6533b86cfe1ef96bd12c88d3

RESEARCH PRODUCT

The challenge of constructing regional advantages in peripheral areas: The case of marine biotechnology in Tromsø, Norway

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The idea of constructing regional advantage (CRA) has recently been emphasized by scholars as a new way for firms to gain competitiveness in a globalizing learning economy. The rationale behind the idea is that advantages in a regional industry can be constructed by proactive public–private partnership. This article uses, and examines the relevance of, the CRA framework in analysing the development and functioning of the marine biotechnology industry in Tromso, which is a fairly peripheral region in Norway. Despite the fact that much effort has been put into education and R&D at the University of Tromso and related research institutes, and the fact that many public policy tools have intended to create a blooming marine biotechnology industry in the area, the results have so far been meagre. This article explains the rather weak results in terms of the number of firms and jobs in the marine biotechnology industry in Tromso as being due to a lack of synthetic knowledge on how to industrialize research resul...