Regional Innovation Ecosystems: Understanding their nature, identifying their value : A Phase I report for the Local Enterprise Partnerships of Lancashire and Cumbria, to inform the development and implementation of ecosystem approaches to innovation within Local Industrial Strategies.

Ford, Chris J. and Hallam, Simon and Convery, Ian (2019) Regional Innovation Ecosystems: Understanding their nature, identifying their value : A Phase I report for the Local Enterprise Partnerships of Lancashire and Cumbria, to inform the development and implementation of ecosystem approaches to innovation within Local Industrial Strategies. [Report]

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Abstract

The pursuit of high performing ‘innovation ecosystems’ is driven by the belief that if we can connect the right people and organisations in the right ways, we can drive innovation and in turn productivity, not just in one firm but across an entire region. Much research has been carried out on various forms of business-related ecosystems, yet this work is dispersed and often disconnected, spanning many academic traditions. Furthermore, much of what we have learnt has been drawn from contexts that may not lead to useful or readily applicable ideas for policy makers elsewhere. The purpose of this research project is to investigate the practical value of ecosystems approaches to innovation-led productivity interventions for policy makers in Lancashire and Cumbria, a study area that we shall refer to as the Northern North West (‘NNW’). To address this goal, we developed a series of three interconnected objectives that would guide this research, which were shared with partners in May 2019. These objectives draw together specific research interests from the core funders: The ESRC funding both the Lancashire and Cumbria LEPs to develop the evidence base for Local Industrial Strategies, the Centre of Nuclear Excellence (CoNE), a public-private nuclear sector partnership, and Lancaster University providing funding support through its Impact Acceleration Account (IAA). The over-arching aim of this project, across its multiple phases, is to deliver robust research activities that yield high quality academic publications, and policy-valuable insights that have value regionally, nationally and internationally.