Nascent Innovation Systems in Developing Countries: University Responses to Regional Needs in Thailand

Universities are playing a major role in regional innovation by interacting directly with regional stakeholders. Up to now there is little evidence on responses of universities to regional needs in developing countries. This paper applies an adopted framework of nascent regional innovation systems in developing countries to a study of the potential impacts of five universities in three regions in Thailand. The empirical evidence suggests that more systematic approaches toward regional university-industry knowledge transfer are still limited by centralized national policies, a low sophistication of regional technological needs, and institutional barriers within the higher education system. University responses to regional needs differ markedly between the Bangkok region and two peripheral regional innovation systems.