The Entrepreneurial Discovery Process and Regional Development: New Knowledge Emergence, Conversion and Exploitation

There is a broad and long-standing debate on possible solutions to the regional vulnerabilities of globalisation. In 2014, the European Commission began implementing Smart Specialisation Strategy, a place-based strategy of growth, regional transformation and new industrial policy with collective entrepreneurial discovery processes (EDP) at its core. This volume approaches the mystery of entrepreneurial discovery; that is, how relevant knowledge is created, converted and shared in a process of discovery.

These essays bring together scholars from economics, geography, sociology, organisation studies, innovation studies, and complexity theory, offering new approaches to overcome the limitations of place-based development and suggesting improved methods leading to growth.

Åge Mariussen is research manager and senior researcher at the Department of Regional Studies, University of Vaasa, Finland, and Nordland Research Institute, Bodø, Norway.

Seija Virkkala is professor in the Department of Regional Studies, University of Vaasa, Finland.

Håkon Finne is senior research scientist at SINTEF Digital, Trondheim, Norway.

Tone Merethe Aasen is senior research scientist at SINTEF Digital, Trondheim, Norway.