| Abstract: |
The paper focuses on the specific role of mid-range universities in knowledge
transfer and explores the knowledge flows from these mid-range universities
facing a number of extra constraints in transitional Central Eastern European
(CEE) regions. Mid-range universities, very often located outside of the
metropolitan regions, represent the keystones of regional innovation systems
for the less developed regions where the “density of contacts” is much lower
and possible spillovers emerge more sparsely. The first part of the paper
focuses on the types of possible linkages between mid-range universities and
industry, and limitations of these relations bringing examples from Western
Europe where the position of universities in the collaboration with business
sector and their role in the innovation system is quite different form their
CEE counterparts. It is mainly due to the different development path of
innovation systems and development trajectories in post-communist countries
described in the paper. Based on case studies bringing examples mainly from
the non-metropolitan regions of Hungary and the Czech Republic, where the
number of constraints, such as the lack of critical mass in their
techno-economic systems, the traditionally weaker role of university based
experimental researches, the mismatch between the economic and knowledge
sectors, the weak regional innovation systems and less intense
university–industry links are the major impediments of knowledge transfer. The
paper argues that ambitious university-based developmental models have to be
revised in CEE regions and the future role of universities has to be
reconsidered as potential engines of local economic development from a more
realistic perspective. The paper also argues, that the regional
techno-economic system needs to achieve a certain degree of maturity in order
to be able to determine the foci of a research and innovation-oriented
regional development within the reindustrializing CEE regions and makes policy
recommendation for the mid-range universities to take on new role, which means
a stronger regional engagement in also medium-tech innovations and in social
and organizational innovation. |