Understanding innovation in a globalizing economy: the Norwegian case

WP1 Innovation processes The purpose of this wp is to explore how firms organize and implement innovation activities and what strategies they pursue. The work will be organised with analyses of four sets of data: a survey of internal innovation data, anal ysis of data from CIS 2006 and the national R&D survey planned for 2008, and a planned survey targeting Norwegian venture capital investors. WP2 Globally distributed knowledge networks Focus will be on systemic and institutional factors explaining innova tion performance of Norwegian industries. Traditionally, Norway has been characterized by low productivity and have low scores on innovations and R&D statistics. In spite of this, Norway is at the productivity top and is enabling a number of new innovativ e industry sectors. These issues will be studied by qualitative micro level case studies of firms in four different sectors which performs very well in international competition. WP3 Spatial and regional aspects This part will discuss how firms to a larg e extent rely on local conditions; how learning and innovation capabilities are developed in different types regional systems, and how stronger systems can be constructed. It will be analysed how innovation capacities of different regions is developed and maintained, including studies of learning processes, cluster based upgrading mechanisms, and extra-regional relationships and knowledge flows. WP4 Innovation policy Based on a critical examination of current practices of formulating and implementing the national innovation policy, the purpose is to analyse how the national innovation policy may be embedded in a more adequate understanding of the Norwegian innovation system, and to discuss alternatives for designing a more adequate and proactive innovati on policy. The work will include a policy process study related to the white paper on innovation policy to be published in 2008; and studies of regional aspects of innovation policy and future policy optio