Regional Innovation Capacities in New Member States: a Typology

Abstract: The paper examines the characteristics and performance of regional innovation systems in 12 new member states of the European Union. More specifically, it develops a typology that differentiates their various potentials as innovative regions. Based on a principal component analysis, five different groups of regions are identified. The characteristic profile of each group is detailed and exploration of possible paths of innovation-based regional development is presented for each type of region. The paper concludes with an examination of policy implications emerging from the analysis.