Modes of innovation and proximity in practice: Insights from university-small and medium sized enterprise collaboration in biotechnology

Titolo Rivista RIVISTA GEOGRAFICA ITALIANA
Autori/Curatori John Chrisman, Giuseppe Calignano
Anno di pubblicazione 2026 Fascicolo 2025/4
Lingua Inglese Numero pagine 20 P. 88-107 Dimensione file 0 KB
DOI 10.3280/rgioa4-2025oa21685
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This article explores factors driving collaboration between biotechnology firms and higher education institutions, emphasizing various proximity dimensions (geographic, cognitive, social, organizational, institutional). Through interviews within Norway’s Heidner Biocluster, we found geographic proximity matters more for larger, established firms collaborating with local higher education institutions, compared to smaller, internationally oriented firms. Our findings highlight differences in firms’ innovation modes (doing, using, and interacting vs. science, technology and innovation) and underscore the roles of informal institutions, embeddedness, and alternative proximities beyond geography.

<p>Questo articolo esplora i fattori che favoriscono la collaborazione tra le PMI biotecnologiche e le istituzioni di istruzione superiore (IS), concentrandosi sulle diverse dimensioni della prossimità: geografica, cognitiva, sociale, organizzativa e istituzionale. Dalle interviste condotte presso l’Heidner Biocluster in Norvegia, emerge che la prossimità geografica riveste un’importanza maggiore per le PMI più grandi e consolidate rispetto a quelle più piccole e orientate all’internazionalizzazione, quando si tratta di collaborare con le Istituzioni di istruzione superiore&nbsp; locali. I risultati evidenziano differenze nei modelli di innovazione aziendale e sottolineano il ruolo cruciale delle istituzioni informali, del radicamento territoriale e delle altre forme di prossimità, oltre a quella geografica.</p>

Parole chiave:collaborazioni università-industria, regioni periferiche, cluster, innovazione, prossimità.

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John Chrisman, Giuseppe Calignano, Modes of innovation and proximity in practice: Insights from university-small and medium sized enterprise collaboration in biotechnology in "RIVISTA GEOGRAFICA ITALIANA" 4/2025, pp 88-107, DOI: 10.3280/rgioa4-2025oa21685