From the Diffusion of Innovation to Tech Parks, Business Incubators as a Model of Economic Development: The Case of “Sardegna Ricerche”

Abstract

Considering the long lasting phase of low economic growth in which the Italian economy has been trapped, the subject of innovative start-ups and how to support their development is a crucial one. The so-called “business incubators” are one of the possible solutions considered in the economic literature and are in fact implemented in several countries, in order to develop new businesses with strong innovative components. The research will focus on the development of “business incubators”, namely the “incubator” “Sardegna Ricerche”. A further aim of the study is to apply Everett Rogers’ theory on the “diffusion of innovation” on the data collected by “Sardegna Ricerche”.