Abstract
What is the place of Brussels in the European research geography? Brussels is commonly recognised as the EU capital, but mainly for its political and administrative functions. As research is fundamental in a “knowledge-based economy”, this paper shows the performance of Brussels in terms of participation in EU RD ii) EU-related stakeholders contribute by establishing research networks, making Brussels the “capital of the European Research Area”. The analysis is based on an innovative database of participation in Framework Programme projects from 1999 to 2010.
Highlights
What is the role of Brussels in the European research geography? Who are the major Brussels stakeholders active in terms of participation in EU-funded research and development (R&D) projects? Brussels is largely recognised as the EU capital, but this role derives mainly from the localisation of EU administrative and political functions with very little being said about R&D activities and the European research geography [Van Camp & Witmeur, 2009]
The capacity of Brussels to take part in EU-funded R&D projects should be analysed with regard to the whole ‘innovation system’, distinguishing typologies in what literature defines as a ‘regional system of innovation’ (RSI)
The major interest lies in the innovative performance of firms supporting economic competitiveness [(Cooke, Gomez Uranga, & Etxebarria, 1997; Fagerberg, Verspagen, & Caniels, 1997; Fragkandreas, 2013]; the RSI’s research performance is crucial because it supplies the innovation process with knowledge, which is the major input for the whole system
Summary
The basic idea is that the regional capacity to innovate depends on synergies among firms, governments and research centres as well as all the related intermediaries [Knockaert & Spithoven, 2014] This ‘system’ is considered to be fundamental for the transition towards a ‘knowledge-based economy’ because it determines regional competitiveness. The participation in EU-funded projects for stakeholders located in Brussels provides an indication of the competitiveness of its stakeholders in comparison to other European cities and regions. The analysis based on different typologies of stakeholders and different districts allows a deeper understanding of Brussels’ performance, mainly distinguishing between EU-related stakeholders and Belgian ones By this distinction, Brussels can be seen as both a competitive RSI and the capital of the European research geography.
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