Journal of  Entrepreneurship and Innovation Research

Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Research

Providing a policy model appropriate to the European Union's Smart Specialization Program for the development of regional innovation in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Department of Economics and Accounting, Faculty of Management, Economics and Accounting,University Of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran
10.22034/eir.2025.489655.1128
Abstract
Objective: The objective of this study is to explain the concept of the regional innovation system, examine its historical evolution within different intellectual paradigms, and compare it with other analytical models of innovation systems. The study also aims to introduce major frameworks for regional innovation development and to provide policy recommendations for strengthening regional innovation in the Islamic Republic of Iran based on the European Union’s smart specialization strategy.
 Method: This research adopts a descriptive–analytical and literature review approach. Relevant academic sources, theoretical frameworks, and policy documents related to regional innovation systems were examined and analyzed. Through comparative analysis of different models and concepts, the study develops an analytical understanding of regional innovation and its policy implications.
 Findings: The findings indicate that innovation is highly context-dependent and shaped by regional economic, cultural, social, and knowledge-based characteristics. Different regions follow distinct paths in developing innovation capacities. The study also shows that regional innovation systems have evolved historically through four successive generations. Frameworks such as industrial clusters and European regional innovation models play important roles in shaping regional development policies, while the European Union’s smart specialization strategy represents one of the most advanced and up-to-date approaches to regional innovation development.
 Conclusion: The study concludes that effective regional innovation policies must consider the unique capacities and conditions of each region. Adopting a systemic perspective and utilizing strategies such as smart specialization can enhance regional competitiveness, strengthen innovation ecosystems, and support sustainable economic growth. For Iran, aligning regional development policies with the principles of smart specialization can provide a more targeted and efficient path for fostering innovation and regional economic development.
Keywords
Subjects

پاکزاد، مهدی؛ قاضی‌نوری، سید سپهر؛ محمدی، مهدی؛ و مختارزاده، نیما. (1399). تخصصی‌سازی هوشمند: راهبردی برای سیاستگذاری منطقه‌ای نوآوری. پژوهش‌های مدیریت عمومی، 13(50)، 529.
محمدی، یونس؛ مقبل باعرض، عباس؛ باقری‌مقدم، ناصر؛ و افسر، امیر. (1397). طراحی چارچوب مفهومی توسعه نوآوری سازگار با مناطق برای کشورهای درحال‌توسعه: مطالعه موردی ایران. بهبود مدیریت، 12(3)، 2346.
محمدی، یونس. (1398). سیاست توسعه منطقه‌ای نوآوری در اتحادیه اروپا. رهیافت، (75)، 121148.
محمدی، یونس؛ مقبل باعرض، عباس؛ و باقری‌مقدم، ناصر. (1398). چارچوب تحلیل کارکردی نظام نوآوری منطقه‌ای در کشورهای درحال‌توسعه. مدیریت توسعه فناوری، 7(2)، 1134.
محمدی، یونس؛ و باقری‌مقدم، ناصر. (1397). راهنمای تدوین راهبردهای پژوهش و نوآوری منطقه‌ای با هدف تخصصی‌سازی هوشمند. تهران: مرکز تحقیقات سیاست علمی کشور.
میرزایی، حجت‌الله؛ و ربانی، طاها. (1400). ارزیابی و تحلیل ظرفیت نوآوری منطقه‌ای در سطح استان‌های کشور. پژوهش‌های اقتصادی ایران، (87)، 77110.
زمانی، محمد. (1397). معرفی سیستم نوآوری. سیاست‌نامه علم و فناوری، 8(2)، 5570.
فاطمی، سیدمهدی؛ و آراستی، محمدرضا. (1398). اولویت‌گذاری حوزه‌های علم، فناوری و نوآوری. سیاست علم و فناوری، (42)، 3358.
 
