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Dynamics in ICT cooperation networks in selected German ICT clusters

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Abstract

High innovation capability is indispensable for generating economic growth in developed economies. Cooperations in the innovation process are entered into by companies for reasons of risk diversification or costs and often considered to be an efficient strategy to increase a company’s knowledge basis. Regional economic literature very often believes that regional agglomeration of companies, i.e. cluster formation, will also lead to increased local networking, i.e. also to cooperations between companies or between company and research institutes in the innovation process. A social network analysis of the two German ICT regions performed with patent data was able to show that cluster formation coincides with a dynamic increase of cooperations measured by joint patent applications. However, the cooperations are characterized by integration of extra-regional companies and research institutes rather than being intraregional.

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Notes

  1. Along with Döring and Schnellenbach (2006) this paper understands knowledge as comprising all cognitions and abilities that individuals use to solve problems, make decisions and understand incoming information.

  2. A minimum size of 10 actors is required and a corporate share of at least 50 %. In addition, the involvement of a research institution must be ensured. Among the parties involved there should also be service providers, in particular financial services providers and basic and further training facilities. The BMWi also requires that the network focuses on a specific field of innovation and that it has specific unique features setting it apart. The organizational degree of the network is also of great significance. Next to “branding,” this is the focus of the second pillar of sponsoring. The organization unit of the network or the cluster management will receive specific support, for example, for conducting workshops and industrial fairs. Further assistance is provided by the publication of trend reports, network-specific short studies, online newsletters, joint internet presentations, exchange and development of cooperation projects, internationalisation, i.e. the development of strategies for corresponding activities and the organization of group study visits (BMWi 2010b).

  3. For the precise implementation process, see Mahmutovic (2011). Together with Oliver Emons, Zafir Mahmutovic implemented the patent database EIIW-Netpat in the scope of the research project EU structural change, regional innovation dynamics and cluster formation options in the knowledge societies for the European Institute for International Economic Relationships (EIIW) at the Bergische University of Wuppertal.

  4. Aachen is located in the NUTS-2 region of Cologne.

  5. It must be noted that natural persons with a professor’s title very often can be assigned to research institutions. Until 2002, German patent law permitted university professors to register a patent in their name rather than the university’s name.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Mittelstandsforschung Bonn, Maximilianstrasse 20, 53111, Bonn, Germany

    Christian Schröder

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Correspondence to Christian Schröder.

Appendix

Appendix

Fig. 7
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Cologne (NUTS-2) with at least one cooperation partner (Applicant) headquartered outside of the region for the period of 1984–1993 (t0)

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Cologne (NUTS-2) with at least one cooperation partner (Applicant) Headquartered outside of the Region for the period of 1994–2003 (t1) Source: Own illustration

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Karlsruhe (NUTS-2) with at least one cooperation partner (Applicant) headquartered outside of the region for the period of 1988–1997 (t0)

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Karlsruhe (NUTS-2) with at least one cooperation partner (Applicant) headquartered outside of the Region for the period of 1998–2007 (t1) Source: Own illustration

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All applicants outside of cologne (NUTS-2) for the period of 1984–1993 (t0)

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All applicants outside of cologne (NUTS-2) for the period of 1994–2003 (t1) Source: Own illustration

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All applicants outside of Karlsruhe (NUTS-2) for the period of 1988–1997 (t0)

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All applicants outside of Karlsruhe (NUTS-2) for the Period of 1998–2007 (t1) Source: Own illustration

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All applicants within cologne (NUTS-2) for the period of 1984–1993 (t0)

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All applicants within cologne (NUTS-2) for the period of 1994–2003 (t1) Source: Own illustration

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All applicants within Karlsruhe (NUTS-2) for the period of 1988–1997 (t0)

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All applicants within Karlsruhe (NUTS-2) for the Period of 1998–2007 (t1) Source: Own illustration

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Table 3 Classification of (OECD) ICT sector
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Table 4 Cooperation networks with at least one cooperation partner (Applicant) headquartered outside of the region under consideration
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Table 5 Cooperation networks with at least one cooperation partner (Applicant) Headquartered outside of the region under consideration
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Table 6 Cooperation networks in which all cooperation partners (Applicants) are Headquartered outside of the region under consideration
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Table 7 Cooperation networks in which all cooperation partners (Applicants) are headquartered outside of the region under consideration
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Table 8 Cooperation networks in which all cooperation partners (Applicants) are headquartered inside the region under consideration
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Table 9 Cooperation Networks in which all cooperation partners (applicants) are headquartered inside the region under consideration
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Schröder, C. Dynamics in ICT cooperation networks in selected German ICT clusters. Int Econ Econ Policy 11, 197–230 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10368-013-0253-8

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