Browsing by Subject "Innovation"

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A taxonomy of innovation networks
(2012) Pyka, Andreas; Schön, Benjamin
In this discussion paper we develop a theory-based typology of innovation networks with a special focus on public-private collaboration. This taxonomy is theoretically based on the concept of life cycles which is transferred to the context of innovation networks as well as on the mode of network formation which can occur either spontaneous or planned. The taxonomy distinguishes six different types of networks and incorporates two plausible alternative developments that eventually lead to a similar network structure of the two types of networks. From this, important conclusions and recommendations for network actors and policy makers are drawn.
Agrofuels, large-scale agricultural production, and rural development : the case of Jatropha in Madagascar
(2019) Bosch, Christine; Zeller, Manfred
Agrofuel production in marginal areas can contribute directly to creating employment and improving local livelihoods. Indirectly, through increasing household purchasing power and relaxing financial constraints of smallholder farmers, it can contribute to greater food production and/or food consumption and rural development. These benefits depend, however, largely on the feedstock crop and its processing, land and labour requirements, the business model, value chains and institutional frameworks. Jatropha, a feedstock crop with more benefits than first-generation energy crops like maize, experienced a spike in popularity in the early 2000s due to its value in the biofuel markets of industrialized countries. The majority of plantations and outgrower schemes could not survive what followed: disappointing yields, pests and disease, low oil prices, the 2007/2008 food price crisis, negative narratives, and inadequate funding for further research activities. Despite these challenges, large-scale land investments and new Jatropha projects continue to be undertaken. Madagascar is a country characterized by severely eroded and degraded pasturelands, low agricultural productivity, high vulnerability to climatic shocks, and overwhelming poverty and food insecurity rates. It is hypothesized that the use of marginal lands for labour-intensive agrofuel feedstock cultivation, in otherwise neglected areas, through both public and private investment, will have positive impacts through the provision of wage work in large-scale plantation schemes. Although a number of studies have investigated the rural livelihood impacts of participation in Jatropha cultivation, there is little evidence that quantifies the long-term and indirect effects on smallholder food production and household food security. Against this background, large-scale Jatropha cultivation lends itself well to studying the complex interplay between feedstock and food production, as well as the potential for agricultural and rural development. Such analysis would provide useful insights and implications for cost-effective rural development policies to target poor farmers in remote areas. Drawing on a conceptual framework that highlights the role of smallholder farmers’ livelihood strategies like off-farm employment and agricultural intensification, and livelihood outcomes like food security, this thesis explores the contribution of large-scale agrofuel feedstock cultivation on marginal land. Three important outcomes, namely household food security, information and innovation spillover effects, and agricultural input use, are studied empirically in three articles, using a comprehensive household panel data set. The data was collected in six survey rounds between 2008 and 2014, in three villages near a large-scale Jatropha project in the Haute Matsiatra region, located in Madagascar’s Southern Highlands. The first article examines the relationship between wage work for a Jatropha project and household food security. Jatropha cultivation on marginal land is labour intensive and does not compete with food production. Therefore, incomes earned can contribute to increased food security directly as well as indirectly through increased or diversified food production. Using five rounds of household panel data, results show that labour demand from the plantation declined substantially after the build-up phase and Jatropha incomes were mostly used for food and other necessities. Fixed effects models show that Jatropha work contributed significantly to an improved dietary diversity. Despite the possibility to earn income during the lean season, Jatropha work did not lead to a reduction in the more subjective lack of food and led to reduced rice stocks. Both food production and consumption were highly influenced by drought shocks and locust plagues, indicating that complementing income creation strategies with agricultural development strategies might have further positive effects on food security. To shed light on the impact pathway from Jatropha work to agricultural production, the second article explores information dissemination through social networks and through Jatropha workers who are more exposed to modern technologies than control households. In addition to institutional factors, a lack of knowledge and limited extension services for improved agricultural technologies are considered barriers to information dissemination. Using two rounds of the dataset, which contains rich information on social capital and networks as well as knowledge and innovations, determinants of production-relevant knowledge like extension services, credit and marketing opportunities are estimated. Accounting for potential endogeneity with lagged and instrumental variables, the relevance of this knowledge to the adoption of innovations and the cultivation of a formerly taboo legume, as an example of diversification, is tested. The results indicate limited access to information, little knowledge on investment and marketing opportunities, and low adoption of innovations. Knowledge is relevant for both innovation performance and the cultivation of the Bambara groundnut, highlighting the need to increase and improve public extension services and information dissemination in rural Madagascar. Adoption is not only encouraged by knowledge, but also directly motivated through informal social networks. Bambara groundnut spillovers from the biofuel project can be observed, relaxing some of the constraints farmers face concerning access to information, social learning, and cultural norms. The third article explores one specific hypothesized spillover: access to and use of agricultural inputs. Given the very low use of improved inputs in rural areas in Madagascar, this study explores whether improved seed and seed information distributed to farmers encourages farmers to cultivate the seed. The analysis is based on household data gathered between 2012 and 2014 from 390 households in three villages. To investigate the adoption of improved seed, as well as the diffusion of information regarding improved seed, a randomized control trial was applied in 2013. Half of the 390 households were randomly assigned to receive the improved lima bean seed (Phaseolus lunatus), which is specifically bred for dry regions. Of the seed-receiving households, half were randomly assigned to receive information on how to store, plant, and cultivate the improved seed, as the variety was unfamiliar in the region. The control group and the two treatment groups are compared with respect to baseline characteristics, bean cultivation, information exchange with other farmers, legume consumption, and willingness to pay (WTP) for improved bean seed. To account for non-compliance, contamination, and spillover effects, local average treatment effects (LATE) are estimated. Of the seed-receiving households, 54% cultivated the seed, reaping an average yield of 6.3 kg for each kilogram of seed obtained. Seed information did not lead to higher yields. A small significant positive impact of seed distribution on legume consumption is found. WTP is 171% of the local market price for bean seed; provision of free seeds and information did not result in a higher WTP. Based on these findings, this thesis contributes empirical evidence that large-scale agrofuel feedstock production on marginal land can enhance rural livelihoods by offering alternative livelihood strategies especially for poorer households and contributing to improved livelihood outcomes. Accounting for the indirect effects shows important impact pathways on the livelihood strategies of farmers in a remote area. The provision of incentives for private investors, complemented by more public intervention in rural areas, as well as more investment in agricultural research and extension to reduce agricultural production risks, might enhance these spillovers.
