Diversification and hybridization in firm knowledge bases in nanotechnologies

Eric Avenel, Anne-Violaine Favier, Simon Ma, Vincent Mangematin and Carole Rieu
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Anne-Violaine Favier: GAEL - Laboratoire d'Economie Appliquée = Grenoble Applied Economics Laboratory - UPMF - Université Pierre Mendès France - Grenoble 2 - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique
Simon Ma: GAEL - Laboratoire d'Economie Appliquée = Grenoble Applied Economics Laboratory - UPMF - Université Pierre Mendès France - Grenoble 2 - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique
Carole Rieu: GAEL - Laboratoire d'Economie Appliquée = Grenoble Applied Economics Laboratory - UPMF - Université Pierre Mendès France - Grenoble 2 - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique

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Abstract: The paper investigates the linkages between the characteristics of technologies and the structure of a firms' knowledge base. Nanotechnologies have been defined as converging technologies that operate at the nanoscale, and which require integration to fulfill their economic promises. Based on a worldwide database of nanofirms, the paper analyses the degree of convergence and the convergence mechanisms within firms. It argues that the degree of convergence in a firm's nano-knowledge base is relatively independent from the size of the firm's nano-knowledge base. However, while firms with small nano-knowledge bases tend to exploit convergence in each of their patents/publications, firms with large nano-knowledge bases tend to separate their nano-R&D activities in the different established fields and achieve diversity through the juxtaposition of the output of these independent activities For more informations http://www.nanoeconomics.eu/

Keywords: NANOTECHNOLOGY; KNOWLEDGE BASE; NANOFIRM; SYSTEME DE CONNAISSANCE (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: http://hal.grenoble-em.com/hal-00424531
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (24)

Published in Research Policy, 2007, 36 (6), pp.864-870. ⟨10.1016/j.respol.2007.02.002⟩

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Related works:
Journal Article: Diversification and hybridization in firm knowledge bases in nanotechnologies (2007)
Working Paper: Diversification and hybridization in firm knowledge bases in nanotechnologies (2007)
Working Paper: Diversification and hybridisation in firm knowledge bases in nanotechnologies (2006)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:gemptp:hal-00424531

DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2007.02.002

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