Spatial mobility of knowledge transfer and absorptive capacity: Analysis and measurement of the impact within the geoeconomic space

Abstract

This paper analyses the spatial mobility of knowledge and technology transfer and measures the economic impact on the geo-economic space. The data of laboratories operating in different research and technological fields are used. The results show that, when the distance from the source of knowledge (research institute) to users increases, the impact of knowledge and technology transfer decreases with damped pulsations. The magnitude of knowledge and technology transfer shows a high intensity within the industrial district because small businesses are able to acquire externally scientific knowledge, without conducting in-house research, but by interactions with public scientific bodies and adopting both collective rules that act as collective knowledge devices, making collective learning possible, and skilled labor. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2007.