This paper provides the discussion regarding the nature, origins and diversity of innovation ecosystems with particular emphasis on the context of the emerging economies and "smart specialisation" paradigm of regional development. Bridging the gap between the research economy and commercial economy ("Valley of Death") remains one of the key concerns of the mature and institutionalised innovation ecosystems. However, many of the emerging innovation ecosystems still suffer from underdeveloped institutional frameworks and fragmented ties of actors, which is a more pronounced challenge than "Valley of Death". It is important to take into consideration the specific needs of different innovation ecosystems in the context of the current EU innovation and regional policies (recently synergised under "smart specialization"). The development of sustainable innovation ecosystem requires a different mentality than the traditional institutional-regulatory approach adopted in the context of national innovation systems. It means the search for delicate balance between the supplyside and demand-side interventions, public and private, openness and ownership, long-term and short-term perspectives, quality of elements and their relationships, adequate policy actions and smooth functioning of the "invisible hand". The emerging innovation ecosystems need to complement their entrepreneurial profiles with stronger institutional frameworks and innovation support mechanisms, whereas the mature institutionalised innovation ecosystems should not over-rely on institutional, supply-side solutions, but strengthen the entrepreneurial culture that is even more critical to innovation success.

No abstract

This conceptual paper focuses on the importance of extending the collaborative dynamic capabilities (C-DCs) view and its emphasis on the boundary spanning strategic communities (SCs) from firm-centric to the network-centric perspective. The C-DC view is an original theoretical perspective that offers a good explanation of corporate-level transformations in the context of cross-sectoral convergence. Although the focus of prevailing research on large firms as cornerstones of SCs is valid, it does not fully capture the more complex dynamics that take in the horizontal networks of firms. We show that C-DC and SC theoretical perspectives can be adapted to the context of regional industrial clusters and contribute to their strategic renewal. The paper conceptualizes the different challenges and nature of leadership that prevail in SC-based firms networks. It also presents the different enabling aspects of collaborative DCs (with regard to trust building, co-specialization and capability synthesis) in firm- vs. network-centric environments.

No abstract

No abstract