faktorer, samt hur miljöpolicy påverkar innovation inom grön teknologi. Våra resultat visar att policy, både i form av satsningar på FoU samt att miljöpolitiska åtgärder, spelar en betydande roll för att främja innovation inom förnyelsebar energi. Vidare finner vi i denna uppsats att de faktorer som påverkar ett lands generella innovativa förmåga också till en viss del påverkar dess förmåga att ta fram och patentera ny teknik kopplad till förnyelsebara energikällor.

Meat substitutes are an increasingly popular subject area for sustainability studies and industrial transition.  A transition to plant-based alternatives requires a substantial value chain with the ability to withstand transitional structure and market changes. While the value chain poses challenges at each level, considering the topmost level reveals unique market dynamics specific to the agriculture of legumes.  Western markets have shown a trend favoring plant-based protein as a sustainable source of nutrition however, research on raw material sourcing, processing, and its market structure is limited, often with low government intervention. The Indian agriculture sector comprises mainly legume farming, contributing to a significant portion of the country’s economy. This thesis aims to describe the actor interactions in the Indian agriculture sector with a focus on drivers and hindrances that promote and limit the growth of the legume agriculture technological innovation system.  Using qualitative research methods to gather data from candidates directly involved in the legume trade has proven insightful. Findings show that there are complex interaction scenarios between the actors involved. Restricted by the size of farming area, target markets, and market convention, farmers are subjected to a lock-in type scenario with respect to sales and purchasers. Although government intervention offers protection and assistance, it remains a safety net for the agriculture community. Authoritative influence is used to promote policy however, interactions between actors are not optimized to support this change effectively.  Inter-organizational and actor networks are weak apart from certain business relationships arising from contractual obligations. Knowledge development is present but formal procedures of knowledge diffusion are absent, leaving opportunities not being capitalized on. The study discusses the merits and demerits of this system using the Technology Innovation System framework functions for the analysis. Limitations of the theoretical framework is discussed as a modified version of the framework is utilized in this thesis, giving importance to interactions and localized application of TIS functions.

Although the Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) has been widely accepted by the HRD community, it has not been tested in a startup context for reliability. The purpose of the current study is to explore if the DLOQ is a reliable instrument for startups to help them be more successful. The current study seeks to address some of the questions, which have been posed by previous researchers. The study utilizes a mixed-method design applying Cronbach alpha values to check the reliability of the instrument in a startup learning environment, with more than 600 participants and 42 startup businesses at a university in the Mountain West. The study uses objective financial measures for startup firms to explore the correlation between the seven dimensions of the DLOQ and startup companies at the university. Cronbach alphas for the instrument measured at the .80 level or higher. Four of the dimensions were found to be statistically significant resulting in a model that accounted for 30% of the variance in predicted Operating Income (p<.004) and 29% of the variances in predicted Net Income (p<.003). The study also uses qualitative analysis to explore what activities relate to the seven dimensions of the DLOQ, and if those activities would be considered complex and disruptive. Thirteen activity clusters were identified and found to be relevant to startups and the seven dimensions of the DLOQ.

El principal objetivo de la presente tesis radica en la comparación de diferentes metodologías para comparar el nivel de desarrollo de los sistemas regionales de innovación. Una de las principales aportaciones es determinar por un lado el grado de robustez que las metodologías de evaluación de la capacidad innovadora ofrecen en la esfera regional. Tras haber observado las principales características así como las debilidades de dichos métodos, se pretende analizar las posibilidades que ofrece el análisis de eficiencia como método complementario en el estudio de la capacidad innovadora. El por qué de la utilización del concepto de eficiencia como propuesta alternativa a las existentes en la bibliografía radica en que las metodologías existentes están principalmente basadas en el concepto de cuanto más mejor , ya que su principal fundamento está en la cantidad de recursos utilizados, pero no en la forma en la que son empleados. En este sentido, creemos que la otra gran aportación de la tesis consistirá en mostrar la necesidad de incorporar criterios de eficiencia a las metodologías de evaluación (o benchmarking regional) de la capacidad innovadora. La metodología de actuación está constituida por tres principales líneas de actuación que se han definido como prioritarias para la consecución de los objetivos planteados con anterioridad: 1.- Comparar metodologías orientadas hacia la determinación de la capacidad innovadora regional en las comunidades autónomas españolas. 2.- Realizar un benchmarking sobre el Sistema Valenciano de Innovación. 3.- Mostrar la necesidad de complementar las metodologías de evaluación de la capacidad innovadora regional empleando para ello criterios de eficiencia. / Zabala Iturriagagoitia, JM. (2008). Benchmarking Regional Innovation Systems: the relevance of efficiency towards their performance [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/3787

