Abstract
Science parks are often established to drive regional economic growth, especially in countries with emerging economies. However, mixed findings regarding the performances of science park firms are found in the literature. This study tries to explain these mixed findings by taking a relational approach and exploring (un)intended knowledge transfers between new technology-based firms (NTBFs) in the emerging South African economy. Moreover, the innovation outcomes of these NTBFs are examined by using a multi-dimensional construct. Results show that science park location plays a significant role in explaining innovative sales, but is insignificant when a different indicator of innovation outcomes is used. Furthermore, only for innovations that are new to the firms, both science park location and intended knowledge transfer via informal business relationships have a positive impact; whereas social relationships have a negative impact.
Highlights
The mixed evidence in the empirical literature prompted us to ask the following question: Does the use of different innovation outcomes indicators explain the mixed findings reported in the literature? The observations in the later section pointed to the various dimensions of innovation outcomes used in the science park literature and suggested that the outcomes of innovation processes of science park firms can be observed at different stages of this process
The primary objective of this study was to investigate the effects of internal knowledge resources and external knowledge resources on a variety of innovation outcomes that are associated with the various stages of a firm’s innovation process
In the empirical section of the paper, a sample of new technology-based firms (NTBFs) located in the Gauteng region, which is the economic engine of South Africa, was used
Summary
The concept can be traced back to the 1950s, when the Silicon Valley region, with the support of Stanford University, was transformed from an agricultural valley into the birthplace of the semiconductor and ICT industry. Following the USA experience in the 1960s, the development of the Cambridge Science Park (UK) and Sophia Antipolis (France) has set a good example for many European countries. The majority of the science parks that currently exist worldwide were created during the 1990s, while about. 18 per cent of them were launched within the first two years of the new century. Today there are over 400 science parks in the world, concentrated primarily in countries with developed economies. Over 140 of them were established in North America
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