AKIS in England - overview and spotlights
(2024-11-11) Knierim, Andrea; Ingram, Julie
A situation analysis of the AKIS in England was undertaken in the time from January to May 2024 with a special focus on the private sector advisory subsystem’s actor constellation and performance based on grey and peer reviewed literature, expert and stakeholder interviews. Results show a particular diversity of actor types, characterised by different organisational features. Thus, it seems that in many places in England, farmers have many choices among service providers when it comes to making use of advisory services. Secondly, the public actor, the governmental department for environment, food and rural affairs (DEFRA) plays a fostering role for offering advisory services in combination with setting up ecosystem service and climate mitigation related measures. Thirdly, a shared conviction of the advantages of peer-to-peer learning formats among all service providing actors in the AKIS was observed as well as a readiness to collaborate with other AKIS actors across all organisational types and subsystems. On the other hand, there is a widely expressed need of coordination among AKIS actors, but no strategic planning or initiative in this regard. Former significant actors have shifted or reduced their roles and influence and, there is a considerable number of hybrid initiatives and innovation networks emerging, which represent and promote an array of new farming practices, technologies and food (production) styles and bridge various communities of farmers, researchers, consumers, citizens and other actors. Although the present study fulfils its objective of providing a (snapshot) overview of the AKIS in England, it equally reveals the blind spots and information deficits with respect to farmers’ needs and interests and the degree to which they are satisfied through the diversity of service actors.
Ambidextrie in Netzwerken komplexer Produkte : Exploration und Exploitation in der Luftfahrtindustrie
(2016) Guffarth, Daniel; Pyka, Andreas
Since over 100 years, no comparable product exists that is so strongly related with engineering skills, pioneering spirit and the complex combination of materials, technique and knowledge, while being a prototypical example for high development and production cost at the same time. During the last century, industry changed dramatically through evolutionary and revolutionary technical and structural changes with government intervention playing a key role for industrial evolution. Today’s aircraft industry is in a growth phase which is determined by ramping up production scales which leads, in combination with the potentially new competitors from Asia and uprising regional aircraft manufacturers, to a situation in which the duopolists Airbus and Boeing are forced to shape their supply chains more efficient and effective. At the same time continuous technological novelties in subsystems and the high R&D-intensity are further recent challenges. With this dissertation a new industry evolution framework is developed which is coping with the complex products industries requirements by considering demand, state intervention and technological mechanisms. In complex product systems different subsystems of the artefact aircraft are in different stages of the technological life cycle at the same time. This is the reason why the classical implications between technology, product, and industry life cycle stages do not hold for complex products industries. I.e. solely focusing on the manufacturer level of an industry is not sufficient. Therefore in this dissertation, industry is defined as network. The design of this network as exploration or exploitation network focusing on product or process and/or both depends on time and manner. As permanently changing requirements are characteristic for complex products, organizations have to be able to be ambidextrous, i.e. to balance exploration and exploitation which is a decisive success factor in organizational long term survival. This requirement is analyzed on three levels within the R&D network of the European aircraft industry: knowledge development, structural and network topology, as well as on regional development. Key findings are the extension of ambidexterity in the network as well as in the supply chain over time. Therefore a change from cyclical to permanent ambidexterity is directed towards the suppliers. Additionally exploration is crowded out from the core of the network as routines and fossilized structure are established over time by repeatedly cooperating with other core actors. Therefore core actors use network peripheries as a vehicle to realize explorative projects and being permanently ambidextrous. As a consequence success factors for the sustainability of the European aircraft industry are the orchestration of network stability and network heterogeneity as well as the maintenance of the SME structure and interindustry linkages for usage of explorative learning.
Beitrag zur Untersuchung des Innovationsgeschehens und ausgewählter Unternehmen der deutschen Landmaschinenindustrie von den Anfängen bis in die 1970er Jahre
(2017) Krombholz, Klaus; Köller, Karlheinz
Industrial production of agricultural equipment had already begun in the 18th century in England. First of all, the USA and from the middle of the 19th century onwards also Germany increasingly followed this development. Though this sector had primarily been characterized by crafts enterprises and small establishments for a long time, already in the 19th century the first large companies had arisen. During the following time, however, the small and mediumsize enterprises still dominated. Only as from the middle of the 20th century a gradual trend to large companies was to be found that began to prevail more and more also in Germany from the end of the 20th century. Within the agricultural engineering of the GDR this development had already taken place some decades earlier. After a relatively continuous development during the first decades essential changes in the corporate landscape occurred after a time of economic boom in the 1920s. This process was fortified by inflation and the depression. The majority of the large concerns established in the time of startups were affected thereby. The overcapacity generated again from a boom in the 1950s resulted in serious structural changes and in reducing the potential. Though the agricultural engineering of West Germany experienced a short special boom by the reunification at the beginning of the 1990s, the decrease in turnover as from the middle of the 1980s decisively influenced the corporate landscape during the 1990s. In this period foreign companies became active on the market to a great extent and advanced the globalisation of the sector. The agricultural industry in East Germany had diminished to a negligible dimension already in the middle of the 1990s. The German agriculture at first supplied themselves with agricultural engineering by imports primarily from England and the USA. However, already in the first decades of the 20th century the German industry of agricultural machinery could overcome the dependence on imports to a large extent and in the following they could achieve first places within the export rates in the international comparison by increasing own export rates. Beside the first own developments of the products, initially, the reproduction and replication of English and American prototypes dominated. In the second half of the 20th century, German developments were, above all, derived from American products in decreasing tendency. Finally, as from the 1990s, when the highest requirements were given to the agricultural machinery of the East German agricultural large enterprises on the local market, the German agricultural engineering grew to a leading driver of innovation. Though the German agricultural technicians also innovatively dealt with the whole range of the mechanisation solutions for the agricultural sector already very early, the product groups ripened at different times and were accepted and applied by the farming practice. Under this aspect, the innovation process was divided up into the former and later innovation areas. In the initial period the whole current agricultural technical product line was prevalently offered in the German agricultural machinery industry, whereas the assortment was subdivided in own developments, follow-up developments and reproductions as well as trading goods. At first, the enterprises only little focused on specialising in a limited assortment. This development increasingly began only as from the 1920s. From this point of view also the larger concerns only very rarely could aim at high-volume production. Especially the German production of tractors that was distributed among a large number of enterprises up to the 1960s had been burdened by comparatively low quantities and therefore by predominantly small-lot and medium-sized serial production for a long time. By contrast, the agricultural machinery of the GDR with its relatively small assortment was, in most of its product programmes, oriented towards high-sized serial production with extremely high export shares already from the 1960s onwards.
