TY - JOUR

T1 - Innovation centres and their importance for the growth of new technology-based firms

T2 - experience gained from the Federal Republic of Germany

AU - Sternberg, Rolf

N1 - Funding Information: 1 The surveys were carried out in the Department of Economic Geography of Hanover University and were supported by a government grant by the Deutsche Forschungs-gemeinschaft (German Research Associarion). ’ According to Heuer 16. p. 1661. an IC may be defined as a locational community of relatively young and mostly newly founded parent enterprises, the operating activities of \\hich are mainly the development, production and commercialization of technological products. serviccc and processes of high quality. In an IC these enterprises have recourse to a more or less e,stensir.c offer of jointly-used central services and advisory services. ’ In quantitative terms thcsc findings do not support the notorious South-Norrh gradient in the f:.R.C. ‘ SW, for instance. the pilot schcmc for Ihc Promotion of New Technology-based Firms of the Fcdcral Minister of Rescarch and Technology. a version of which is used IO promote Ihc NTf3Fs in I4 sclcctcd ICs 19. p. 71. ’ For instance. belonging to particular fields of technology. frequency of rcgistcrcd patents. proporfion of university graduaIcs. etc. ’ Thcsc include cspccially the K&I> dcpartmcnts of private cntcrpriscs. the univcrsitics and non-univcrsiIy clua\i-govcrnrrlcrlt~ll rcscarch institutions such as the f:raunhafcr InsIiIuIcs. * On avcrayc thiy accounIs for only abouI 22% of the IC manager’s Iimc. The more fimc-consuming jobs arc. for iri\tancc. administration and the organL.ation of the IC. the acquisition of new cntcrpriscs. or publicity work for the IC as a whole. ’ f’er crntrc 5.5 million DM wcrc initially invcstcd on avcragc and about 260 Ooo DM are required ah annual running costs, which are largely carried by the Lands and the municipalities [ 17. p. 1701. I” This applies to half of the centres (I4 out of 29 installations). ” The question as to whether the high risk of insolvency of an NTBI: can bc reduced by entering an IC is controversial [25, 261. Although quantitative statements on foreign ICs are available for the Netherlands [27. p. 71 and for the U.S.A. [ZS. p. 371 they can bc extended to the F.R.G. only with difficulty either because of their short histories (the Netherlands) or because of their different structure (U.S.A.). Copyright: Copyright 2014 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

PY - 1989/12

Y1 - 1989/12

N2 - The following study is based on three countrywide surveys aimed at investigating the effect of innovation centres as an instrument of local economic development and innovation policy in the Federal Republic of Germany (F.R.G.). The conceptual bases of 31 centres, the situation of 177 resident entrepreneurs and the characteristics of 29 site managers are investigated by means of written inquiries, structured interviews and oral inquiries. The representative nature of the data gathered allows a first cautious stocktaking of this still unequivocal instrument of economic development policy after 5 years' experience of innovation centres in the F.R.G. The main emphasis of the present investigation is on the implication that services rendered by the centres have for the growth and innovation opportunities of young companies that predominantly stem from the pool of new technology-based firms.

AB - The following study is based on three countrywide surveys aimed at investigating the effect of innovation centres as an instrument of local economic development and innovation policy in the Federal Republic of Germany (F.R.G.). The conceptual bases of 31 centres, the situation of 177 resident entrepreneurs and the characteristics of 29 site managers are investigated by means of written inquiries, structured interviews and oral inquiries. The representative nature of the data gathered allows a first cautious stocktaking of this still unequivocal instrument of economic development policy after 5 years' experience of innovation centres in the F.R.G. The main emphasis of the present investigation is on the implication that services rendered by the centres have for the growth and innovation opportunities of young companies that predominantly stem from the pool of new technology-based firms.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=38249026068&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/0166-4972(89)90006-0

DO - 10.1016/0166-4972(89)90006-0

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:38249026068

VL - 9

SP - 681

EP - 694

JO - TECHNOVATION

JF - TECHNOVATION

SN - 0166-4972

IS - 8

ER -