The evolutionary process of knowledge recombination and Smart Specialisation Strategies for economic development
The ESRI organises a public seminar series, inviting researchers from both the ESRI and other institutions to present new research on a variety of public policy issues. The seminar series provides access to specialised knowledge and new research methodologies, with the objective of promoting research excellence and facilitating productive dialogue across the policy and research fields.
Guest speaker: Dr Dieter F. Kogler, Associate Professor in Economic Geography and the Academic Director of the Spatial Dynamics Lab at University College Dublin (UCD).
Seminar topic: The knowledge space methodology offers an approach to examine the presence and assemblage of knowledge domains inherent to regional technological capabilities. Furthermore, it provides an opportunity to examine the evolutionary trajectories of technological specialization in regional economies. The objective of the present investigation is to examine the evolutionary process of knowledge recombination activities. In this regard, a high degree of relatedness among technological classes, as indicated in regional knowledge spaces, is expected to enhance innovative output as related technologies are more easily recombined into new knowledge outputs. However, an absence of diversity in regional technological capabilities also indicates that the possibilities to pursue recombination activities are limited. The present investigation has important bearings for the Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) policy framework that aims to provide a regional development framework for Europe by offering a novel approach to the study of real knowledge of local potential.
Speaker bio: Dr Kogler's research focus is on the geography of innovation and evolutionary economic geography, with particular emphasis on knowledge production and diffusion, and processes related to technological change, innovation, and economic growth. He is currently an ERC Starter Grant Holder with the following project title: Technology Evolution in Regional Economies (TechEvo). Dr Kogler also serves as an Associate Editor of Regional Studies and is an Editorial Board member of the Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society. His career path combines professional, education and research experience acquired in Europe, the United States, and Canada, within a variety of areas pertaining to the spatial analysis of socio-economic phenomena.