How is innovative activity embedded? The emergence of innovation systems in space

Abstract

The concept of the innovation system is explored here, going back to the concept of "system". The ontology of the innovation system is perceived as a system of resources commited to interrelated innovation activities. The question that rises is how the innovation system becomes one (a system, a holon), in other words, what are the mechanisms that govern the alignment of resources and activities in specific directions. Mechanisms of alignment stem from institutional arrangements (related to trust and negotiation) which operate as mechanisms of stretch and leverage within an environment of co-opetition. Central am1.ongst them is the evolution of cognitive cultural elements that, in the form of worldviews translated in mental models of reality, drive economic action and interaction. It is suggested that this cognitive culture is a key factor that characterises and distinguishes innovation systems. It is product of the interaction amongst actors and ideological mechanisms in the system. It constitutes essential evidence of the embeddedness of the innovation system in space and the emergence of systemic behaviour and performance.