Geographies of Open Source Biotechnology Innovation: Buzz, Pipelines, and Proximity in a Virtual Cluster

Virtual communication forms play an increasingly important role for innovation and knowledge creation to individuals and to public and private organizations such as research centers, universities, and firms. Whereas biotech R&D cooperation was characteristically organized in a highly specialized cluster based largely on local face-to-face communications and strategic temporary linkages to other agglomerations, this archetypal configuration may undergo changes due to the emerging applicability of open innovation models such as ‘open source biotechnology’ or the advanced integration of physicians and patients into therapy development processes. An in-depth case study of an ‘Open Source Pharma’ network portrays how innovation and knowledge integration mechanisms are put into practice through ´permanence` in virtual space. In this newly created environment a number of geographical patterns are inverted: ´local buzz` turns into ´virtual global buzz`; global pipelines transform to local pipelines. However, institutionalized norms of the virtual network illustrate noteworthy similarities with ´localized capabilities` of regional agglomerations.