Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the evolution of the phenomenon of industrial districts and explores the broader regional innovation systems that consist of multiple industrial districts.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a combination of network analysis and patent analysis techniques to analyze the social structure of Montreal tech agglomeration and its innovation.

Findings

The findings indicate that the cores of modern regional innovation systems are composed of densely collaborating organizations belonging to different industrial clusters, and these organizations are responsible for the most radical innovations. The analysis also reveals the importance of brokers and international ties in generating radical innovations.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of our paper extend the initial concept of industrial district and call for the need to no longer focus exclusively on individual clusters, but to take into consideration broader competitive regional innovation systems that are composed of multiple clusters. The current trend of the core of such systems to be composed of organizations from multiple clusters indicates that the traditional understanding of industrial district confined to the borders of specific industry is no longer relevant and there is a need to revise the conceptualization of clusters and further analyze the social fabric of broader regional innovation systems. In future, such intense collaboration within the core of the regional innovation system network may give rise to new industrial and technological configurations. It is important to further investigate these structures, because they have important implications for innovation and are responsible for new innovation patterns.

Practical implications

To boost innovation in specific localities, policymakers could encourage collaboration between different clusters and support interdisciplinary projects and programs. Those would help the local community generate radical innovations.

Social implications

Using this research, local policymakers could help local companies understand and explore international markets, as well as focus on attracting multinational firms that are leaders in their respective fields. Finally, local policymakers could further support important cluster intermediaries

Originality/value

This paper offers original contributions to the studies of industrial districts as it explores a competitive ecosystem composed of multiple industrial districts and analyzes how these industrial districts interact and where the most innovative solutions lie in the social fabric of this big ecosystem.

中文翻译：

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不断发展的工业区和不断变化的创新模式：蒙特利尔案例

目的

本文旨在调查工业区现象的演变，并探索由多个工业区组成的更广泛的区域创新系统。

设计/方法/方法

本文采用网络分析和专利分析技术相结合的方法，对蒙特利尔科技集聚的社会结构及其创新进行分析。

发现

研究结果表明，现代区域创新体系的核心是由属于不同产业集群的密集协作组织组成，这些组织负责最激进的创新。该分析还揭示了经纪人和国际关系在产生激进创新方面的重要性。

研究限制/影响

我们论文的研究结果扩展了工业区的初始概念，并呼吁不再只关注单个集群，而是考虑由多个集群组成的更广泛的竞争性区域创新系统。当前此类系统的核心由多个集群的组织组成的趋势表明，传统的局限于特定行业边界的工业区的理解已不再适用，需要对集群的概念进行修正并进一步分析更广泛的区域创新系统的社会结构。未来，区域创新系统网络核心内的这种紧密协作可能会催生新的产业和技术配置。

实际影响

为了促进特定地区的创新，政策制定者可以鼓励不同集群之间的合作，并支持跨学科项目和计划。这些将帮助当地社区产生激进的创新。

社会影响

利用这项研究，当地政策制定者可以帮助当地公司了解和探索国际市场，并专注于吸引在各自领域处于领先地位的跨国公司。最后，地方政策制定者可以进一步支持重要的集群中介机构

原创性/价值

本文为工业区的研究提供了原创性贡献，因为它探索了由多个工业区组成的竞争生态系统，并分析了这些工业区如何相互作用以及最具创新性的解决方案在这个大生态系统的社会结构中的位置。