Publisher's Synopsis
Since the 1970s, particular European regions have witnessed a dramatic rise of new and vigorously-growing clusters of high-technology small and medium-sized enterprises, including Cambridge, Oxford, Grenoble, Sophia-Antipolis, Munich, Milan, Göteborg and Helsinki. This book is the first systematically to review current trends and processes of growth of these European high-technology clusters, drawing on new collaborative research by leading European experts. It is also the first to investigate the significance of 'collective learning' and networking processes in these clusters evolution, in terms of new firm spin-offs, inter-firm networking and collaboration and local skilled labour mobility. It investigates the role in collective learning of universities and public research laboratories, of large multinational firms, and of regional institutional and policy frameworks. Throughout, it stresses the complementary nature of global and local inter-firm networking and emphasises implications for regional and national government policies. - -
