In this paper, we aim at re-assessing the undisputed positive relationship between innovation and economic growth by … questioning the view that R&D (and formal knowledge in general) equates innovation and innovation equates regional growth. We … several knowledge and innovation indicators, ranging from R&D expenditures, patent data, to newly released data on different …

policies and measurement methods; development theories of innovation, knowledge and space, and regional production factors; and …

This paper presents conceptual and empirical reasons for moving from a thematically-regionally neutral innovation … policy to a thematically and regionally focused innovation policy, in line with the smart specialization approach of the new … cohesion policy framework. The paper starts by claiming that the pathways towards innovation and modernization are …