Innovation and regional development

This paper is based on the knowledge gained from working with two industrial networks from the county of Østfold in Norway. There is a particular focus on the creation of networking arenas and on the development of these arenas for better co-operation between the companies in the network. Much of the empirical knowledge has been achieved by interviewing participants from the networks and by active participation in co-operation projects. The theme is innovation processes in industrial networks, with special attention on how it is possible to enhance the innovation capacity of the networks. We discuss innovation processes in industrial networks as a part of regional innovation systems, because innovation processes in industrial networks cannot be fully understood without understanding how this also relates to the surroundings. We discuss how good relationships, continuous change and strategies for knowledge creation are important factors for innovation in networks. This could be achieved by following the principles from co-generated learning processes (such as a search conference). The principles could be adapted and specially designed for each network in a way that increases the quality and efficiency of the co-operation processes.