Berufsbezogene Kreativitätsdiagnostik : Entwicklung und Validierung eines Verfahrens zur Erfassung der personalen Voraussetzungen von Innovationen
(2015) Palmer, Carolin; Schuler, Heinz
Researchers and economists agree about the importance of creativity for both, individual and organizational success. Nonetheless, creativity is a enigmatic term. Despite promising findings for the predictive power of creativity, its nomological network remains still quite vague. Cognitive abilities, personality traits and motivational dispositions are commonly associated with creativity. In this thesis theories of creativity are reflected and constructs related to creativity and innovation (e.g., intelligence, personality, and motivation) are discussed. Further on common methods for the assessment of creativity are presented and new approaches for measuring creativity in an work-related context are provided. Finally, the development and validation of an instrument measuring the personal prerequisites for innovation is described.
Das Beste aus zwei Welten – Key Learnings aus dem ACTIVATR-Programm
(2018) Kuckertz, Andreas; Morales Reyes, C. Arturo; Brändle, Leif
Gerade innovative Startups drohen in allen Industrien die Geschäftsmodelle etablierter Unternehmen zu zerstören. Etablierte Unternehmen hingegen haben die nötigen Ressourcen und Netzwerke, um Geschäftsmodelle früh zu testen und schnell zu skalieren. Dieser Research Brief beantwortet daher die Frage, wie Vorteile aus der Corporate- und der Startup-Welt zum Zwecke erfolgreicher Innovationen verbunden werden können. Dazu werden Beobachtungen und Interviews aus einem mehrmonatigen Accelerator-Programm ausgewertet, welches bewusst Teams aus beiden Welten für eine Innovation Challenge kombiniert. Wir leiten Erkenntnisse ab für Entscheider aus etablierten Unternehmen, Startups sowie Accelerator-Programmen und zeigen, unter welchen Bedingungen eine erfolgreiche Kombination der Startup- und der Corporate-Logik möglich wird.
Conversion of subsistence farming to sustainable agroforestry in the Midhills of Nepal : participatory action research in system development
(2015) Schick, Alina; Hoffmann, Volker
In the Midhills of Nepal, agriculture is practiced mostly as subsistence farming on often small-sized terraces. Nowadays there are often only a few trees left in cultivated areas, which leaves the soil bare for several months of the year, mostly in winter. Degeneration processes by environmental influences on bare terraces, and a deficiency of organic material lead to poor soils and consequently to a reduced harvest. A rising population leads to a fragmentation of farms by spreading estates, thus leading to ever smaller-sized cultivated land areas. These often and increasingly do not produce enough food to feed farmers and their families. The possibilities of work in other income sectors are limited. Consequently, some farmers leave their land and move to Kathmandu. To break this chain it is necessary to develop new survival strategies. One solution is to ensure that existing farms can produce enough food to feed themselves and sell to make a living. This can theoretically be achieved by alternative farming methods and the introduction of new techniques. Agroforestry with its mixed farming styles and aspects of permaculture can eventually help to ameliorate the soils and provide extra nutrition and income through a perennially mixed plant production system that also includes several cash crops. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the actual situation of farmers in the region of Kaule, Nepal, and to assess the system change from subsistence farming to agroforestry. An existing agroforestry farm established in Kaule about 15 years ago will serve as a reference. For the system change to agroforestry several hypotheses were put forward on the assumption of the stated problems. These hypotheses have been tested by several methods such as socioeconomic and ecological field surveys, in combination with qualitative social research methods like interviews, questionnaires, protocols and direct observations. The results were then ordered in case studies per household and later accumulated into comparative group observations. The system change was then contextualised to a situation-based functional theory of adoption and diffusion of innovations in social systems. This study report is the written monitoring result of the three initial project years from 2009 to 2011 in Kaule, and in some cases supplemented by additional data from earlier and later years. Data on income and expenses, work distribution within the families, soil quality and biodiversity have been selected. General descriptions of farming methods and reports on several training sessions are also included, as well as the assessment of terrace sizes and meteorological data. After comparing single household situations in the case studies with those of accumulative group observations, two different livelihood strategies were found that seemed to be sustainable for the current situation in Kaule. One strategy is where several parts of families merge together to create bigger social structures and combine their land in bigger scales to produce their livelihood. Alternatively, like the case of the agroforestry farm, the other strategy is part-time farming with enhanced cultivation methods for nutrition and income production, in addition to external work based on higher education. When agroforestry was compared to a situation-based functional approach to describe its potential for adaption and diffusion, it was found that agroforestry in its complexity is difficult to establish and places high expectations on adopters. For households that cultivate only a few plants for personal consumption, agroforestry is not suitable, although they can adopt single elements of the package. The introduction of new plants and methods into farming systems needs to be preferentially planned by marketing prospects. The potential of diffusion of the innovation depends on the necessary support. Even though agroforestry, in the form it has been promoted by the project, is relatively complex, it allows farmers to choose out of its multitude of elements which ones to adopt. The adoption of further farming methods and plants and also additional components like composting or beekeeping can be further developed over time. The potential of agroforestry to enhance soil quality and to contribute to better crop production became apparent when it was compared to other project farms. The potential of diffusion of agroforestry to other farms in the area is possible, as long as suitable local structures like demonstration farms and locally organized project structures are established and continual trainings are organized. A mixture of self-help and external support is therefore favorable.
