Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) can be key players in regional innovation ecosystems and for the design and implementation of Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3). However, regions in Europe are diverse, in terms of their economic and institutional structures, higher education systems, and competences and capabilities for S3 management. The project on Higher Education for Smart Specialisation (HESS) has included several case studies where historic and internationally renowned universities have not played a significant role in S3. This can be explained by a variety of factors, from weak strategies and regional institutions, problems with multi-level governance, to a lack of local engagement by the universities concerned. On the other hand, this case study of Lower Austria shows that even in a region with a small higher education sector, an absence of traditional research-intensive universities and an economy in transition from agriculture, that HEIs both within and outside the region can be important partners for S3 managers.

This book helps readers understand how universities position themselves in the innovation landscape and the implications for national policies. It provides a scholarly discussion and best practice–based insights to help answer questions like: To what extent do funding and governance policies support activities within the knowledge triangle? How should policies for universities be designed in countries with different industrial and higher education structures? Are there ways to effectively link universities with regional enterprises and social actors? And finally, what are the new institutional models and best practices for overcoming obstacles to interaction, collaboration, and co-creation?

Competing in both high and low-cost operating environments can present a number of unique challenges. In light of global competition and the changing scope of various industries due to technological advancement, these challenges must be addressed in order to ensure business success. Global Perspectives on Achieving Success in High and Low Cost Operating Environments features a collection of research and case studies addressing contemporary issues surrounding operational success in various regions. Business professionals, managers, academics, and upper-level students will find this publication an essential resource for the latest tools and solutions for managing operations in diverse operating environments.

Over the past two decades, Austria has become one of the most R&D intensive economies among OECD countries and in the world, dedicating 3.1% of its GDP on R&D in 2016, the second highest figure in the European Union. To fully harness this R&D capacity, Austrian innovation policy needs to put a ...

This is the first book on a new policy approach that has been widely adopted in Europe and beyond. It analyses the concept of smart specialisation and discuss the need for smart specialisation strategies, explains why the approach is new and different from more standard policy processes and explores what are the conditions for successful implementation. Smart Specialisation: Opportunities and Challenges for Regional Innovation Policy describes the origin of the concept, explains when a smart specialisation policy is necessary, provides a detailed analysis of the design principles of the policy and discuss the pertinence of this approach according to regional development levels. Finally the book discuss the practical implementation phase of the process – based on the first feedback acquired from certain regions engaged in the preparation of their smart specialisation strategy. The book is original in that it provides the first full analysis of smart specialisation strategies both at theoretical and practical levels. It has been written at the critical period of the implementation of smart specialisation strategies in every region in Europe. The fact that the EU has adopted smart specialisation as a mandatory principle for every region and member states will make this book well received by and very useful for: i) policy makers in regional and national administrations in Europe, ii) policy makers in other parts of the world who are in charge of regional policy and have heard about the concept, iii) consultants, analysts and experts who are active on the "markets for smart specialisation diagnosis and expertise", iv) scholars, researchers and graduate students working in the field of regional studies, technology policy and geography of innovation.