Regional patterns of unrelated technological diversification: the role of academic inventors

This paper investigates the relationship between the involvement of academic
inventors in local innovation dynamics and the patterns of regional technological
diversification. Based on the combination of the evolutionary economic approach
and the theories on regional innovation capabilities, and on the distinctive features
of academic inventors, we hypothesise that knowledge spillovers accruing from the
participation of university scientists to local patenting activity influence the extent of
regional technological diversification. In addition, we posit that the involvement of
academic inventors mitigates the path dependency engendered by the constraining
role of the existing capabilities. The empirical results highlight the key role of
academic institutions for the development of regional technological trajectories while
contributing to the academic and policy debate on regional diversification strategies.