Dedicated innovation systems for local sustainability transformations in the Global South
(2022) Mendoza Barajas, Elena; Ebersberger, Bernd
As our global economic system draws closer to an irreversible breaking point, governments from both the North and South countries are called upon to reduce the environmental and social impacts of our fossil-based production and consumption patterns. From a neo-Schumpeterian view, innovation can prove instrumental in triggering such “transformational change” of our global economic system towards sustainability. This thesis posits that innovation and the largely endorsed theoretical framework of innovation system (IS) give a useful heuristic for the design of the economic policies that foster structural change. However, the promotion of the broader Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the 2030 Agenda requires an analytical lens that extends beyond IS technology-centric logic and adapts to respond to the variety of local contexts in both the Global North and South. An application put forward by this thesis is that of the concept of “Dedicated Innovation System (DIS)” (Pyka, A., 2017) as a revised approach to IS framework. DIS allows for the study of the often-overlooked and contextually unique qualitative dynamics that influence innovation processes in the informal and insecure institutional local contexts of developing countries. Specifically, this work focuses on DIS practical application in the Mexican local context. It builds upon the concept of “Dedicated Actors (DAs)” to examine the roles that system actors play in fostering directionality, legitimacy, and responsibility in DIS sustainability transformations. This thesis addresses the overall research question: How can Dedicated Actors (DAs) introduce a commitment to sustainability in DISs in informal and insecure institutional settings in Michoacán, Mexico? To respond to the research question, three sets of sub-questions are explored: (a) what are the characteristics of DAs that allow them to direct IS towards sustainable outcomes in informal and insecure institutional settings in Michoacán, Mexico; (b) what is the role of DAs in the building of collective capabilities in informal and insecure institutional settings in Michoacán, Mexico? and (c) what are the local capabilities that result from DIS in informal and insecure institutional settings in Michoacán, Mexico? As the focus of the thesis has been the study of innovation-led transformations towards sustainability at the local level, the research has prioritised the analysis of Dedicated Grassroots Actors (DGAs) through three practical case studies. A first research finding looks at the characteristics that define DGAs and positions them as agents of systemic change. DGAs are found to be actors that break out of the “paradox of embedded agency” because of their prior exposure to the institutional spheres that contrast local established beliefs; and that are “positively” embedded in local institutions, which allows them to circumvent existing cultural beliefs, and stretch societal norms. A second finding of this research refers to the roles of DGAs in the building of collective capabilities in informal and insecure institutional settings in Michoacán, Mexico. Three main roles have been identified: (1) conscientisation: DGAs create awareness in local people, foster critical reflection on alternatives to perceived feasible possibilities, and inspire a desire to improve their lives; (2) conciliation: DGAs play a strong role in fostering the creation of collective capabilities by enabling linkages between individual needs with wider sustainability communal goals, and coordinating community participation and active voice, as well as facilitating knowledge exchange and skills acquisition; (3) collaboration: DGAs have an active role in facilitating collaboration with regional and external actors. A third research finding relates to the creation of collective capabilities in informal and insecure settings in Michoacán, Mexico. It was observed that a general sense of collective injustice within these institutional settings encourages local communities to adopt collective strategies to resist injustices caused by external conditions. The local communities from the case studies, tended to develop resilience capabilities to face poverty traps, violence, and a lack of social mobilisation. Although the creation of collective capabilities was initially triggered by issues related to economic and social factors (that are generally viewed and valued as high priorities in insecure and informal settings), these capabilities have also served to address other environmental challenges affecting local communities (e.g. climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, etc.).
Distal embedding as a technology innovation network formation strategy
(2012) Pyka, Andreas; Paredes-Frigolett, Harold
Although the area of innovation economics dates back to the early twentieth century with the seminal contributions of Schumpeter (1911), it is only recently that governments have understood the role of a comprehensive approach towards public sector economics that puts innovation systems in the eye of public policy decision makers. Although well researched in academia in recent years, the role that innovation networks play in driving successful processes of innovation and entrepreneurship has been less understood by policy makers. Indeed, so far public policy makers have been concerned with the macro level of public policy in a way that has been rather ?disconnected? from the meso level of innovation networks. Not surprisingly, overall strategies for innovation network formation have not been on the radar screen of public policy. The academic community, on the other hand, has been devoting more attention to the study of innovation networks in an attempt to understand the role they play as a catalyst of innovation and entrepreneurship. By and large in the research community, the process of innovation network formation has been left rather unattended. Indeed, the question of how these networks are formed and what strategies can be developed to ignite processes of innovation network formation has been largely absent from the academic debate. In this article, we make a contribution in this area and present ?distal embedding" as one of three generic innovation network formation strategies. We also show why ?distal embedding'' is particularly well suited for emerging regions of innovation and entrepreneurship. Our contributions lie at the macro-meso interface and can shed light on public policy at the macro level aiming to have a direct impact at the meso level of innovation network formation.
