Academic-industry linkages and small firm innovation: evidence from the scientific instruments sector

Alan D. MacPherson

Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 1998, vol. 10, issue 4, 261-276

Abstract: This paper explores the role of academic linkages in the product development efforts of small and medium-sized manufacturing firms (SMFs). Data from a sample of 204 SMFs in New York State's scientific instruments sector suggest that university research units can play a helpful role in small firm innovation. Knowledge spillovers from the academic sector are shown to be geographically localized. A key finding is that the intensity of academic-SMF interaction varies inversely with the time-distance that separates firms from major campuses. A related finding is that innovation rates are higher among SMFs that enjoy close proximity to academic resources. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of the role of micro-geographical factors in regional knowledge diffusion.

Date: 1998
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DOI: 10.1080/08985629800000015

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