Peripheral university region and knowledge - based development : the case of Joensuu

Universities have gained an increasing amount of attention in the literature as drivers of knowledge-based development. Still, the mere presence of a university alone is not sufficient: the mechanisms of how knowledge is transferred from universities to industry are an important factor affecting the successfulness of the universities’ participation in the development of the local economy. The different mechanisms of knowledge transfer are under review here in the context of a peripheral town, Joensuu, in eastern Finland. In relation to the knowledge transfer mechanisms in the region a lack of entrepreneurial spirit of graduates and faculty and a partial mismatch between regional business life needs and university research was reported. This paper discusses how to alleviate these lacks and mismatches. Interviews conducted for the study also reveal that the peripheral location of Joensuu poses some restrictions on the availability of skilled workers, but this is compensated by employee loyalty to their employers.