IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/ecinnt/v13y2004i2p183-197.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The sources of innovations - looking beyond technological opportunities

Author

Listed:
  • Christopher Palmberg

Abstract

The concept 'technological opportunity' has been coined to capture the vitality of the underlying sciences and technologies as the sources of technical progress that firms draw upon during innovation. Nonetheless, less attention has been paid to the fact that the commercialisation of technical progress through innovations also depends on the ability to assimilate a range of other sources of innovations, related less to the sciences and technologies and more to characteristics of the market and broader environment in which firms innovate. This paper focuses on the sectoral diversity in such sources, and on the ways in which they are assimilated and turned into commercialised innovations. The paper contributes to the extant literature by drawing on a unique survey data on Finnish innovations. The results both confirm and also challenge, and further elaborate on certain 'stylised facts' on the relationships between technological opportunities and the sources of innovation across sectors.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher Palmberg, 2004. "The sources of innovations - looking beyond technological opportunities," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(2), pages 183-197.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:ecinnt:v:13:y:2004:i:2:p:183-197
    DOI: 10.1080/10438590410001628143
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10438590410001628143
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/10438590410001628143?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nelson, Richard R. & Wolff, Edward N., 1997. "Factors behind cross-industry differences in technical progress," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 8(2), pages 205-220, June.
    2. Utterback, James M & Abernathy, William J, 1975. "A dynamic model of process and product innovation," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 3(6), pages 639-656, December.
    3. Malerba, Franco & Orsenigo, Luigi, 1997. "Technological Regimes and Sectoral Patterns of Innovative Activities," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 6(1), pages 83-117.
    4. Wolfgang Becker & Juergen Peters, 2000. "Technological Opportunities, Absorptive Capacities, and Innovation," Discussion Paper Series 195, Universitaet Augsburg, Institute for Economics.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Chih‐Hai Yang & Yi‐Ju Huang, 2009. "Do Intellectual Property Rights Matter To Taiwan'S Exports? A Dynamic Panel Approach," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(4), pages 555-578, October.
    2. Caroline Orset, 2014. "Innovation and the precautionary principle," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(8), pages 780-801, November.
    3. Edler, Jakob & Georghiou, Luke, 2007. "Public procurement and innovation--Resurrecting the demand side," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(7), pages 949-963, September.
    4. Santamara, Llus & Nieto, Mara Jess & Barge-Gil, Andrs, 2009. "Beyond formal R&D: Taking advantage of other sources of innovation in low- and medium-technology industries," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 507-517, April.
    5. M. Moore, 2021. "Collaboration in Coworking Spaces: Impact on Firm Innovativeness and Business Models," Papers 2111.09866, arXiv.org.
    6. Arie Y. Lewin & Silvia Massini & Carine Peeters, 2011. "Microfoundations of Internal and External Absorptive Capacity Routines," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(1), pages 81-98, February.
    7. Paraskevopoulou, Evita, 2012. "Non-technological regulatory effects: Implications for innovation and innovation policy," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 1058-1071.
    8. Terttu Luukkonen, & Mari Maunula,, 2006. "Coaching Small Biotech Companies into Success: The Value-adding Function of VC," Discussion Papers 1032, The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy.
    9. Yun, Siyeong & Song, Kisik & Kim, Chulhyun & Lee, Sungjoo, 2021. "From stones to jewellery: Investigating technology opportunities from expired patents," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    10. Leal-Rodríguez, Antonio L. & Ariza-Montes, José A. & Roldán, José L. & Leal-Millán, Antonio G., 2014. "Absorptive capacity, innovation and cultural barriers: A conditional mediation model," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(5), pages 763-768.
    11. Kiyoon Shin & Yeongjun Yeo & Jeong-Dong Lee, 2020. "Revitalizing the Concept of Public Procurement for Innovation (PPI) from a Systemic Perspective: Objectives, Policy Types, and Impact Mechanisms," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 33(2), pages 187-211, April.
    12. Aschhoff, Birgit & Sofka, Wolfgang, 2009. "Innovation on demand--Can public procurement drive market success of innovations?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(8), pages 1235-1247, October.
    13. Nunzia Carbonara & Roberta Pellegrino, 2020. "The role of public private partnerships in fostering innovation," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(2), pages 140-156, February.
    14. Coronado, Daniel & Acosta, Manuel & Fernández, Ana, 2008. "Attitudes to innovation in peripheral economic regions," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(6-7), pages 1009-1021, July.