Entscheidungsorientierte Bewertung von Forschungskooperationspartnern
(2012) Vaclavicek, Peter; Troßmann, Ernst
This thesis focuses on developing a method which can be used to evaluate potential partners to cooperate with in an intercompany research cooperation. Research is understood as systematically applying scientific methods in order to gain new knowledge. An intercompany cooperation is understood as a goal-directed, contractually settled long-term collaboration that is established on a voluntary basis between legally independent, yet consequently commercially mutually dependent companies. Decision-theory based evaluation of research cooperation partners requires processing a great deal of relevant information and the design of a suitable methodology. Research cooperation goals are seen as the essential benchmark on the basis of which alternative research cooperation partners are to be evaluated. Consequently, they are essential for the methodology to be chosen. Through the studying of literature, goals that are to be achieved through engaging in a research cooperation are thoroughly analyzed. Essential goals are content goals, timeframe goals and financial goals. Additional goals of more special character are risk reduction and feasibility. All characteristics of a company to be evaluated as a potential research cooperation partner are to be benchmarked in order to evaluate their value for achieving research cooperation goals. Conveniently, these characteristics can be distinguished between two types: first, the objectively observable potentials of a potential research cooperation partner. These characterize his capabilities, to enrich the planned research project in a purposeful way, when compared to one?s own capabilities. Capabilities of importance for research projects can typically be seen in material operating resources (e.g. experimental plants or specialized IT-facilities), human resources (e.g. laboratory staff), immaterial resources (particularly knowledge) and finally financial resources. Second, the will (or: motivation) is the second set of relevant cooperation partner characteristics. The best alternative to engaging in a research cooperation with any partner is to realize the intended research project by oneself, i.e. without a cooperation partner. This alternative is referred to as the null alternative. Consequently, all potential research cooperation partners are to be compared with the extent to which research goals can be achieved through one?s null alternative. The key aspect of the methodology to be developed thus is the evaluation of positive and negative consequences of choosing a particular company as a partner to cooperate with. Positive consequences (or: advantages) can be identified as a better achievement of goals than would be possible when realizing the null alternative. Since different goals are to be measured with different scales, standardization through a scoring model becomes necessary. Negative consequences (or: disadvantages) of cooperating with a particular partner result from his lack of cooperation will. In particular means and instruments of intercompany coordination are to be evaluated. Having determined advantages and disadvantages of a particular research cooperation partner, both findings can be added in order to generate an overall partner value. The higher this partner value, the more suitable is the company as a research cooperation partner. As long as the partner value is above zero, i.e. positive, cooperation leads to a better goal-achievement than realizing the null alternative (i.e. realizing the research project by oneself). A negative partner value however indicates that realizing the null alternative would mean a better goal achievement than engaging in a research cooperation with this particular partner. The wide usability of the methodology developed is demonstrated by a concluding discussion of three particularly relevant constellations in intercompany research cooperations: research coopera-tions with more than just two research partners (i.e. research networks), international research cooperations, and research cooperations in public-private-partnerships. Specific requirements of using the developed set of methodology in these three constellations are highlighted conclusively.
Has the German reunification strengthened Germany’s national innovation system? : Triple Helix dynamics of Germany’s innovation system
(2016) Jun, Bogang; Yi, Seung-Kyu
This paper investigates whether the German reunification strengthened the country’s national innovation system, using the Triple Helix model. In particular, it assesses the various dimensions of the innovation system by analyzing co-authorship networks from 1973 to 2014. Despite the series of policies promoting collaboration between the two regions and the rise in the number of regional collaborations and in the number of papers, the results show that the national innovation system of Germany has worsened since the reunification in 1990, and the role of government is critical in encouraging collaboration. Finally, this paper uses survey data on the type of Triple Helix configuration that actually occurred in East Germany as a robustness check.
Identifizierung und Analyse deutsch-türkischer Innovationsnetzwerke : erste Ergebnisse des TGIN-Projektes
(2012) Erginkoc, Suna; Onan, Gaye; Rashidi, Sheida; Hartmann, Dominik; Pyka, Andreas; Aydin, Seda; Klauß, Lena; Stahl, Fabian; Santircioglu, Ali; Oberegelsbacher, Silvia
Dieses Paper fasst die ersten Ergebnisse des Forschungsprojektes ?Wissenstransfer in Deutsch-Türkischen Innovationsnetzwerke (TGIN) im Kontext der Europäischen Union? zusammen. TGIN eröffnet eine neue Perspektive auf die deutsch-türkische Beziehungen, indem es die ökonomischen Win-Win Situationen aufzeigt, welche durch Deutsch-Türkische Wissensmigration, transnationale Unternehmer und Innovationsnetzwerke entstehen. Im Zentrum der europäischen Wachstumsstrategie steht die Schaffung von Arbeitsplätzen und Wettbewerbsfähigkeit durch Mobilität, Kooperation und Innovation. Internationale Unternehmer, Wissensmigration und kulturelle Vielfalt können ein wesentlicher Antreiber von Lernprozessen und Innovation sein. Aus innovations ökonomischer Sicht können die historisch gewachsenen Beziehungen zwischen Türkei, Deutschland und Europa viel besser genutzt werden. Die ersten Analysen zeigen, dass Deutsch-Türkische Innovationsnetzwerke zwar kein weit verbreitetes, aber dennoch existierendes und schnell wachsendes Phänomen mit großem Potential sind. Die Methoden der sozialen Netzwerkanalyse helfen, Strukturen, Stärken und Schwächen, Chancen und Herausforderungen aufzudecken. Angesichts des Fachkräfte- und Ingenieursmangels in Deutschland, des einseitigen Wachstums der Türkei sowie des zunehmenden globalen Wettbewerbes können Deutschland und die Türkei von der zunehmenden Vernetzung des Innovationsprozesses profitieren.
