Does geographical proximity still matter for innovation? Notes on university-industry interaction from the perspective of a peripheral context

Authors

  • Ana Cristina de Almeida Fernandes Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Departamento de Ciências Geográficas, Recife, PE, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2641-5525
  • Bruno Campello de Souza Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Departamento de Ciências Administrativas, Recife, PE, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6402-0233
  • Alexandre Stamford da Silva Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Departamento de Economia, Recife, PE, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9188-4598
  • João Policarpo Rodrigues Lima Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Departamento de Economia, Recife, PE, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1485-0025

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22296/2317-1529.rbeur.202310pt

Keywords:

Geographical Proximity, University-industry interaction in Peripheral Context, Immature System of Innovation, Smallest Space Analysis

Abstract

Interactions between universities and industry are essential for innovation systems, whereby the process is catalyzed by the proximity between these actors in different dimensions (cognitive, organizational, social, institutional and geographical). The present paper seeks to investigate the specific importance of geographical proximity for university-industry interactions during a specific moment in Brazil’s peripheral socioeconomic formation, with the construction of an institutional framework that proved favorable to peripheral innovation and the advancement of information and communication technologies that would dispense with co-location and face-to-face contact in collective learning processes. By applying multiple linear regression analysis and smallest space analysis (SSA) to a database obtained from an extensive survey, it was observed that, associated with the cognitive dimension, geographical proximity still prevails in interactions for innovation in peripheral contexts.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Ana Cristina de Almeida Fernandes, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Departamento de Ciências Geográficas, Recife, PE, Brazil

Graduated in architecture and urbanism at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE, 1981). She holds a master’s degree in sociology from the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp, 1989) and a PhD in geography from the University of Sussex, UK (1996). She was a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the Universidade Federalde São Carlos (UFSCar) and a guest professor in the Instituto de Economia at Unicamp. She is currently a full professor and leading researcher in the Grupo de Pesquisa em Inovação Tecnologia e Território [Research Group on Innovation, Technology and Territory] (GRITT) at UFPE. She was the director of innovation at UFPE, where she also served as coordinator of the Articulação e Promoção de Parcerias Estratégicas [Articulation and Promotion of Strategic Partnerships]. She was director of Política, Articulação e Coordenação [Policy, Articulation and Coordination] for the Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation for the State of Pernambuco. She has been editor of the Revista Brasileira de Estudos Urbanos e Regionais [Brazilian Journal of Urban and Regional Studies] and is currently an associate editor of the Revista Brasileira de Inovação [Brazilian Journal of Innovation]. She is a CNPq Scholarship Fellow 1B, supervising theses and dissertations on the Postgraduate Program in Geography at UFPE, of which she was coordinator from 2011 to 2013. Her research interest focuses on the area of economic geography, mainly on the following themes: political geography of innovation, territorial innovation system, spatial dimension of technical progress, scientific and technological policy, urban and regional development and policy, inequalities and spatial polarization, accumulation crisis, technology and territory.

Bruno Campello de Souza, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Departamento de Ciências Administrativas, Recife, PE, Brazil

Graduated in Psychology, with a master's degree and PhD in cognitive psychology, all at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE). He is an associate professor at UFPE, he is a permanent professor on the Postgraduate Program in Business Administration (PROPAD) and on the Professional Master's Degree in Business Administration (MPA). He conducts research focused on the relationships between digital technologies and individuals and organizations, innovation and entrepreneurship, criminology and policing, cognition, psychological and social processes, people management, psychology of politics, human values, medicine and the application of statistical methods in any context. Since March 2020, he has undertaken research involving data analysis related to the epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of Covid-19.

