Regional innovation system

In the study of innovation systems, a regional innovation system (RIS) encourages the rapid diffusion of knowledge, skills and best practice within a geographic area larger than a city, but smaller than a nation. The edge of a regional innovation system may be drawn conceptually and organizationally around the economic, social, political and institutional relationships that generate a collective learning process within a related group of technological or functional areas.

A recent study has shown that innovation output is higher in regions where both a sizable population of small firms and large firms are present.

In the European context, the European Union following a regional development model (dividing European territories in administrative and statistical national subdivisions) gives great emphasis to RIS. The regional innovation systems had been favoured especially after the setting of Lisbon's strategy goals. Now regional innovation policies had been incorporated in various larger or smaller EU initiatives and policy packages and large part of the investments by the EU structural funds is devoted to the creation or enhancement of the local-regional innovation systems.

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