Technology centres as business environments in small cities

Abstract

The aims of a technology centre are to promote economic development and create an environment for new business. This is usually done by locating the technology centre near a larger research facility, i.e. university or technology research centre. International experience has indicated that technology centres are an efficient way to create new development in large urban areas. These areas have all the necessary resources needed for the successful implementation of a technology strategy. However, on a smaller regional level, the task of a technology centre is more difficult. This is because the typical international models require larger local markets for product development than smaller regional environments can offer. Despite this problem, technology centres have been successfully used at a local and regional level. These centres use existing local expertise to create a niche that opens up markets and channels to larger national and international markets. In this paper an analysis is made of the problems and special considerations which have to be taken into account when setting up technology centres in small cities. The discussion is based on the empirical evidence from the technology centre in the city of Oulu with some reference to a study on technology based development in other major cities around the Gulf of Bothnia.