Innovation und Standardsetzungskompetenz auf global integrierten Märkten
(2012) Slowak, André P.; Gerybadze, Alexander
Within this PhD thesis, we examine the interrelationship between joint innovation projects and standard setting for industry standards. This is a field of innovation research as well as research on the economics of standards that has been sadly neglected up to now. We investigate the core issue regarding what functions of system integration are fulfilled by industry standards for product systems and large systems. We define a product system as a set of components which achieve an essential functionality only in concert, but which the end user can still recognise as individual components. An architectural respective systemic standard dissects a joint technical system of standard setting partners into physical components and works in such a way that those system elements are simultaneously a) mutually compatible, b) mutually independent to as great an extent as possible and c) function in a variety of configurations. The automotive industry and industrial automation resorts to member layer models as a new type of organisation for standard setting partnerships/communities. A large number of members, dovetailing of joint innovation projects and structures aimed at rapid diffusion of standards set this type of organisation apart from conventional industry/standard setting consortia. Excellent standard governance is necessary in order to enable incumbents to establish dominant designs worldwide. We examine the cases of AUTOSAR, GENIVI and PROFIBUS in empirical case studies. In order to explain how standards are organised strategically, we deduce a configuration audit from the existing literature. Among other things, this thesis addresses exclusion from participation in standard setting, exclusion from access to specifications, the ownership of standards, IPR policies, the time reference of specifications with regard to dominant design, and standard setting methods (modular vs. integral). Furthermore, we describe the cultural differences between the German and the Japanese automotive industries in their approaches to project organisation in the pre-competition stage. We observe a geographic exclusion mechanism for the electro-mobility charging interface and/or in the case of CHAdeMO and in the user organisations of industrial automation: innovation activities are conducted in the country of origin. At the same time, R&D driven product competition involving the battery as the core component as well as standard setting competition for the charging interface to the battery is taking place in the emerging market for electric cars. The German OEMs are trying to establish their AC/DC combo charging system primarily through international formal standardisation. The Japanese industry is attempting to establish its DC charging system via the global market by way of the CHAdeMO standard setting partnership. The electro-mobility sector clearly demonstrates how industry is implementing a gradual system expansion starting on the basis of core components in order to offer solutions together with partners and not merely isolated products. We understand system expansion to mean step-by-step expansion of a product system: starting on the basis of core components, through integration of the suppliers of an incumbent (system integrator) into standard development, and also including integration of suppliers of complementary goods & peripheral system components. The integration of the latter means establishing a (large) innovation ecosystem. By contrast, the pigments and paint sector does not make use of any new type of organisation in the pre-competition stage. In that industry, innovation occurs within bilateral co-operation arrangements at the interface between two stages of the value-added chain. According to our accompanying observations, its formal standardisation activities primarily serve to prepare for new regulations, to influence them or to harmonise measurement methods among manufacturers. In our case studies, we observe system dynamics in multiple stages in conjunction with standard setting. We have depicted those dynamics in a system dynamics model. Our modelling is suitable as a starting point for simulation or agent-based approaches to standard setting for product systems. Moreover, future studies should describe additional cases from other business sectors where systemic innovation and standard setting are mutually interlinked as well. Technology leaders should try to dominate interfaces or core components of products systems on an industry-wide basis. In the pre-competition stage, it is possible to purposely exploit technical leadership in order to later on establish overall concepts through systemic standards.
Innovation, economic diversification and human development
(2013) Pyka, Andreas; Hartmann, Dominik
In this paper we bridge a gap between innovation economics and the human development approach by analyzing positive and negative effects of different types of economic diversification on social welfare. Economic variety is a driver and outcome of economic development. However, diversification leads to ambiguous effects on the well-being of human agents: on the one hand, increasing variety augments the freedom of human agents to choose. On the other hand, it can overburden their capabilities to make economic decisions and can deteriorate their well-being. It becomes clear that human development policy has to go hand in hand with an industrial policy that promotes qualitative economic diversification. Depending on its dynamics, this diversification can be achieved via related and unrelated variety. We can expect a better design of development policies from a better understanding of the co-evolutionary development of variety, freedom of choice and well-being.
Innovationspotentiale in Baden-Württemberg : branchenspezifische Forschungs- und Entwicklungsaktivität, regionales Patentaufkommen und Beschäftigungsstruktur
(2012) Rukwid, Ralf; Christ, Julian P.
Aufgrund der bestehenden und sich weiter intensivierenden internationalen Konkurrenz in vielen Technologiebereichen und Branchen ist eine erhöhte Innovationsfähigkeit und Innovationstätigkeit als zentraler Erfolgsfaktor für die Unternehmen in Baden-Württemberg anzusehen. Im Rahmen des Forschungsprojekts ?Innovationspotentiale in Baden-Württemberg: Innovationsindikatoren und regionale Clusterbildung?? wurden verschiedene Fragestellungen aufgegriffen, die für die Analyse der baden-württembergischen Wirtschaft und die Darstellung der regionalen Innovationskraft und Innovationspotentiale von essentieller Bedeutung sind. Die strukturellen Besonderheiten der regionalen Beschäftigung und Humanressourcen gelten allgemein als erfolgskritisch für Forschung, Entwicklung, Invention und Innovation. In diesem Beitrag wird daher überprüft, inwieweit die baden-württembergische Beschäftigung auf bestimmte Technologiebereiche bzw. Wirtschaftszweige überdurchschnittlich spezialisiert ist. Für die Analyse der baden-württembergischen Innovationspotentiale werden, neben der regionalen Beschäftigungsstruktur nach Technologiebereichen, zudem die Humanressourcen in Wissenschaft und Technologie, wie auch das Qualifikations- bzw. Bildungsniveau, als besonders relevant eingestuft. Weiterhin gelten die Forschungs- und Entwicklungsaufwendungen, insbesondere die FuE-Aktivitäten des Wirtschaftssektors, als wesentlicher Träger und Garant wirtschaftlichen Erfolgs und zukünftiger Beschäftigungssicherung. Unterschiede in regionalen bzw. nationalen Forschungs- und Entwicklungsaktivitäten führen generell zu signifikanten Strukturunterschieden von Regionen bzw. Volkswirtschaften, welche sich mittel- bis langfristig in der Produktions- bzw. Wertschöpfungsstruktur, der Innovations- und Technologiestruktur sowie der Beschäftigungs- und Exportstruktur widerspiegeln. Es werden daher in diesem Beitrag die Forschungs- und Entwicklungsaktivitäten Baden-Württembergs, insbesondere mit Blick auf ausgesuchte Branchenaggregate und Technologiebereiche, genauer untersucht. Komplementär zu den Forschungs- und Entwicklungsaktivitäten, welche in der Literatur generell als Input-Indikatoren des Innovationsprozesses angesehen werden, stellen eingereichte Patentanmeldungen bzw. gewährte Patente den Output der Forschungs- und Entwicklungsaktivität dar. In dieser Studie werden, im Kontext Baden-Württembergs, gezielt ausgewählte Technologiebereiche genauer untersucht, welche dem Bereich Metall & Elektro und IKT (M&E-IKT-Aggregat) nahe stehen.
