Physical proximity and innovation collaboration of the Polish small and medium knowledge-intensive enterprisese

Małgorzata Runiewicz-Wardyn

doi:10.33119/knop.2021.61.4.1

Abstract

Globalisation, with its rising global value chains and the complexity of innovationprocesses change the role of spatial distance in innovation activities. In the classicalcluster theories geographical proximity is seen as a necessary condition to share knowledgeand to enhance innovation collaboration. The recent literature, however, challenge this approachby claiming that the role played by spatial distance diminishes. The aim of this paperis to provide better understanding of the role physical and geographical proximities inthe innovation collaboration process. The paper presents the up-to date results on the roleof physical proximity in innovation collaboration process of the Polish knowledge intensiveSMEs. The study findings support the idea that physical proximity matters for the innovationinteractions, yet the geographical proximity is not a prerequisite for such collaboration.Moreover, the innovative interlinkages of the surveyed companies have more individualcharacter, and are equally determined by the companies technological profiles andsocial-individual connections.

Highlights

Innovations are often not created within one team but augmented with many different types of players within a particular innovation system
Final conclusions and policy implications The above findings somewhat differ from the results of past studies on a broader group of companies in the high-tech industries, which found that the geographical neighbourhood strongly influences the innovation and R&D activity
It supports the idea that the innovative interlinkages in the knowledge intensive small and medium knowledge-intensive enterprises (SMEs) has more individual character and may be determined by their specific subject fields, and their technological profiles

Summary

Introduction

Innovations are often not created within one team but augmented with many different types of players within a particular innovation system. Over the last several decades, scientists have emphasised the local character of innovation processes, contributing with the new territorialised innovation concepts like “innovative milieu”, industrial districts or regional innovation systems These theories assume that geographical proximity enables relational or physical proximity and exchange of knowledge between the researchers, employees, and other agents, and facilitating the innovation and R&D collaboration. Whereas Singh (2005) argues that this relationship is weaker when the anteriority of collaborations is taken into account The latter statement is supported by Almeida and Kogut (1999), AutantBernard et al (2007), Runiewicz-Wardyn (2020) and Grossetti (2005) who demonstrated that the effects of geographical proximity are a result of previous social relations between local partners. The authors do not provide any specific evidence denying such knowledge flows

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