Author(s)

Seppo Saari, Harri Haapasalo

Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Department of Technology, Kemi-Tornio University of Applied Sciences, Kemi, Finland.

Large science parks and their knowledge transfer processes have been studied extensively while only a few papers on small parks exist. Characteristic to them is that the institutions and services are fewer than in the large ones. The main target of this paper is to create a framework to analyse further knowledge transfer processes in small technology parks. The framework resulting from the study has two main phases: the innovation enabler and product development process analyses. The innovation enabler analysis starts with a local innovation system and a technology park analysis, including links to other geographical levels, and links to sectoral innovation systems. It is continued with a social capital assessment and a network analysis. The product development process analysis explores the product development processes as the targets of the knowledge transfer, and transfer of different types of knowledge through and from the local innovation system.

Knowledge Transfer; Product Development Process; Technology Park; Innovation System

S. Saari and H. Haapasalo, "Knowledge Transfer Processes in Product Development—Theoretical Analysis in Small Technology Parks," Technology and Investment, Vol. 3 No. 1, 2012, pp. 36-47. doi: 10.4236/ti.2012.31006.