Boundary organisations in regional innovation systems: traversing knowledge boundaries for industry 4.0 regional transformations

Abstract

In this article, we explore and theorise how actors in the Sheffield City Region envision the development and orchestration of an innovation ecosystem in order to capture value from industry 4.0 technologies for manufacturing firms. This is theoretically motivated by the need to harmonise the knowledge combination and recombination practices that are required for the successful existence of innovation ecosystems at a regional level, in the applied context of industry 4.0 regional transformations. Drawing on data originating in semi‐structured interviews, a focus group and a real‐time Delphi with companies, companies associations, Higher Education Institutions, policy makers and Research and Technology Organisations, we examine specifically the role played by boundary organisations and how they respond by dynamically managing and articulating demands from within the network of partners. Our study deepens the theoretical and operational understanding of boundary organisations in the context of regional innovation systems and discusses how to sustain their role of bridging diverse epistemic communities.