Territorial concentration and evolution of science and technology activities in the European Union: a descriptive analysis

Abstract

This article aims at exploring the geographical patterns of scientific and technological activities across the European regions, and comparing these patterns in order to suggest some hypotheses concerning the spatial relationship between science and technology (S&T). This paper proposes a descriptive account of basic spatial features of European Union (EU) countries for S&T activities, respectively, measured by Science Citation Index (SCI) publications and European Patent Office (EPO) patents. It addresses concentration measures at various levels (regions within EU, within countries, countries within EU) and their evolution during the period 1988–1995, in relation with geographic convergence issues for S&T. These knowledge-based activities appear as much more concentrated than economic activities, but countries' patterns are quite contrasted in terms of concentration values as well as of territorial coincidences or `co-concentrations' between science and technology. Analysis of short-term evolution of concentration suggests an overall but slow tendency towards geographic homogenization in science, and a more chaotic picture in technology.