Innovation Platforms Integrating Global Human Capital into Knowledge Economy
Nordling, Nadja (2014)
Nordling, Nadja
2014
Kunta- ja aluejohtaminen - Local and Regional Governance
Johtamiskorkeakoulu - School of Management
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2014-04-16
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:uta-201404171348
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:uta-201404171348
Tiivistelmä
This study contributes to the policy discussion on regional development and internationalization by discussing how innovation platforms may integrate human capital into innovation activities. Policy relevance is related to the globalization of innovation practices and how local and global are linked together. The focus is on practices that support the emergence of innovation communities and innovation platforms. This is discussed by concentrating on the integration of global human capital into Finnish innovation activities and how a global MNC may link to local resources. I use knowledge economy as a theory and innovation communities and innovation platforms as key concepts.
According to a literature review concerning globalization of innovation communities (Web of Science), interest towards the study field has grown within the 20th century and especially during the last few years. Innovation community is a promising but still a vague concept that needs to be developed. Here the definition was based on empirical work. The empirical part of the study consists of three different data sets: (1) screening innovation communities (Finland), (2) survey conducted in Demola (Finland) and (3) fieldwork in Microsoft Innovation Centers (Brazil). Different research methods have been applied to the data.
Based on a small screening innovation communities attribute to the combination and creation of knowledge and thus to the integration of global human capital. Most successfully people are integrated to innovation activities in innovation platforms that are more policy-tools supporting the emergence of innovation communities than purely innovation communities. The case study of Demola showed that Demola integrates foreign-born students to innovation processes at least as efficiently as Finnish students and that Demola works as a tool to build global innovation communities. Fieldwork in Brazil suggests that global MNCs may tap into local innovation systems efficiently. To do so they have to be designed to match with the local ecosystem. The main difference between Microsoft Innovation Centers and Demola is that Microsoft Innovation Centers are global and trying to tap into the local ecosystems whereas Demola works from the local level and establishes global connections by linking foreign-born people into innovation processes: Microsoft Innovation Centers try to harness local knowledge to benefit global means and Demola tries to utilize global knowledge to benefit the local economy. Studying them shows that locality is important in both cases and establishing connections (either local or global in nature) requires meeting up with the expectations of people involved in the activities.
In sum innovation platforms bring together a global composition of talent and link this global human capital to the local economy. It seems that innovation platforms do not only participate to the formation of global innovation communities but they are the generators of such global compositions and may be seen as factories of global human capital. Further research about the formation of global human capital and structure of innovation platforms is still required.
According to a literature review concerning globalization of innovation communities (Web of Science), interest towards the study field has grown within the 20th century and especially during the last few years. Innovation community is a promising but still a vague concept that needs to be developed. Here the definition was based on empirical work. The empirical part of the study consists of three different data sets: (1) screening innovation communities (Finland), (2) survey conducted in Demola (Finland) and (3) fieldwork in Microsoft Innovation Centers (Brazil). Different research methods have been applied to the data.
Based on a small screening innovation communities attribute to the combination and creation of knowledge and thus to the integration of global human capital. Most successfully people are integrated to innovation activities in innovation platforms that are more policy-tools supporting the emergence of innovation communities than purely innovation communities. The case study of Demola showed that Demola integrates foreign-born students to innovation processes at least as efficiently as Finnish students and that Demola works as a tool to build global innovation communities. Fieldwork in Brazil suggests that global MNCs may tap into local innovation systems efficiently. To do so they have to be designed to match with the local ecosystem. The main difference between Microsoft Innovation Centers and Demola is that Microsoft Innovation Centers are global and trying to tap into the local ecosystems whereas Demola works from the local level and establishes global connections by linking foreign-born people into innovation processes: Microsoft Innovation Centers try to harness local knowledge to benefit global means and Demola tries to utilize global knowledge to benefit the local economy. Studying them shows that locality is important in both cases and establishing connections (either local or global in nature) requires meeting up with the expectations of people involved in the activities.
In sum innovation platforms bring together a global composition of talent and link this global human capital to the local economy. It seems that innovation platforms do not only participate to the formation of global innovation communities but they are the generators of such global compositions and may be seen as factories of global human capital. Further research about the formation of global human capital and structure of innovation platforms is still required.