Adner, R. (2006). Match your innovation strategy to your innovation ecosystem. Harvard Business Review, 84(4), 98–107.
Ajmone Marsan, G., & Maguire, K. (2011). Categorisation of OECD regions using innovation-related variables. OECD Regional Development Working Papers.
Asheim, B., & Isaksen, A. (1997). Location, agglomeration and innovation: Towards regional innovation systems in Norway. European Planning Studies, 5(3), 299–330. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654319708720402
Bergek, A., Jacobsson, S., Carlsson, B., Lindmark, S., & Rickne, A. (2008). Analyzing the functional dynamics of technological innovation systems: A scheme of analysis. Research Policy, 37, 407–429. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2007.12.003
Bramwell, A., Hepburn, N., & Wolfe, D. A. (2012). Growing innovation ecosystems: University-industry knowledge transfers and regional economic development in Canada. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Borrás, S., & Edquist, C. (2013). The choice of innovation policy instruments. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 80(8), 1513–1522. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2013.03.002
Carlsson, B., & Jacobsson, S. (1997). Diversity creation and technological systems: A technology policy perspective. In C. Edquist (Ed.), Systems of innovation: Technologies, institutions and organizations (pp. 266–294). Pinter.
Carayannis, E. G., Grigoroudis, E., & Goletsis, Y. (2016). A multilevel and multistage efficiency evaluation of innovation systems: A multiobjective DEA approach. Expert Systems with Applications, 62, 63–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2016.06.017
Cooke, P., Uranga, M. G., & Etxebarria, G. (1998). Regional systems of innovation: An evolutionary perspective. Environment and Planning A, 30(9), 1563–1584. https://doi.org/10.1068/a301563
Doloreux, D. (1999). Technopoles et trajectoires stratégiques: Le cas de la ville de Laval (Québec). Cahiers de Géographie du Québec, 43(119), 211–235. https://doi.org/10.7202/022820ar
Edquist, C. (2004). Systems of innovation: Perspectives and challenges. In J. Fagerberg, D. C. Mowery, & R. R. Nelson (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of innovation (pp. 181–208). Oxford University Press.
Guan, J., & Chen, K. (2012). Modeling the relative efficiency of national innovation systems. Research Policy, 41(1), 102–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2011.07.001
Hassink, R. (1999). What does the learning region mean for economic geography? The Korean Journal of Regional Science, 6, 93–116.
Kern, F., & Howlett, M. (2009). Implementing transition management as policy reforms: A case study of the Dutch energy sector. Policy Sciences, 42(4), 391–408. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-009-9099-x
Lundvall, B. Å., Vang, J., Joseph, K., & Chaminade, C. (2009). Innovation system research and developing countries. In B. Å. Lundvall et al. (Eds.), Handbook of innovation systems and developing countries (pp. 1–32). Edward Elgar. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781849803427
Moallemi, E. A., Ahmadi, A., Afrazeh, A., & Bagheri Moghaddam, N. (2012). Understanding systemic analysis in the governance of sustainability transition in renewable energies: The case of fuel cell technology in Iran. Journal of Cleaner Production, 26, 190–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2011.12.018
Morgan, K. (1997). The learning regions: Institutions, innovation and regional renewal. Regional Studies, 31(5), 491–503. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343409750132289
Storper, M. (1997). The regionalized world: Territorial development in a global economy. Guilford Press.
Zabala-Iturriagagoitia, J. M., Voigt, P., Gutiérrez-Gracia, A., & Jiménez-Sáez, F. (2007). Regional innovation systems: How to assess performance. Regional Studies, 41(5), 661–672. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343400601120270
Uyarra, E., Ribeiro, B., & Dale-Clough, L. (2019). Exploring the normative turn in regional innovation policy: Responsibility and the quest for public value. European Planning Studies, 27(12), 2359–2375. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2019.1609425
Vidmar, M. (2021). Enablers, equippers, shapers and movers: A typology of innovation intermediaries’ interventions and the development of an emergent innovation system. Acta Astronautica, 179, 280–289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2020.11.011
Zemtsov, S., & Kotsemir, M. (2019). An assessment of regional innovation system efficiency in Russia: The application of the DEA approach. Scientometrics, 120(2), 375–404. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-019-03130-y