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Outline of the study

Innovation in Peripheral Areas Sara Davies UK~IRC Innovation Research Initiative - Distributed projects meeting, 18 January 2011 Funded by the UK Innovation Centre (BIS, ESRC, NESTA and TSB). Outline of the study. Research ideas and questions

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Outline of the study

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  1. Innovation in Peripheral Areas Sara DaviesUK~IRC Innovation Research Initiative - Distributed projects meeting, 18 January 2011Funded by the UK Innovation Centre (BIS, ESRC, NESTA and TSB)

  2. Outline of the study • Research ideas and questions • Proximity-based interactions drive innovation and geographical economic disparities • What kinds of innovation occur in peripheral, sparsely populated regions? What shapes innovation in such regions? • Research design • Interviews with practitioners in UK plus Austria, Finland, Norway and Sweden • Two international events with practitioners & researchers • 3 discussion papers (sectors, conditions, methods)

  3. Initial findings (1): Evidence of innovation on the periphery • A few exceptional peripheral places with leading firms in global markets (e.g. telecoms, oil/gas engineering) – role of policy in building conditions for innovation • External/local expertise/R&D exploiting embedded natural resources (e.g. sea/tides, cold weather) • Developing new ways of doing things to serve large external markets (home working, image-based marketing) – expansion of opportunities due to ICT • Developing solutions to local problems (e.g. tele-medicine, social enterprise) with potential wider application

  4. Initial findings (2): A different context for innovation • Weaknesses linked to lack of / distance from critical mass of people & organisations • Some strengths e.g. high self-employment, hidden skills, niche R&D, active networking • Importance of openness to allow access to finance, research, competition, demand – so need ICT & human networking • Importance of skills to create/exploit opportunities – so need to retain/attract people & build effective education & training systems

  5. Initial findings (3):Methodological challenges • Survey data not robust at regional level • Number of firms surveyed per region (e.g. CIS) • Number of firms active in each sector • Data on conditions (e.g. broadband) • Possible solutions: • Expand existing surveys for regional coverage • Link regional case studies to robust national surveys/studies • Use alternative indicators of conditions or ad hoc (comparative) studies

  6. Outcomes & next steps • KE with practitioners & researchers • Workshop: practitioners from Austria, Norway, Cornwall, Scotland, Wales, [Ireland, Sweden] • Seminar: papers from Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, UK (England & Scotland) • Invitations to speak in UK (Scottish Parliament, Highlands & Islands) and Finland (National Innovation Forum) • Publications: book chapter, 2 conference papers, 2 articles in preparation • University funding (£18.5k) to develop further bids and publications

  7. Thank you for listening Sara.Davies@strath.ac.uk http://www.eprc.strath.ac.uk/irr

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