[pt] O objetivo da dissertação é contribuir para o avanço do conhecimento sobre a capacidade de inovação e os obstáculos à inovação enfrentados pelas empresas da Base Industrial da Defesa (BID), destacando-se o papel da Tecnologia Industrial Básica (TIB) no fortalecimento dessa capacidade. Particularmente, a dissertação procura responder como as empresas da BID percebem a importância das funções da TIB - metrologia, normalização, regulamentação técnica e avaliação da conformidade – em seus ciclos de inovação, na perspectiva de ressaltar os benefícios oriundos da consolidação da infraestrutura nacional de serviços tecnológicos de suporte à capacidade inovadora dessas empresas. A metodologia compreende: (i) revisão bibliográfica e documental sobre os temas centrais da dissertação; (ii) definição do objeto do estudo; seleção da fonte primária de dados – Pesquisa de Inovação (Pintec) do IBGE – e da grade de análise da pesquisa; (iii) elaboração do plano tabular para solicitação ao IBGE de tabulações especiais da Pintec 2011; (iv) análise e discussão dos resultados; e (v) formulação das conclusões da pesquisa e de sugestões para a próxima Pintec e estudos futuros. Destacam-se como resultados: (i) a identificação de itens da Pintec diretamente associados às funções da TIB; (ii) a análise da percepção das empresas da BID sobre a relevância das funções da TIB para a inovação; e (iii) a análise comparativa dos padrões de respostas das empresas da BID que implementaram inovações e das que não implementaram. / [en] The main aim of this dissertation is to contribute to the understanding of basic infrastructural technologies support to innovation activities by firms of defense industry in Brazil. Particularly, this work seeks to answer how defense firms perceive the importance of infrastructural technologies - metrology, standardization, technical regulation and conformity assessment - in their innovation cycles. The methodology comprises: (i) a literature survey to elaborate a theoretical outline to characterize the core subjects of the research: defense innovation system and defense products; sectorial systems of innovation; and infrastructural technologies; (ii) definition of the research scope; selection of the primary data source - the Brazilian Survey of Technological Innovation (Pintec), published by the Statistical Office (IBGE), and the research analytical framework; (iii) data collection and tabulation; (iv) main findings discussion; and (v) formulation of conclusions and suggestions for the next Pintec survey and for future research. The main results can be summarized as follows: (i) identification of PINTEC items directly associated with basic infrastructural technologies; (ii) identification and analysis of Brazilian defense firms perceptions about the relevance of basic infrastructural technologies in supporting their innovation strategies; and (iii) comparative analysis of patterns of response of innovative and non-innovative defense firms.

<p><strong>Titel:</strong> Internationella relationer i innovativa miljöer – en fallstudie av Mjärdevi Science Parks internationella arbete</p><p><strong>Författare:</strong> Sergio Quiñones</p><p><strong>Adress</strong>: Skrinnarvägen 7, 633 59 Eskilstuna | sergio.quinones@gmx.com<strong></strong></p><p><strong>Kurs: </strong>Kandidatuppsats i marknadsföring, EFO 225</p><p><strong>Handledare:</strong> Angelina Sundström</p><p><strong>Problem: </strong>Hur kan svenska Science Parks genom internationella relationer utveckla sina processer och tjänster för att bättre stödja kunskapsutbyte och kommersialisering av innovationer?</p><p><strong>Syfte: </strong>Syftet med denna studie är att <em>beskriva</em> Mjärdevi Science Parks internationella arbete ur ett marknadsföringsperspektiv.</p><p><strong>Metod: </strong>Kvalitativ fallstudie.</p><p><strong>Slutsatser: </strong>Mjärdevi Science Park arbetar internationellt för att främja regional tillväxt. Genom regional tillväxt bidrar man även till att öka Sveriges tillväxt och konkurrenskraft. Parkens motor och drivkraft är entreprenörerna och företagarna. Mjärdevi samarbetar och är engagerad i den globala organisationen IASP, Science Parks i andra länder, Exportrådet, företag och ambassader. Fallföretaget etablerar nya relationer främst genom sitt redan existerande internationella nätverk. Relationerna utvecklas genom att skapa aktiviteter som är ömsesidigt värdeskapande för parkerna, regionerna och företagen. Parkens styrelse har haft en uttalad nätverksbaserad strategi och handlingsplan som även inkluderat det globala perspektivet. Denna studie har visat att Mjärdevis strategiska och operativa arbete till stor del bygger på nätverksfilosofin. I sitt nätverk arbetar Mjärdevi både med att sprida operativ kunskap och att skapa erfarenhetsbaserad kunskap inom ramen för dessa aktiviteter.<strong></strong></p><p><strong>Nyckelord:</strong> science parks, innovationssystem, innovation, internationell, internationalisering, globalisering, samarbete, samverkan, relationer, relationsmarknadsföring, utbyte, företagsnätverk, affärsnätverk.</p> / <p><strong>Title</strong>: International Relations in Innovative Environments - a Case Study of Mjärdevi Science Park's international work</p><p><strong>Author:</strong> Sergio Quiñones</p><p><strong>Address:</strong> Skrinnarvägen 7, 633 59 Eskilstuna, Sweden | sergio.quinones@gmx.com</p><p><strong>Course:</strong> Bachelor Thesis in Marketing (EFO 225)</p><p><strong>Tutor:</strong> Angelina Sundström</p><p><strong>Problem:</strong> How can the Swedish Science Parks through international relations develop their processes and services to better support knowledge sharing and commercialization of innovations?</p><p><strong>Purpose:</strong> The purpose of this study is to describe Mjärdevi Science Park's international work from a marketing perspective.</p><p><strong>Method:</strong> Qualitative Case Study.</p><p><strong>Conclusions</strong>: Mjärdevi Science Park works internationally to promote regional growth. The regional growth also contributes to Sweden's growth and competitiveness. The Parks engine and driving force are its entrepreneurs and businesses. Mjärdevi cooperates with the global organization IASP, Science Parks in other countries, the Swedish Trade Council, businesses and embassies. The case company establishes new relationships primarily through its existing international network. Relationships are developed by creating activities that are of mutual value creation for parks, regions and companies. The board of Mjärdevi Science Park has had an explicit network-based strategy and action plan that also included the global perspective. This study has shown that Mjärdevis strategic and operational work is based mainly on the network philosophy. Mjärdevi uses its network both to disseminate operational knowledge and to create experience-based knowledge within the framework of these activities.</p><p><strong>Keywords: </strong>science parks, innovation systems, innovation, international, globalization, cooperation, collaboration, relations, relationship marketing, exchange, business networks.</p>