Innovationspotentiale in Baden-Württemberg : Produktionscluster im Bereich ?Metall, Elektro, IKT? und regionaleVerfügbarkeit akademischer Fachkräfte in den MINT-Fächern
(2012) Christ, Julian P.; Rukwid, Ralf
Aufgrund der bestehenden und sich weiter intensivierenden internationalen Konkurrenz in vielen Technologiebereichen und Branchen ist eine erhöhte Innovationsfähigkeit und Innovationstätigkeit als zentraler Erfolgsfaktor für die Unternehmen in Baden-Württemberg anzusehen. Im Rahmen des Forschungsprojekts ?Innovationspotentiale in Baden-Württemberg: Innovationsindikatoren und regionale Clusterbildung? wurden verschiedene Fragestellungen aufgegriffen, die für die Analyse der baden-württembergischen Wirtschaft und die Darstellung der regionalen Innovationskraft und Innovationspotentiale von essentieller Bedeutung sind. Baden-Württemberg ist in seiner wirtschaftlichen und technologischen Leistungsfähigkeit nach wie vor stark durch den Industriesektor bzw. einen bedeutenden Industrie- Dienstleistungsverbund geprägt. Der Wirtschaftsbereich ?Metall, Elektro, IKT? (M&E - IKT) kann dabei als der Kern dieses innovations- und wachstumsstarken Industrie- Dienstleistungsverbundes angesehen werden kann. Die in diesem Beitrag vorgenommene Clusteridentifikation bzw. Clusterverortung im Bereich M&E ? IKT belegt bedeutende Unternehmensagglomerationen in den einzelnen baden-württembergischen Teilregionen. Die Ballung von Produktionsaktivitäten in diesen besonders wissensintensiven und zukunftsfähigen Branchen eröffnet wichtige mittel- bis langfristige Innovationspotentiale für die politischen und ökonomischen Entscheidungsträger. Des Weiteren analysiert der Beitrag die regionale Verfügbarkeit hoch qualifizierter Arbeitskräfte. Hierfür werden die Entwicklung und die bisherige Struktur des badenwürttembergischen Hochschulsektors - mit einem speziellen Fokus auf die sog. MINT-Fächer (Mathematik, Ingenieurwissenschaften, Naturwissenschaften, Technik) - detailliert untersucht Der im Landeskontext besonderen Bedeutung der 2009 neugegründeten ?Dualen Hochschule Baden-Württemberg? (DHBW) wird durch eine durchgehend gesonderte statistische Erfassung Rechnung getragen.
Internationalization of Research & Development and Host-Country Patenting : The Dynamics of Innovation and Trans-Border R&D Flows between Developed and Emerging Countries
(2021) Sommer, Daniel; Gerybadze, Alexander
The international business world has profoundly changed through globalization in the last years and decades. The cross-border exchange of products and people, as well as information, technology and capital has increased. Furthermore, companies are faced with an increasingly distributed knowledge base which means that one centralized Research & Development (R&D) base, usually at the headquarters is not sufficient and a company’s success rather depends on its ability to identify and occupy selected locations across the globe for R&D activities. While the degree of R&D Internationalization of large multinational corporations (MNCs) has been increasing for the last decades, the group of source countries has remained small: the headquarters of the leading R&D conducting MNCs have been largely based in the US, Japan and several European countries (e.g. Germany, Switzerland) and R&D Internationalization had been remaining within this group. Since the beginning of this millennium, however, several emerging countries (e.g. China or India) have entered the stage and increasingly attracted foreign R&D investments as target countries. R&D has therefore not only increased in intensity, it has also increased in breadth, i.e. the degree of target country diversification has grown. This dissertation addresses and is driven by the following overarching research question: How can we capture even more precisely to what extent and in what fields MNCs conduct R&D abroad and how have the patterns changed in the time period 2000 – 2019? Six major trends can be identified to answer the research question: 1. The share of R&D conducted abroad by MNCs in relation to their total R&D has increased in the last decades. 2. The number of target countries and their technological diversification degree has increased. 3. A select number of target countries, particularly ambitious emerging countries (China, India and partly some Eastern European countries) have significantly increased in relevance as a base for R&D activities. 4. Target countries attract foreign R&D in respective specific technological fields. Particularly the uprising emerging countries have built up competences in certain areas and participate in R&D in these fields on a relevant global degree. 5. A strong shift across the R&D conducting industries can be observed. Particularly high tech industries (e.g. pharma and biotech) and new technologies (IT, internet, software) have significantly increased in relevance compared to classic manufacturing industries and account for an increasing share of R&D activities across all industries. 6. Conducting R&D abroad generally pays off compared to purely domestic R&D, although there is indication that too much internationality can be detrimental as well.