Alexandre Stamford da Silva, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Departamento de Economia, Recife, PE, Brazil

Graduated in electrical engineering, electronic modality, at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE, 1991), with a master's degree in electrical engineering (1994) and a PhD in economics (1999), also at UFPE. He undertook a post-doctorate in France, at the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris), in economic development, and at the Université Robert Schuman/International Center for Intellectual Property, (Strasbourg), in intellectual property. He is the former director of innovation at the Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation of Pernambuco. He is currently an associate professor at UFPE in the Department of Economics. He has experience in the field of economics, with an emphasis on mathematical methods and models, working mainly on the following topics: health economics, intellectual property, patent writing, entrepreneurship, game theory and economic growth. In the field of engineering area, he has experience in production engineering, project management and information management and, in the field of electrical engineering, in risk management and reliability engineering.

João Policarpo Rodrigues Lima, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Departamento de Economia, Recife, PE, Brazil

Graduated in economics at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE, 1973), with a master's degree in economics also at UFPE (1977) and a PhD in economics at the University of London (1988), with a postdoctoral degree at the University of North London (2000). He is currently a professor at UFPE. He has experience in economics, with an emphasis on applied economics, working mainly on the following topics: Brazilian economy, regional development, North-eastern Brazil, sugarcane agroindustry, productive arrangements, innovation and local development.

References

ALBUQUERQUE, E. National Systems of Innovation and Non-OECD countries: Notes about a rudimentary and tentative “typology”. Brazilian Journal of Political Economy, v. 4, n. 19, p. 35-52, 1999.

ANSELIN, L.; VARGA, A.; ACS, Z. Local geographic spillovers between university research and high technology innovations. Journal of Urban Economics, n. 42, p. 422-448, 1997.

AROCENA, R.; GÖRANSSON, B.; SUTZ, J. K. Knowledge policies and universities in developing countries: inclusive development and the “developmental university”. Technology in Society, v. 41, p. 10-20, 2015. DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2014.10.004.

AROCENA, R; SUTZ, J. Innovation systems and developing countries. Druid Working Paper, n. 2-05, 2005.

AROCENA, R; SUTZ, J. Weak knowledge demand in the South: learning divides and innovation policies. Science and Public Policy, v. 37, n. 8, p. 571-582, 2010.

ARUNDEL, A.; GEUNA, A. Proximity and the use of public science by innovative European firms. Economics of Innovation and New Technologies, n. 13, p. 559-580, 2004.

AUDRESTCH, D.; FELDMAN, M. R&D spillovers and the geography of innovation and production. American Economic Review, n. 86, p. 630-640, 1996.

BALLAND, P.-A.; BOSCHMA, R.; FRENKEN, K. Proximity and innovation: From statics to dynamics. Regional Studies, DOI: 10.1080/00343404.2014.883598, 2014.

BENKO, G.; LIPIETZ, A. (ed.). Las regiones que gañan. Valencia: Edicions Alfons el Magnànim, 1994.

BOSCHMA, R. Proximity and innovation. A critical assessment. Regional Studies, n. 39, p. 61-74, 2005.

BRASIL. Lei nº 10.973, de 2 de dezembro de 2004. Dispõe sobre incentivos à inovação e à pesquisa científica e tecnológica no ambiente produtivo e dá outras providências. Diário Oficial da União: Brasília, DF, 3 dez. 2004, retif. 16 maio 2005.

CANTER, D. V.; FRITZON, K. Differentiating arsonists: A model of firesetting actions and characteristics. Journal of Legal and Criminological Psychology, n. 3, p. 73-96, 1998.

CANTER, D. V.; WENTINK, N. An empirical test of Holmes and Holmes serial murder typology. Criminal Justice and Behavior, n. 31, p. 489-515, 2004.

CASSIOLATO, J. E.; LASTRES, H. M. M. Arranjos e sistemas produtivos locais na indústria brasileira. Revista de Economia Contemporânea, v. 5, n. esp., 2001.

CASSIOLATO, J. E.; LASTRES, H. M. M. Novas políticas na era do conhecimento: o foco em arranjos produtivos e inovativos locais. Parcerias Estratégicas, v. 8, n. 17, p. 5-29, 2003.

