Regional Systems of Innovation in Canada: Two Case Studies

The need for the development of regional innovation systems is widespread and recognised in many countries. Quite a few studies have examined individual clusters with the purpose of identifying their essential components and of determining the conditions in which they may arise and prosper. In most of the literature however, it is recognized that there is little firm knowledge about their development process, and about the ways in which they can be promoted and fostered. The "path specificity" of their developments seems to hinder attempts at identifying specific measures that can promote their appearance and growth in contexts different from those where they already have. Canada's effort in this endeavour, however, seems to be paying off, since the country can boast of several burgeoning innovation clusters, some of which seem to be responding to specific policy measures at the regional level. In this study we have aimed at elucidating the structure and dynamics of two innovation clusters in British Columbia: the biotechnology innovation cluster, and the fuel cell innovation cluster, in order to gain a better understanding of their structure, their dynamics, and the way in which they respond to specific efforts by their actors and promoters