“…The development of active safety in West Sweden started in the 1980s and led to the re-alignment between the support structures of the RIS and the automotive path. For example, SAFER was created in 2006, adopting the role of both a research institute and a network organization for coordinating the work around active safety in the region (James, Vissers, Larsson, & Dahlström, 2016).…”
Section: Methodology and Case Backgroundmentioning
The past years have witnessed a surge of academic interest into how new industrial paths are developed in regions. Transformation processes of existing regional industries have received less attention. This article focuses on radical innovation-based renewal processes of established paths and investigates how regional innovation systems are tackling challenges related to path transformation. Drawing on insights from the regional and technological innovation systems literatures, we develop an analytical framework that elucidates the relation between path transformation and system reconfiguration. The framework suggests that regional innovation system elements are created or adapted to (i) target the build-up of system functions regionally; (ii) link up to system functions in other locations, and (iii) transplant system functions from elsewhere. The analytical framework is applied to a case study of the transformation of the automotive industry in West Sweden towards self-driving cars. The empirical analysis provides support for the importance of the three types of system reconfiguration and emphasises the relevance of different types of assets. Furthermore, it highlights how actors tend to utilise previous networks and positions in global innovation systems rather than turning to the development of system functions regionally as the 'default option' of system reconfiguration.
“…The development of active safety in West Sweden started in the 1980s and led to the re-alignment between the support structures of the RIS and the automotive path. For example, SAFER was created in 2006, adopting the role of both a research institute and a network organization for coordinating the work around active safety in the region (James, Vissers, Larsson, & Dahlström, 2016).…”
Section: Methodology and Case Backgroundmentioning
The past years have witnessed a surge of academic interest into how new industrial paths are developed in regions. Transformation processes of existing regional industries have received less attention. This article focuses on radical innovation-based renewal processes of established paths and investigates how regional innovation systems are tackling challenges related to path transformation. Drawing on insights from the regional and technological innovation systems literatures, we develop an analytical framework that elucidates the relation between path transformation and system reconfiguration. The framework suggests that regional innovation system elements are created or adapted to (i) target the build-up of system functions regionally; (ii) link up to system functions in other locations, and (iii) transplant system functions from elsewhere. The analytical framework is applied to a case study of the transformation of the automotive industry in West Sweden towards self-driving cars. The empirical analysis provides support for the importance of the three types of system reconfiguration and emphasises the relevance of different types of assets. Furthermore, it highlights how actors tend to utilise previous networks and positions in global innovation systems rather than turning to the development of system functions regionally as the 'default option' of system reconfiguration.
“…From the introduction of three-point safety belts in the 1960s, to the invention of side-impact airbags by Autoliv in the 1990s, safety technology has been one of the industry's competitive edges. During the beginning of the 2000s, one could observe a reorientation of the regional innovation system from 'passive' to 'active' safety features, that is, technologically sophisticated features intended to help avoiding accidents rather than just reducing the damage when accidents occur (James et al 2016). In 2009, Google announced that they would establish a unit to develop self-driving cars.…”
Section: Empirical Case: Self-driving Cars In West Swedenmentioning
The recent debate on innovation-based structural change in Evolutionary Economic Geography is characterised by a strong focus on the rise of new industrial paths. This paper seeks to shift attention and cast light on radical innovation activities occurring within existing paths without necessarily leading to their dissolution. Departing from a systemic perspective of path development we propose a stage model of path transformation. We outline how radical change becomes initiated, reinforced and finally consolidated in established industrial paths. Particular attention is devoted to the ways in which actors-influenced by 'the past' and driven by visions and expectations (that is, 'the future')-exert agency to stimulate asset modification processes that are assumed to underpin path transformation and the reconfiguration of the wider support structures. The framework is applied to the analysis of the automotive industry in West Sweden, which is currently transforming towards the development of self-driving cars.
“…Yet, this form of proximity changes over time, implying that the relevance of co-location in the same city is replaced by that of co-location in the same region. Alternatively, James et al (2015) argue that organisations with a peripheral position gain a more central position in a local knowledge network through the process of knowledge anchoring. This causes a variation in knowledge-sourcing patterns, in which a larger number of organisations are prone to collaborate with the ones in the periphery to tap into new knowledge sources.…”
Section: Node-level Factors and Proximity Dimensionsmentioning
The evolution of knowledge networks has recently received a lot of attention from researchers. Empirical studies have shown that different types of proximities and network structural properties play a decisive role in tie formation. The present paper contributes to this literature by arguing that while these are crucial, they do not capture the full range of localities’ influence on the evolution of knowledge networks. We support our argument with an empirical study on the development of the biotechnology knowledge network of Berlin from the early 1990s till 2016. The network was created by combining data on co-patenting, co-authorship and joint R&D projects. Forces driving the evolution of the network were identified with separable temporal exponential random graph models (STERGM). In addition to the ‘usual suspects’ (main proximity dimensions and structural factors), we found that the network is still developing in the ‘shadow of the wall’. The different social contexts in the different parts of the city of Berlin still hamper the establishment of collaborative ties between the former East and the former West Germany even 30 years after reunification.
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