Knowledge Gatekeepers and Path Development on the Knowledge Periphery: The Case of Ruta N in Medellin, Colombia

Abstract

The literature on path development is increasingly concerned with providing targeted policy recommendations for different regional innovation systems. This paper examines the case of Ruta N, a regional innovation agency operating on the knowledge periphery in Medellin, Colombia. The municipally owned intermediary organization Ruta N stimulates new industrial path development by facilitating the acquisition, diffusion and absorption of extra-regional knowledge within the regional innovation system. To do so, Ruta N acts as a knowledge gatekeeper, engaging in the ‘tropicalization’ of extra-regional knowledge to facilitate its absorption. Its experience is indicative of one possible path connecting local elites with international leaders, increasing absorptive capacity, and facilitating knowledge transfer.