CASSIOLATO, J. E.; LASTRES, H. M. M. Discussing innovation and development: converging points between the Latin American school and the innovation systems perspective? Globelics, working paper, n. 2, 2008. Available at: http://www.redesist.ie.ufrj.br/ga2012/textos/Cassiolato/Lecture17_GA2008.pdf.

CAVALCANTE, L. R. Misty consensus, messy dissensus: paradoxes of the Brazilian innovation policies. Innovation & Management Review, n.15, v. 4, p. 373-385, 2018.

COOKE, P.; HEIDENREICH, M.; BRACZYK, H (ed.). Regional innovation systems. The role of governance in a globalized world. London: Routledge, 2004.

D’ESTE, P.; IAMMARINO, S. The spatial profile of university-business research partnerships. Regional Science, n. 89, v. 2, p. 336-350, 2010.

DUTRÉNIT, G.; ARZA, V. Channels and benefits of interactions between public research organisations and industry: Comparing four Latin American countries. Science and Public Policy, n. 37, v. 7, p. 541-553, 2010.

EDQUIST, C. Systems of innovation: perspectives and challenges. In: FAGERBERG, J.; MOWERY, D. C.; NELSON, R. R. (ed.). The Oxford handbook of innovation. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. p. 181-208.

FERNANDES, A. C. Da reestruturação corporativa à competição entre cidades: lições urbanas sobre os ajustes de interesses globais e locais no capitalismo contemporâneo. Espaço e Debates, n. 41, p. 26-45, 2001.

FERNANDES, A. C. Da urbanização caótica à hiperperiferia da rede urbana global: memórias sobre o pensamento de Wilson Cano para ler o urbano brasileiro contemporâneo. In: SANTOS, A. Q. et al. (org.). Wilson Cano: A questão regional e urbana no Brasil. São Paulo: Fundação Perseu Abramo: Expressão Popular: Abed, 2021. p. 237-264.

FERNANDES, A. C. et al. Academy-industry links in Brazil: evidence about channels and benefits for firms and researchers. Science and Public Policy, v. 7, n. 37, p. 485-498, 2010.

FERNANDES, A. C.; LIMA, J. P. R.; SILVA, A. S. da; SOUZA, B. C. de. Interação universidade-empresa no Brasil: a importância da proximidade geográfica e implicações para a política de CT&I. Relatório de Pesquisa. Recife: UFPE, 2017, mimeo.

FERNANDES, A. C.; SILVA, A. S. da; SOUZA, B. C. de Demanda e oferta de tecnologia e conhecimento em região periférica: a interação universidade-empresa no Nordeste brasileiro. In: SUZIGAN, W.; ALBUQUERQUE, E.; CÁRIO, S. (org.). Em busca da inovação: Interações de universidades e institutos de pesquisas com empresas no Brasil. Belo Horizonte: Autêntica, 2011. p. 341-401.

FREEMAN, C. The “National System of Innovation” in historical perspective. Journal of Economics, v. 1, n. 19, p. 5-24, 1995.

FREEMAN, C. Japan: a new national system of innovation? In: DOSI, G. et al. (ed.). Technical change and economic theory. London: Pinter, 1988. p. 330-348.

FURTADO, C. O mito do desenvolvimento econômico. Rio de Janeiro: Paz e Terra, 1974.

FURTADO, C. Discurso proferido na cerimônia de outorga do título de Doutor Honoris Causa pela Unicamp em 21 de agosto de 1990. Available at: https://youtu.be/6oIP-GDdYW0.

GARCIA, R. Geografia da inovação. In: RAPINI, M. S.; RUFFONI, J.; SILVA, L. A.; ALBUQUERQUE, E. da M. e (org.). Economia da ciência, tecnologia e inovação: fundamentos teóricos e a economia global. Belo Horizonte: FACE-UFMG, 2021. p. 266-293.

