Innovation Systems
Programme director: Prof.dr. A. Kleinknecht
Motivation and mission
This program integrates contributions from various disciplines towards an investigation of factors that influence the emergence and diffusion of innovations. The program has in common with the other research programs of our faculty that it focuses on the analysis of multi-actor settings, on systems analysis, and on problems related to an innovative use of technologies. Moreover, as other TBM research, it attempts to combine knowledge across the boundaries of traditional disciplines and departments. Given the university mission of research-based teaching, the program should be a focal point of research underlying the new TBM Master program 'Management of Technology'.
In the Schumpeterian tradition, we define innovations broadly as 'new combinations', including also non-technical (service) innovations. Innovations can be based on newly developed technologies as well as on a creative use of existing technologies. Levels of analyses reach from the study of individual innovation projects via firm-level studies up to sectoral and even macro-economic studies of innovation, diffusion and economic performance, although the main thrust of research will be at the project and firm level. Research methodologies include case studies as well as the econometric investigation of large databases and panel data. The two most important pillars of the program can be indicated with the following (overlapping) research topics:
- Knowledge management, HRM practices and labour relations;
- National, regional and sectoral innovation systems and knowledge networks.
While the first topic has its focus on processes within organisations, the second topic concentrates on inter-organisational relations. Investigators of the second topic tend to consider organisations as a 'black box', which has its drawbacks, as intra- and inter-firm relations cannot be really separated. This is why it is so important having both research pillars in one program. Of course, both pillars, besides being interrelated, have a common interest in the impact of factors that promote or hamper processes of innovation and diffusion which will ultimately translate into differences in performance with respect to sales and productivity growth, profits, the quality of work, and, last but not least, contributions to long-run ecological sustainability.
In their investigation of the feasibility of this program, Van Beers and Ortt[1] recognized that this research program shows some overlap with programs at the Technical Universities of Eindhoven and Twente, and it is not by accident that several of the participants in the Innovation Systems program also participate in the National Research Network Innonet, together with people from Eindhoven and Twente. On the other hand, a more detailed exposition below will show that our program has several unique distinguishing points.
[1] Cees van Beers & Roland Ortt: Haalbaarheidsonderzoek Onderzoekprogramma Innovatiesystemen, Report to the Management Team of the Faculty Technology, Policy and Management, January 2004
