Networking System and Innovation Outputs: The Role of Science and Technology Parks

During recent years, research has, provided evidence that increasing interorganizational collaborations (networking) play a central role in determining firms innovation by demonstrating that the locus of innovation is an interorganizational system of actors. Both the relationship between networking and innovation and the role of science partners in interorganizational relationships and R&D networking have been given a great deal of attention. The interest is stimulated by the contribution to economic development, competitive advantage creation, firms performance, expecially in high-tech industry. The main purpose of this study is to explore the dynamic of the relationship between networking and innovation and science parks’ role in providing the linkages to all firms and agents in interorganizational system of innovation. The empirical evidence of the paper consists of a survey of 15 Italian Science Parks and show networking process facilitate the innovation projects but it will not necessarily lead to innovation success.