Does Innovation need to be local? How institutions, organisations and networks shape innovative collaborations

This keynote will explore the genesis of innovation by discussing the drivers of collaborations between inventors. In particular the importance of physical distance for the formation of innovative collaborations will be compared with alternative forms of institutional, organisational and social proximity. To what extent inventors need 'local' contacts to work together? How and under what conditions can other forms of proximity complement (or substitute) localised interactions? The discussion will draw upon a growing body of empirical evidence based on the analysis of collaboration patterns between inventors in the UK and in Italy over three decades. The evidence suggests that physical proximity is an important influence on collaboration, but is mediated by other non-spatial factors. For the most prolific inventors (multiple inventors) geographic proximity is, however, much less important than organisational and social links. When looking at the formation of links between university-based inventors and private firms the evidence suggest that institutional distance is not necessarily a barrier: the quality of the universities is of fundamental importance for these collaborations together with spatial