Local or Digital Buzz, Global or National Pipelines: Patterns of Knowledge Sourcing in Intelligent Machinery and Digital Content Services in Finland

Abstract

In regional innovation systems (RIS), there is a need to identify the knowledge bases that firms draw upon and differentiate innovation policies accordingly. From this premise, the main aim of this paper is to compare two Finnish industries, intelligent machinery and digital content services, that draw upon different kinds of knowledge bases. The three main research questions discussed here are as follows: (a) do knowledge sources of the firms representing two different industries with two different knowledge bases differ from each other, and how; (b) how do the knowledge sources differ between different types of RIS and (c) what kind of extra-regional pipelines do the three different cases have? The RIS under scrutiny represent fragmented metropolitan (Helsinki metropolitan area), old industrial (Tampere region) and organizationally thin (South Ostrobothnia) RIS.

Notes

These are, for example, the Nokia Corporation, the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE, Alma Media, the Sanoma Corporation, Telia-Sonera, Elisa, Digita, TietoEnator and Satama Interactive. Some of the most popular and well-known SMEs in the sector are, for example, Jaiku, Sulake Dynamoid, Digital Chocolate, Remedy, Aniway, A4 Media, Bob Helsinki, Laundry Helsinki, Bugbear Entertainment, Fremantle Entertainment, Broadcasters, Housemarque, Intervisio and Mermit.

Main companies are, for example, MSK Group Oy, Done Logistics Oy, Epec Oy, Exertus Oy, Antti Lindfors Oy, Rautaruukki Oyj, Lumikko Oy, Forsfood Oy, Tankki Oy, Finn-Power Oy, Formia Lakeus, Pinomatic Oy, Plantool Oy, Formia Vesme Oy, Pesmel Oy and Done Logistics Oy.

Rautaruukki and Finn-Power Oy.