    15. Frederico Rocha & Ana Urraca Ruiz, 2008. "Sources of Technological Opportunity in Brazil," Anais do XXXVI Encontro Nacional de Economia [Proceedings of the 36th Brazilian Economics Meeting] 200807091618140, ANPEC - Associação Nacional dos Centros de Pós-Graduação em Economia [Brazilian Association of Graduate Programs in Economics].
    16. Nissinen, A. & Parikka-Alhola, K. & Rita, H., 2009. "Environmental criteria in the public purchases above the EU threshold values by three Nordic countries: 2003 and 2005," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(6), pages 1838-1849, April.
    17. Maureen McKelvey, 2016. "Firms navigating through innovation spaces: a conceptualization of how firms search and perceive technological, market and productive opportunities globally," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 26(4), pages 785-802, October.
    18. Gao, Yanyan & Zang, Leizhen & Roth, Antoine & Wang, Puqu, 2017. "Does democracy cause innovation? An empirical test of the popper hypothesis," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(7), pages 1272-1283.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lionel Nesta & Vincent Mangematin, 2002. "Industry Life Cycle, Knowledge Generation and Technological Networks," Grenoble Ecole de Management (Post-Print) hal-03398092, HAL.
    2. Andreas Pyka & Uwe Cantner & Alfred Greiner & Thomas Kuhn (ed.), 2009. "Recent Advances in Neo-Schumpeterian Economics," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 12982.
    3. Bastian Rake, 2017. "Determinants of pharmaceutical innovation: the role of technological opportunities revisited," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 27(4), pages 691-727, September.
    4. Sam Tavassoli & Nunzia Carbonara, 2014. "The role of knowledge variety and intensity for regional innovation," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 43(2), pages 493-509, August.
    5. Tavassoli, Sam, 2015. "Innovation determinants over industry life cycle," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 18-32.
    6. Eckhardt, Jonathan T. & Shane, Scott A., 2011. "Industry changes in technology and complementary assets and the creation of high-growth firms," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 412-430, July.
    7. Sam Tavassoli & Babak Kianian & Tobias C. Larsson, 2015. "Manufacturing renaissance: return of manufacturing to western countries," Chapters, in: Charlie Karlsson & Urban Gråsjö & Sofia Wixe (ed.), Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Global Economy, chapter 11, pages 261-280, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    8. Dosi, Giovanni & Nelson, Richard R., 2010. "Technical Change and Industrial Dynamics as Evolutionary Processes," Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, in: Bronwyn H. Hall & Nathan Rosenberg (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 0, pages 51-127, Elsevier.
    9. Francesco Lamperti & Franco Malerba & Roberto Mavilia & Giorgio Tripodi, 2019. "Does the Position in the Inter-sectoral Knowledge Space affect the International Competitiveness of Industries?," LEM Papers Series 2019/23, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    10. Heidenreich, Martin, 2009. "Innovation patterns and location of European low- and medium-technology industries," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 483-494, April.
    11. Chang, Yuan-Chieh & Chen, Min-Nan, 2016. "Service regime and innovation clusters: An empirical study from service firms in Taiwan," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(9), pages 1845-1857.
    12. Giovanni Dosi & Richard Nelson, 2013. "The Evolution of Technologies: An Assessment of the State-of-the-Art," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 3(1), pages 3-46, June.
    13. Triulzi, Giorgio & Alstott, Jeff & Magee, Christopher L., 2020. "Estimating technology performance improvement rates by mining patent data," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    14. Ackermann, Malte & Brenner, Thomas & Lorenz, Steffi & Stephan, Michael, 2011. "Die Entwicklung der technologischen Wissensbasis in technologiegetriebenen Industrien am Beispiel der deutschen Solarindustrie: Eine empirische Analyse der Akteure und ihrer Herkunft," Discussion Papers on Strategy and Innovation 11-05, Philipps-University Marburg, Department of Technology and Innovation Management (TIM).
    15. Andreas Pyka & Paul Windrum, 2003. "The self-organisation of strategic alliances," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(3), pages 245-268.
    16. Triulzi, G., 2014. "Technology life cycle and specialization patterns of latecomer countries: The case of the semiconductor industry," MERIT Working Papers 2014-012, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    17. Onufrey, Ksenia & Bergek, Anna, 2020. "Second wind for exploitation: Pursuing high degrees of product and process innovativeness in mature industries," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    18. Laursen, Keld, 1999. "The impact of technological opportunity on the dynamics of trade performance," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 10(3-4), pages 341-357, December.
    19. Scott Shane, 2001. "Technology Regimes and New Firm Formation," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 47(9), pages 1173-1190, September.
    20. Alfred Haid & Markus Thomas Münter, 1999. "Neuere Entwicklungen in der industrieökonomischen Forschung und die aktuelle Berichterstattung über die technologische Leistungsfähigkeit Deutschlands," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 188, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:ecinnt:v:13:y:2004:i:2:p:183-197. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/GEIN20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.