GARCIA, R. et al. Os efeitos da proximidade geográfica para o estímulo da interação universidade-empresa. Revista de Economia, UFPR, v. 37, n. esp., p. 307-330, 2011.

GERTLER, M. Tacit knowledge and the economic geography of context, or the undefinable tacitness of being (there). Journal of Economic Geography, v. 1, n. 3, p. 75-99, 2003.

GUTTMAN, L. A new approach to factor analysis: the Radex. In: LAZARSFELD, P. F. (ed.). Mathematical thinking in the social sciences. New York: Free Press, p. 258–348, 1954.

HOWELLS, J.; BESSANT, J. Introduction: innovation and economic geography: a review and analysis. Journal of Economic Geography, v. 12, p. 929-942, 2012.

JAFFE, A. Real effects of academic research. American Economic Review, n. 79, v. 5, p. 957-970, 1989.

LAGENDIJK, A.; LORENTZEN, A. Proximity, knowledge and innovation in peripheral regions. On the intersection between geographical and organizational proximity. European Planning Studies, v. 15, n. 4, p. 457-466, 2007.

LAURSEN, K.; REICHSTEIN, T.; SALTER, A. Exploring the effect of geographical proximity and university quality on university-industry collaboration in the United Kingdom. Regional Studies, n. 45, v. 4, p. 507-523, 2011.

LUNDVALL, B. National Systems of Innovation: Towards a theory of innovation and interactive learning. London: Pinter, 1992.

MAHDAD, M. et al. A Joint university-industry laboratories through the lens of proximity dimensions: moving beyond geographical proximity. International Journal of Innovation Science, v. 12 n. 4, p. 433-456, 2020.

MANSFIELD, E.; LEE, J. The modern university: Contributor to industrial innovation and receipt of industrial R&D support. Research Policy, n. 25, p. 1047-1058, 1996.

MASCARENHAS, S. A. N. et al. A Teoria das Facetas como forma privilegiada de estudar fenômenos sociais e humanos: uma aplicação no estudo das relações entre etnia e traços psicológicos na Amazônia brasileira. Revista Amazônica, n. 21, p. 321-343, 2018. [on-line]

MATTES, J. Dimensions of proximity and knowledge bases: Innovation between spatial and non-spatial factors. Regional Studies, n. 46, v. 8, p. 1085-1099, 2012.

MEYER-KRAHMER, F.; SCHMOCH, U. Science-based technologies: university-industry interaction in four fields. Research Policy, v. 8, n. 27, p. 835-851, 1998.

MORGAN, K. The exaggerated death of geography: learning, proximity and territorial innovation systems. Journal of Economic Geography, n. 4, p. 3-21, 2004.

MOWERY, D.; SAMPAT, B. University in National Innovation Systems. In: FAGERBERG, J.; MOWERY, D.; NELSON, R. (ed.). The Oxford handbook of innovation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005, p. 209-239.

NELSON, R. (ed.). National innovation systems: a comparative analysis. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.

NELSON, R.; ROSENBERG, N. Technical innovation and national systems. In: NELSON, R. (ed.) National innovation systems: A comparative analysis. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. p. 3-27.

NELSON, R.; WINTER, S. An evolutionary theory of economic change. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1982.

NOOTEBOOM, B. et al. Optimal cognitive distance and absorptive capacity. Research Policy, n. 36, p. 1016-1034, 2007.

PAULANI, L. Dependência 4.0: considerações teóricas e o caso do Brasil. XXVI Encontro Nacional de Economia Política, Goiânia, 2021. Anais [..]. Goiânia: Enep, 2021.

PEREZ, C. Structural change and the assimilation of new technologies in the economic and social system. Futures, n. 15, p. 357-375, 1983.

PEREZ, C.; SOETE, L. Catching-up in technology: entry barriers and windows of opportunity. In: DOSI, G. et al. (ed.). Technical change and economic theory. London: Pinter Publishers, 1988.