<p>This thesis begins by making two observations. First, that the regional economic landscapes in which we all live our daily lives, and which provide the basis for employment and prosperity, are constantly changing. Second, that one of the most popular strategies currently pursued by regions and nations for coping with such change, relies heavily on innovation within a few high-tech industries, biotech being one prominent example. The thesis is an investigation into the potential – and limits – of biotech-based development policies for creating renewal and economic growth at the local, regional or national scales. How does it really work when a team of biotech researchers develops a new invention? How can a small Swedish town manage to attract large foreign direct investments and stay competitive in the global biotech landscape? How is the performance of biotech knowledge workers affected by the places they live in, go to, leave, and make up? What impact can a biotech firm have on the local economic landscape in which it is located? These are the kind of questions that are studied in the four papers that make up this thesis. The thesis develops a conceptual framework within which we can better understand the extent to which mono-territorial actors, like regional and national policymakers, can influence high-tech sectors like biotech; sectors that are polycentric in nature and only partly take place in, or pass through, regional and national territories.</p>

This thesis begins by making two observations. First, that the regional economic landscapes in which we all live our daily lives, and which provide the basis for employment and prosperity, are constantly changing. Second, that one of the most popular strategies currently pursued by regions and nations for coping with such change, relies heavily on innovation within a few high-tech industries, biotech being one prominent example. The thesis is an investigation into the potential – and limits – of biotech-based development policies for creating renewal and economic growth at the local, regional or national scales. How does it really work when a team of biotech researchers develops a new invention? How can a small Swedish town manage to attract large foreign direct investments and stay competitive in the global biotech landscape? How is the performance of biotech knowledge workers affected by the places they live in, go to, leave, and make up? What impact can a biotech firm have on the local economic landscape in which it is located? These are the kind of questions that are studied in the four papers that make up this thesis. The thesis develops a conceptual framework within which we can better understand the extent to which mono-territorial actors, like regional and national policymakers, can influence high-tech sectors like biotech; sectors that are polycentric in nature and only partly take place in, or pass through, regional and national territories.