Kooperation als Strategie technologischen Paradigmenwechsels : eine nachhaltigkeitsbasierte Untersuchung der Elektrifizierung des Automobils
(2014) Knappe, Mathias; Pyka, Andreas
Beschleunigung und Reorientierung des technischen Fortschritts überfordern selbst große Unternehmen im Spannungsfeld zwischen Spezialisierung und interdisziplinärer Konvergenz. So wird die Kombination interner Forschung und Entwicklung mit externem Wissen, vor allem in Hochtechnologien, zur zentralen Voraussetzung langfristigen Unternehmenserfolgs. In diesem Kontext untersucht die vorliegende Dissertation das Potenzial kooperativen Verhaltens zwischen Unternehmen zur Bewältigung technologischer Diskontinuitäten am Beispiel des bevorstehenden Paradigmenwechsels im automobilen Antrieb. Dabei wird Kooperation als superiore Strategie zur Stimulation des explorativen Innovationsmodus identifiziert und in eine übergreifende Dynamik der Koordinationseignung im Verlauf technologischen Fortschritts integriert. Bezogen auf den automobilen Antrieb ist eine nachhaltigkeitsinduzierte Destabilisierung des technologischen Paradigmas des Verbrennungsmotors festzustellen, während sich seine intensiven Möglichkeiten erschöpfen. Konsequenz dessen ist zunehmender Innovationsdruck, der konsistenzorientiert eine systemische Transformation von Kraftwerkstechnik und Energienetz sowie einen Paradigmenwechsel zu elektrischen Antrieben erzwingt. Aufgrund der bisher geringen technologischen Reife und hohen Kosten elektrischer Antriebssysteme zeichnet sich allerdings ein Übergang in Form einer graduellen Rekonfiguration über eine Hybridphase ab, deren Dynamik maßgeblich von der Entwicklung der techno-ökonomischen Schlüsselmodule Batterie und Brennstoffzelle abhängt. Die dazu erforderliche technologische Transformation birgt existenzielle Gefährdungen für die etablierten Unter-nehmen der Automobilindustrie, die sich gegenüber ihren Herausforderern explorationsbezogen in einer inferioren Ausgangssituation befinden. Eben hier bieten sich umfangreiche Potenziale kooperativer Exploration elektrischer Antriebe auf Verhaltens-, Innovationsprozess- und Wissensebene. In Relation zu diesen erscheint das reale Kooperationsniveau jedoch als gering, volatil und, vor allem in Deutschland, übermäßig intrasektoral fokussiert. Aus diesen Erkenntnissen ergeben sich Implikationen für Unternehmensführung, Innovati-onspolitik und Forschung. Managementseitig besteht die zentrale Herausforderung in der Befähigung der Organisation zur Dynamisierung von Wissen und Fähigkeiten durch simultan-heterogene Koordination explorativer und exploitativer Innovationsströme. Insbesondere die Erschließung kooperativer Potenziale setzt allerdings die Bereitschaft zur Einschränkung der eigenen Unabhängigkeit sowie zur Abweichung von bewährten Verhaltensmustern voraus. Innovationspolitisch steht die Überwindung von Beharrungskräften durch Anpassung des sozio-institutionellen Rahmens sowie die Förderung langfristiger Kooperation bei potenzialgeleiteter Intersektoralität im Vordergrund. Forschungsbezogen eröffnet speziell die Kombination von Innovations-, Nachhaltigkeits- und Koordinationstheorie ein besseres Verständnis von Triebfedern und Dynamik technischen Fortschritts, das weiter vertieft werden sollte.
Landwirtschaft im Wandel - wie innovativ war die württembergische Landwirtschaft in den Jahren 1818 - 1877?
(2023) Veh, Christine; Birner, Regina
Agriculture accounted for more than half of Wuerttemberg’s economic activity throughout the 19th century. Innovations were highly regarded as the most significant drivers of economic growth. Regional areas within the Kingdom of Wuerttemberg played a significant role in the agricultural advancements. The economic policy conditions for agricultural growth gradually increased throughout this period due to the gradual introduction of freedom of trade from 1828 onwards, the accession to the German Customs Union in 1834 and the liberation of the peasants through the abolition of serfdom in the 1840s. This thesis comprises three interrelated research topics. to contribute in the field of in-novation research, specifically in the field of agricultural science. The first topic addresses the research question of how technical innovations in Wuerttemberg agriculture can be measured. The second research topic addresses the history of the patent system, while the third topic discusses the strategic patent allocation of the Wuerttemberg Patent Office. Patents are used as a potential determinant of innovation and remain one of the determining output indicators. For the Kingdom of Wuerttemberg, reliable research exists between 1830 and 1866 as well as from 1877 onwards. Presently science and research in Wuerttemberg focuses primarily on questions regarding the period after 1877, while ignoring or missing out the discussion about the time before the Common Patent Act in 1877. A complete list of patents until the first Common Patent Act was enacted in 1877 could not yet be presented. The results proved that the Kingdom of Wuerttemberg was at the top of all German states in terms of patent intensity, irrespective of the poor state of agriculture. This analysis shows that, at this time, Wuerttemberg was still predominantly in competition with neighboring German states, as well as France and Great Britain, for the development of technical innovations and inventions. Wuerttemberg had to distinguish and compare itself to its competitors in terms of its innovative capacity, and patent protections played an important role in this endeavor. Despite the importance of patents as a measure of innovation, they only played a sub-ordinate function in agriculture. Patents can protect many important inventions only partly. Therefore, this dissertation examines and focusses on possible implications and consequences of patent grants in the Kingdom of Wuerttemberg. The results show that national and international patent law differences existed in the application and examination procedure, patent costs and patent term. In the third part examines whether the Wuerttemberg authority discriminated against the industrialised countries, such as Prussia and the countries bordering Wuerttemberg, in terms of higher patent fees, the longer processing time and the patent term granted. Another effect is shown for agricultural crises using the patent fee variable and the endogenous variable wheat prices, which is seen as a measure of economic distress. The empirical analysis presented in this thesis indicates that foreign inventors had to expect longer processing times and higher patent fees in the Kingdom of Wuerttemberg then domestic entrepreneurs. The analyses of the patent system contributes to a better understand-ing of the discriminatory behaviour of the Central Office and the Patent Commission. The instruments of the Patent Office included not only fiscal but also monetary policy actions, which had protectionist effects. Such actions refer not only to the promotion of economic growth but also to the influence of Wuerttembergs financial policy. The instruments available for this are patent fees and public costs. A possible explanation for the preferential behaviour of the Central Office of the Agricultural Society with regard to Württemberg could be that the patent system in Wuerttemberg responded to new innovations to keep up with the global innovation leaders such as England, America and Prussia. One can argue that the patent system and Wuerttemberg’s legal protections and poli-cies created an environment that enabled enterprises to grow and innovation to flourish. An-other important aspect revealed by the analysis are the fiscal and protectionist motives of the patent policy, evidenced by charging comparatively high patent fees and involving longer processing time for foreign inventors form industrialized countries. This confirms that patent statistics are a useful source for innovation research. The growing technological development and the significant role of industrial property rights render the use of patents as a strategic instrument interesting. Finally, the goal of this dissertation is to gain a comprehensive picture of Wuerttembergs innovation behaviour and the preference of Wuerttemberg inventors in the agricultural sector during the 19th century.