Structure of the networks
Objectives, focal points and participants
The InnoRegio-Program did not specify the objectives, topics, or composition of the networks
in concrete terms. The 23 networks that received support thus cover a broad spectrum of
activities and differ significantly among themselves in terms of the individual participants
involved. The networks are active in the areas of medical technology, renewable resources,
biotechnology, micro-system technology, mechanical engineering, manufacturing technology,
circular-flow economics, environmental technology, and automotive technology. Various
branches of the service industry may also be included here, such as those offering travel and
tourism for physically challenged people, or establishing consultation and treatment services
for people with diabetes. Restriction to one strictly limited technological field is the exception
rather than the rule: usually, each network includes more than one field.
The differences in the choice of topic are reflected in the structure of participation as well.
The share of manufacturing industry, service enterprises and scientific facilities differs widely
among the actors in the individual networks. For the sake of simplification, one can
differentiate among four types of networks according to their objectives and structure of
participation:
- six networks with a large share of research institutions not linked to large universities
(“research networks”)
- four networks with a large share of manufacturers (“producer networks”)
- five networks with a large share of service enterprises or institutions (“service networks”)
- eight mixed networks without any well-defined structure of participants
Size
Taking as a yardstick the number of network partners - the actors immediately involved in
the project as well as the associated individuals or institutions prepared to support the
network - we can identify three networks as being relatively large (with far more than 100
actors), twelve networks as being medium-sized (31-60 actors) and eight as small networks
(up to 30 actors). Since many networks still are looking for participants, these relationships
may change somewhat in the future2.
Network size is among the factors that significantly impact the success of the network. The
larger the number of participants, the more extensive the network’s total sphere of
competencies tends to be, but this also raises additional problems of organization and
communication.
2 A more in-depth study of the effects of size - which cannot be carried out in the framework of this paper -
should also take into account whether or not the partners themselves represent larger or smaller institutions or
enterprises.