The emergence of collaborative partnerships between knowledge-intensive business service (KIBS) and product companies: the case of Bremen, Germany

Abstract

Regional science research is silent on how collaborative partnerships between knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) and product companies emerge. The paper addresses this theoretical gap by examining the role played by KIBS firms and by their interactions with product companies. It proposes a typology of territorial servitization – namely knowledge gap, regulation gap and capacity gap – wherein KIBS firms respectively play the pivotal roles of knowledge brokers, intermediators and integrators in driving collaborative partnerships. By conducting qualitative case studies, this paper explores the mechanisms by which product companies located in a high-tech multi-industry cluster in Bremen, Germany, collaborate with KIBS firms in fostering regional competitiveness.