Tom Spurling Oration: How different types of proximity affect the performance of innovation networks and precincts
The Centre for Transformative Innovation invites you to the 2022 Tom Spurling Oration presented by Professor Ron Boschma.
About our event
Regions do not start from scratch when developing new economic activities – they develop activities that are closely related to their own capabilities. Inter-regional linkages provide access to complementary capabilities needed for successful diversification. Policymakers should map diversification opportunities of regions to formulate an evidence-based policy framework.
Professor Ron Boschma (Utrecht University) will present his research to address questions such as:
- Why are some individuals or firms better connected than others?
- Do individuals and firms that are spatially proximate show a higher degree of connectivity?
- Are the types of proximity substitutes or complements? And why?
There is an optimal level of proximity between agents. The advantages of being spatially proximate depend crucially on the nature of the knowledge at hand.
Simple knowledge flows equally to actors near and far, while complex knowledge is unlikely to diffuse – no matter how proximate actors are. With knowledge of moderate complexity, however, the outcomes show that more close actors are in a better position to benefit from knowledge diffusion in contrast to more distant recipients.
About our speaker
Professor Ron Boschma is the leading international authority on how different forms of proximity (cognitive, organisational, social, institutional and spatial) affect firms in innovation ecosystems.
He claims that spatial proximity is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for inter-firm learning and innovation. The spatial evolution of innovation networks does not necessarily increase their innovative performance.
Professor Boschma's insights are timely given the recent investments by businesses and governments in industrial precincts and networks.
Explore other events
-
Research
- Engineering
Campus Surf Sounds
Join us for a first presentation-performance featuring four of Australia's leading contemporary musicians at the intersection of contemporary classical and jazz improvisation, in an evening where music and science interact.
-
Research
- Research Impact
- Health
- Law
- Psychology
5th Australasian Youth Justice Conference 2024. Strengthening Connections: The Power of Relationships and Strong Service Partnerships
In collaboration with the Department of Justice and Community Safety Victoria, the Australasian Youth Justice Administrators (AYJA) will partner with Swinburne University of Technology to deliver the 5th Australasian Youth Justice Conference: Strengthening Connections: The Power of Relationships and Strong Service Partnerships. This three-day conference seeks to bring together policy contributors, clinicians, legal decision makers, advocates, researchers and those with lived experience to work together and learn from each other through presentations, keynote addresses, Q & A, and panel discussions.
-
Research
- Research Impact
- Innovation
- Science
Tom Spurling Oration 2024: Science, Specialisation and the American Innovation Ecosystem
Join Professor Ashish Arora (Duke University) in our Tom Spurling Oration 2024 as he discusses despite sustained increases in the quantity of scientific knowledge, productivity growth in advanced economies has stagnated.
Register Now (Tom Spurling Oration 2024: Science, Specialisation and the American Innovation Ecosystem)