Knowledge Network Management in Technology Parks
Know-Man improves regional development and spatial innovation policies by exchanging and transferring regional approaches, competencies and instruments of knowledge network management (KNM) to strengthen the region’s global competitiveness. To achieve this goal, the partnership uses instruments developed for intra-firm knowledge management transferring them to a regional level. In business science, knowledge management helps to identify, mobilise, and combine implicit (person-bound) knowledge and competencies making it available for other employees in order to improve the firm’s competitiveness. In the project, such instruments (e.g. knowledge maps, benchmarking, action reviews) are implemented to identify and connect regional cross-sectoral and cross-institutional knowledge potentials within the participating regions.
The project does not intend to introduce a new organisational level within the participating regions. Rather, it unites regional development stakeholders and decision
makers (1. public authorities, 2. economic actors represented by technology parks, and 3. academic representatives) – altogether representing regional TRIPLE HELIX STRUCTURES – to create links between regional endogenous potentials in the knowledge economy. Know-Man specifically intends to improve policies in favour of innovative SMEs, because due to their limited financial and personal resources, SMEs face difficulties to successfully gain access to either regional or global knowledge networks. Each partner contributes to the project’s objectives with rich experiences in strengthening the triple helix structure, in initiating links between enterprises and universities, or by having developed unique policies for innovative SMEs. Uniting these spatially separated experiences, knowledge and competencies, the partnership will be able to elaborate, transfer and publish policies supporting regional KNM. Technology Parks are an ideal partner for KNM as they were institutionalised by public
authorities as a regional economic development & innovation instruments and have proven to be a motor for local economic development with a regional dimension.
The project’s activities have following objectives:
1. strengthening the creative interaction in the knowledge–business–public triangle through an intensive involvement of triple-helix stakeholders
2. identifying, publishing and transferring best practices KNM policies, instruments and tools and their transfer conditions, such as demand analyses, benchmarking KNM services, and regional knowledge atlases
3. Implementing KNM in participating regions through pilot actions
4. developing KNM policy instruments that accelerate the process of bringing new and innovative ideas from public R&D facilities to markets.
The project supports and initiates regional innovation impulses and strengthens each region’s competitiveness. Furthermore, the project develops KNM policies and instruments that can be transferred to other European regions.