KNOWLEDGE-BASED ECONOMY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: CREATION PROCESS, THE MAIN TYPICALITIES AND PROBLEMS OF CLUSTERIZATION.

Abstract

Possibilities for the development of new forms of economic, social and technological headway designed to create and further improve economies based on knowledge & innovation are analyzed here. The main emphasis is put on national and regional economic specialization and creation of new networks of clusters in the situation of the development of the European Union. We have found that clusterization oriented towards the increase of efficiency of various national and regional economies is a critical precondition for successful creation of modern economy based on knowledge & innovation, both in the whole space of the European Union and particular countries. Another idea - a concept of creation of regional and cross-regional clusters and their networks also known as „economic oasis“ - is suggested here. It is explained in the paper that in the economies based on knowledge development of clusters and their networks will soon become one of the core forms of economic and technological advancement. The authors of scientific research present the object of which has been creation of the knowledge based economy in the situation of the enlargement of the European Union. The objective of the completed research has been the proof of the fact that key priorities for creation of the knowledge based economy is the urge of technological advancement and enhancement of compatibility and productivity using such opportunities as specialization of national and regional economies, creation of clusters and their networks, as well as the development of so called economic "oases" and hyper-clusters in the entire economic space of the European Union. The main result of the completed research is the concept of strategies oriented towards integration and synthesis, the basis for which is the universal principle of „creation of a new quality“: we should utilize this principle in elaborating and implementing the strategies for creation of knowledge based economy in the European Union. Key tasks of our completed research have been the following: demonstrate the fact that knowledge based society and knowledge based economy in the European Union should be created according to the universal principle of „creation of a new quality; prove the necessity to create and apply the strategies oriented towards innovation, integration and synthesis; reveal the essence of the rational specialization of national and regional economies; show the necessity of creation and expansion of regional, cross-regional and international innovation networks of clusters and economic "oases" in the European Union; demonstrate the fact that networking of science and technology parks and business centers is the first stage of the knowledge based economy creation process; show the necessity of the networking of science and technology parks and business centers in the context of knowledge based economy creation processes in Lithuania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]