I am thrilled to be an associated partner in the DFG-Network “The Dynamics of Innovation Systems: Perspectives, Influences and Operationalization“,
At the center of this research stands the question of how the innovation performance of spatial units (e.g. regions ) can be empirically measured and what factors explain its inter-regional variance.
My work is dedicated to approaching regional innovation performance as regions’ “innovation efficiency”. Regional innovation efficiency describes the relationship between existing regional knowledge inputs (e.g. R&D capacities) and the innovation output (e.g. product innovations, patents) of regional innovation activities. My work particularly advocates the use of robust non-parametric efficiency analysis and on how innovation efficiency thinking can inform the design and adaptation of region-specific innovation policies.
The paper contributes to the debate on how to measure regions’ innovation performance. On the basis of the concept of