Description
Book SynopsisIn The Capacity to Innovate, Sarah Giest provides insight into the collaborative and absorptive capacities needed to provide public support to local innovation through cluster organizations. The book offers a detailed view of the vertical, multi-level, and horizontal dynamics in clusters and cluster policy and addresses how they are managed and supported. Using the biotechnology field as an example, Giest highlights challenges in the collaborative efforts of public bodies, private companies, and research institutes to establish a successful ecosystem of innovation in this sector.
The book argues that cluster policy in collaboration with cluster organizations should focus on absorptive and collaborative capacity elements missing in the cluster context in order to improve performance. Currently, governments operate at different levels from the local to the supranational in order to support clusters, and cluster policies are often pursued alongside other programs, leadi
Trade Review
"In the dense field of cluster research, it is challenging to come up with a new perspective on the topic. Yet Sarah Giest’s recent publication, The Capacity to Innovate, does precisely that. It examines the process of cluster development from the novel lens of cluster management, deploying the concepts of collaborative and absorptive capacity to study the role of cluster managers in building, sustaining and expanding cluster development." -- David A. Wolfe, University of Toronto * Regional Studies *
Table of Contents
.Contents List of Tables and Figures 1.Introduction Biotechnology Methodology Outline of the Book 2. Capacity Concepts in Cluster and Innovation Research The Geography of Innovation Systems of Innovation Network Sociology Clusters The Institutional Layer The Capacity Framework 3. Cluster Policy and Cluster Organizations The Role of Government Innovation and Cluster Policy Evaluation Challenge Cluster Organizations Propositions 4. Cluster Analysis The Biotechnology Sector Key Cluster Performance Indicators Medicon Valley: The Divided Cluster Chicago: Driver of the Midwest Super Cluster Singapore: The Government-Driven Cluster Vancouver: Finding the Competitive Edge Summary 5. The Innovation Context for Cluster Management Cluster Organization Characteristics The Capacity Mechanism The Outlook for Biotech Clusters 6. Concluding Remarks: Capacity Building in Biotech Clusters Summary of the Findings Advancing Innovation and Cluster Theory Limitations and Future Research Questions Policy Recommendations References Index
