Aims and strategies in regional innovation and growth policy: A Danish perspective

Abstract

Innovations and the capacity to innovate are crucial factors for regional development. Regional growth is not an exogenous or independent phenomenon, but more or less ‘derived’ from the ability of the local business to perform and generate income. For this reason, attention has been on the factors facilitating growth and the mechanisms stimulating innovative behaviour in large, small and medium-sized enterprises. This paper aims to analyse the changing development strategies and policy set-up in Denmark with regard to regional development and innovation. Core elements are to improve the abilities for knowledge dissemination, innovation, and local entrepreneurship. The analysis provides a closer look into the role of innovation in regional policy, and which type of policies can stimulate innovative activities in business and industry. Recent examples from Denmark representing new approaches to the implementation of innovative development measures are presented and evaluated. Finally, the main results are presented with special attention to organizational and functional aspects of a knowledge-based regional development policy. Among the results are that untraditional measures are needed in particular if innovation policy should reach SMEs and firms not located adjacent to knowledge institutions.