Knowledge Flows Through Social Networks in a Cluster Interfirm versus University-Industry Contacts

Christian Østergaard ()

No 07-19, DRUID Working Papers from DRUID, Copenhagen Business School, Department of Industrial Economics and Strategy/Aalborg University, Department of Business Studies

Abstract: Knowledge spillovers from a university to the local industry play an important role in clusters, but we know little about these spillovers. This paper examines empirically the extent of university-industry informal contacts. Furthermore, it analyses the characteristics of an engineer that acquire knowledge from informal contacts with university researchers. The university-industry contacts are compared with results for interfirm contacts. The research shows that the interfirm informal contacts are more numerous than university informal contacts. Likewise, knowledge is more frequently acquired from other firms than through university-industry contacts. Engineers that have participated in formal projects with university researchers and engineers that are educated at the university have a higher likelihood of acquiring knowledge from informal contacts with university researchers.

Keywords: Knowledge flows; informal contacts (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D83 I23 O32 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu, nep-geo, nep-ino, nep-ipr, nep-pr~, nep-knm, nep-net, nep-ppm and nep-soc
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aal:abbswp:07-19

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