Developing Regional Innovation Ecosystem for Industry 4.0 needs

Abstract

The aim of this research is to examine how to develop a regional innovation ecosystem for Industry 4.0 needs. The research consists of a literature review and an empirical study. The literature review discusses previous research on innovation ecosystems, innovation networks on a Regional Scale and role of innovation ecosystem in the Industry 4.0. The empirical part of the research has been conducted as a case study. The empirical part focuses on the current state of the innovation ecosystem of a case region. Based on the current state of the innovation ecosystem, the study examines how the innovation ecosystem is suitable for the adoption of Industry 4.0 and how the innovation ecosystem can be developed to better meet the needs of Industry 4.0. The results of the research show that the development of an innovation ecosystem can support Industry 4.0 needs through cooperation between actors. In particular, cooperation between companies, educational organisations and regional institutions is seen as important. Education organisations should provide education that support digitalisation and assist in the development of new technologies. Regional institutions should develop region’s attractiveness to talent and investors, develop the region’s Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) activities, support start-ups and enable networks. Companies should invest in their own RDI activities, cooperate with other actors and promote a digital culture among their employees.