role of technology centers in regional competitiveness: a multicriteria approach

Abstract

Countries adopt different policies and strategies to boost regional growth and competitiveness. R&D is one of the most important drivers of national competitiveness because of its ability to generate knowledge and convert that knowledge into useful information to improve people’s lives and maintain economic prosperity. Innovation emerges within innovation systems. Such systems encourage collaboration among institutional and economic agents. One of the main groups of agents that foster such collaboration consists of innovation intermediaries. Technology centers (TCs) are a prime example of such intermediaries, which exert a positive impact on the business sector. Given the numerous factors influencing TC efficiency, this paper studies the key variables associated with this efficiency, providing a ranking of these variables based on the views of innovation system experts. To evaluate these variables, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is used. Of the six areas identified as essential for TC activity, the impact of TCs and the types of actions they undertake are the most important aspects for improving TC and business efficiency, as well as regional competitiveness. This study highlights the role of TCs in helping companies respond to challenges with innovative solutions that foster a strong, competitive, and innovative regional business sector.