Interdependencies between the science and technology infrastructure and innovation activities in German regions: empirical findings and policy consequences

Regional studies have detected interdependencies between the technological infrastructure and the innovation activities of the respective regions. It is commonly agreed that the private knowledge base of companies in a region is supplemented by the public knowledge of research institutes located in the region. On account of the accumulation of knowledge and regional effects, competitive regional specialisation patterns evolve. This paper follows studies from the United States and underlines the mostly positive influence between the public science infrastructure and the industrial science and technology output. The empirical part deals with the federal states (laender) of Germany. For two of them, Baden–Wuerttemberg (BW) and North Rhine–Westphalia (NRW), an innovative in-depth analysis based on a breakdown of activities in 18 technology areas is presented. Consequences for science and technology policy are discussed.