INNOVATIVENESS IN INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS OF TURKEY AND INDICATORS OF INNOVATION ACTIVITIES IN SMEs

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn recent years “innovation” become an important concept of regional development literature. In many regional development studies, innovation concept and indicators of innovation are defined as regards to regional economic and industrial characteristics and technological level of region. In the context of the paper innovation indicators and relationship between firm networks and innovation capacity are researched in industrial nodes of Turkey. Paper depends on data of field survey, realised in Ankara, Bursa and Denizli. Results of the study show that general innovation indicators are not directly related with innovation capacity in sample industrial nodes, however networks, especially global Networks are important for innovation activities in firms and regions.