Organizing innovation: Integrating knowledge systems

Abstract

Abstract The question we attempt to shed light on in this article is: How can we organize national and regional innovation systems in order to increase innovation activity in SMEs globally (small and medium‐sized enterprises)? From the individual company's point of view the question pertaining to research would be: How can SMEs utilize new knowledge, new skills and new technology, to increase innovation activity and improve their competitive advantage? The purpose of the article is to develop a simple model for regional innovation centres, designed to overcome the field of institutional inertia in which established institutions to a great extent are trapped. We will also discuss the concept of new scanning institutions.