HARRISON R. T. and HART M. (1990) The nature and extent of innovative activity in a peripheral fegional economy, Reg. Studies 24, 383–393. This paper examines the impact of technology policy at the regional scale in the United Kingdom, with particular reference to Northern Ireland. Analysis of the size and industrial structure of high technology employment in Great Britain and Northern Ireland indicates the dominance of employment in a limited number of sectors and companies in the region. Analysis of data on the regional distribution of significant innovations indicates that Northern Ireland industry has accounted for a small and decreasing share of the national total over time and has, along with other peripheral regions, become increasingly reliant on process rather than product innovations. The remainder of the paper examines the impact of public sector support for research, development and innovation in Northern Ireland. Analysis of unpublished data on the take-up of R&D grants suggests that in the 1...