Titel: Internationella relationer i innovativa miljöer – en fallstudie av Mjärdevi Science Parks internationella arbete Författare: Sergio Quiñones Adress: Skrinnarvägen 7, 633 59 Eskilstuna | sergio.quinones@gmx.com Kurs: Kandidatuppsats i marknadsföring, EFO 225 Handledare: Angelina Sundström Problem: Hur kan svenska Science Parks genom internationella relationer utveckla sina processer och tjänster för att bättre stödja kunskapsutbyte och kommersialisering av innovationer? Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att beskriva Mjärdevi Science Parks internationella arbete ur ett marknadsföringsperspektiv. Metod: Kvalitativ fallstudie. Slutsatser: Mjärdevi Science Park arbetar internationellt för att främja regional tillväxt. Genom regional tillväxt bidrar man även till att öka Sveriges tillväxt och konkurrenskraft. Parkens motor och drivkraft är entreprenörerna och företagarna. Mjärdevi samarbetar och är engagerad i den globala organisationen IASP, Science Parks i andra länder, Exportrådet, företag och ambassader. Fallföretaget etablerar nya relationer främst genom sitt redan existerande internationella nätverk. Relationerna utvecklas genom att skapa aktiviteter som är ömsesidigt värdeskapande för parkerna, regionerna och företagen. Parkens styrelse har haft en uttalad nätverksbaserad strategi och handlingsplan som även inkluderat det globala perspektivet. Denna studie har visat att Mjärdevis strategiska och operativa arbete till stor del bygger på nätverksfilosofin. I sitt nätverk arbetar Mjärdevi både med att sprida operativ kunskap och att skapa erfarenhetsbaserad kunskap inom ramen för dessa aktiviteter. Nyckelord: science parks, innovationssystem, innovation, internationell, internationalisering, globalisering, samarbete, samverkan, relationer, relationsmarknadsföring, utbyte, företagsnätverk, affärsnätverk. / Title: International Relations in Innovative Environments - a Case Study of Mjärdevi Science Park's international work Author: Sergio Quiñones Address: Skrinnarvägen 7, 633 59 Eskilstuna, Sweden | sergio.quinones@gmx.com Course: Bachelor Thesis in Marketing (EFO 225) Tutor: Angelina Sundström Problem: How can the Swedish Science Parks through international relations develop their processes and services to better support knowledge sharing and commercialization of innovations? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe Mjärdevi Science Park's international work from a marketing perspective. Method: Qualitative Case Study. Conclusions: Mjärdevi Science Park works internationally to promote regional growth. The regional growth also contributes to Sweden's growth and competitiveness. The Parks engine and driving force are its entrepreneurs and businesses. Mjärdevi cooperates with the global organization IASP, Science Parks in other countries, the Swedish Trade Council, businesses and embassies. The case company establishes new relationships primarily through its existing international network. Relationships are developed by creating activities that are of mutual value creation for parks, regions and companies. The board of Mjärdevi Science Park has had an explicit network-based strategy and action plan that also included the global perspective. This study has shown that Mjärdevis strategic and operational work is based mainly on the network philosophy. Mjärdevi uses its network both to disseminate operational knowledge and to create experience-based knowledge within the framework of these activities. Keywords: science parks, innovation systems, innovation, international, globalization, cooperation, collaboration, relations, relationship marketing, exchange, business networks.

Questo lavoro ha lo scopo di valutare i distretti tecnologici italiani. A tal fine sono stati sinteticamente presentati nel primo capitolo alcuni concetti chiave della letteratura economica rilevanti ai fini di questo lavoro. Nel secondo capitolo è stata condotta un'analisi di tipo descrittivo relativamente a tutti i distretti tecnologici approvati dal MIUR alla data del novembre 2007. Nel terzo capitolo si passa ad un'analisi di tipo quantitativo che sulla base di dati provenienti da varie fonti misura: il livello di specializzazione delle varie regioni italiane relativamente all'area tecnologica prescelta per l'implementazione del distretto tecnologico; il livello di performance delle varie regioni relativamente ad una serie di indicatori di attività scientifico-tecnologiche; il livello dell'ambiente economico in termini di tasso di imprenditorialità e di disponibilità di finanziamenti di tipo venture capital. Nel quarto capitolo si procede alla creazione di quattro indicatori sintetici: uno di specializzazione tecnologica; uno di performance scientifico-tecnologica; uno economico-ambientale; l'ultimo riassuntivo dei precedenti. Nel capitolo quarto i dati degli indicatori ottenuti dall'analisi quantitativa vengono combinati con le informazioni riportate nel capitolo secondo utilizzando un'analisi di tipo dicotomico. La visione d'insieme che ne deriva diventa la base per alcune considerazioni di policy sull'implementazione di questo strumento di politica innovativa. / This work analyses a specific policy instrument namely the establishment of technological districts (TD) in Italy. After a selective literature review of the main theoretical concepts used in the research (chapter 1), the work provides a general overview of the Italian TDs approved by MIUR at November 2007 (chapter 2). In the third chapter the work provides a statistical analysis of the regional innovation contexts using a wide set of indicators measuring: levels of regional specialization in the sectors chosen for TDs implementation; science and technology performances; features of the economic environment (entrepreneurship and venture capital funds). In the fourth chapter it is presented a system of four synthetic indices providing information on: 1) regional specializations; 2) scientific-technological performances; 3) economic environment. The fourth synthetic index, being the combination of the previous three, reflects simultaneously all the three dimensions. The analysis of statistical data is complemented, in chapter 4, by an evaluation of the institutional features of the TDs based on the information gathered in chapter 2. This has allowed to bring together the outcomes of chapter 2 and of chapter 3 in order to formulate some policy conclusions.