The Evolution of Innovation Networks in Slovakia: Disintegration and Slow Recovery

Knowledge production processes during the transition period from authoritarian socialism to market economy experienced significant changes in Slovakia and other CEE countries. Such a paradigm shift has caused the disintegration of the former inventory networks followed by only a slow recovery over the last 20 years. The patenting activity analysis of Slovak institutions gives a good focal point to indicate the general decrease in innovation performance and also to justify the breakdown and fragmentation of the former long-term cooperating inventory networks during the period of 1998–2012. The Slovak regional inventory networks have been studied for a longer period using network analysis, discovering common evolutionary development as well as particular network patterns after the opening of the economy to competition and foreign investments, staying before in a comfort zone. The recovery and formation of new networks of inventors are still very slow, even if the economic growth is steadily positive. One of the main reasons for continuing lower innovation performance is not only the low expenditure on research and development, but another reason is a relatively low number and quality of the links within poorly developed regional innovation systems. The results of the network analysis demonstrate to what degree the regional innovation system is truly regional (or national or even international) by comparing Slovakia’s regions and their interdependencies.