PINHO, M.; FERNANDES, A. C. Relevance of university-industry links for firms from developing countries: Exploring different surveys. In: SUZIGAN, W. et al. (org.). Developing national systems of innovation. University-industry interactions in the global South. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2015. p. 145-163.

POCHMANN, M. A grande desistência histórica e o fim da sociedade industrial. São Paulo: Ideias e Letras, 2022.

POLANYI, M. The tacit dimension. London: Routledge Kegan Paul, 1966.

PRADO JÚNIOR, C. História e desenvolvimento. São Paulo: Boitempo, 2021.

ROAZZI, A.; SOUZA, B. C. Advancing Facet Theory as the framework of choice to understand complex phenomena in the social and human sciences. In: KOLLER, S. H. (org.). Psychology in Brazil: Scientists making a difference. New York: Springer, 2019.

SHEARMUR, R. Why local development and local innovation are not the same thing. In: SHEARMUR, R.; CARRINCAZEAUX, C.; DOLOREUX, D. (ed.). Handbook on the geographies of innovation. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2011, p. 432-446.

STORPER, M.; VENABLES, A. J. Buzz: face-to-face contact and the urban economy. Journal of Economy Geography, n. 4, v. 4, p. 351-370, 2004.

SUZIGAN, W. (coord.). Interações de universidades e institutos de pesquisa com empresas no Brasil. Campinas: IG/Unicamp, Relatório de Pesquisa, mimeo, 2009.

SUZIGAN, W.; ALBUQUERQUE, E. M. The underestimated role of universities for the Brazilian system of innovation. Brazilian Journal of Political Economy, v. 1, n. 31, p. 3-30, 2011.

SUZIGAN, W.; RAPINI, M. S; ALBUQUERQUE, E. A changing role for universities in the periphery: Notes about a tri-continental research project. Belo Horizonte: Cedeplar/UFMG, [draft paper], 2009.

SZAPIRO, M.; MATOS, M.; CASSIOLATO, J. E. Sistemas de inovação e desenvolvimento. In: RAPINI, M. S.; RUFFONI, J.; SILVA, L. A.; ALBUQUERQUE, E. da M. (org.). Economia da ciência, tecnologia e inovação: fundamentos teóricos e a economia global. Belo Horizonte: FACE-UFMG, 2021. p. 323-349.

TORRE, A. On the role played by temporary geographical proximity in knowledge transmission. Regional Studies, n. 42, p. 869-889, 2008.

TORRE, A.; RALLET, A. Proximity and localization. Regional Studies, v. 1, n. 39, p. 47-59, 2005.

VEDOVELLO, C.; JUDICE, V.; MACULAN, A. Revisão crítica às abordagens a parques tecnológicos: alternativas interpretativas às experiências brasileiras recentes. Revista de Administração e Inovação, n. 3, v. 2, p. 103-118, 2006.

WETERINGS A.; BOSCHMA R. Does spatial proximity to customers matter for innovative performance? Evidence from the Dutch software sector. Research Policy, n. 38, p. 746-755, 2009.

Downloads

Published

2023-05-19

How to Cite

Fernandes, A. C. de A., Souza, B. C. de, Silva, A. S. da, & Lima, J. P. R. (2023). Does geographical proximity still matter for innovation? Notes on university-industry interaction from the perspective of a peripheral context . Revista Brasileira De Estudos Urbanos E Regionais, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.22296/2317-1529.rbeur.202310pt

Issue

Vol. 25 No. 1 (2023): Janeiro-Dezembro

Section

Articles - Space, Economy & Population

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:

1) Authors who publish in RBEUR retain the rights to their work and assign to the journal the right to first publication, performed under the Creative Commons Attribution License that allows work to be shared and assures the recognition of authorship and of the original publication vehicle, to RBEUR.

2) Authors are free to assume additional contracts separately, for publication and non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in this journal (e.g., publishing in an institutional repository or as a book chapter), reaffirming the authorship and recognition of the original publication vehicle, to RBEUR.