Evolving industrial districts and changing innovation patterns: the case of Montreal

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the evolution of the phenomenon of industrial districts and explores the broader regional innovation systems that consist of multiple industrial districts.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a combination of network analysis and patent analysis techniques to analyze the social structure of Montreal tech agglomeration and its innovation.

Findings

The findings indicate that the cores of modern regional innovation systems are composed of densely collaborating organizations belonging to different industrial clusters, and these organizations are responsible for the most radical innovations. The analysis also reveals the importance of brokers and international ties in generating radical innovations.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of our paper extend the initial concept of industrial district and call for the need to no longer focus exclusively on individual clusters, but to take into consideration broader competitive regional innovation systems that are composed of multiple clusters. The current trend of the core of such systems to be composed of organizations from multiple clusters indicates that the traditional understanding of industrial district confined to the borders of specific industry is no longer relevant and there is a need to revise the conceptualization of clusters and further analyze the social fabric of broader regional innovation systems. In future, such intense collaboration within the core of the regional innovation system network may give rise to new industrial and technological configurations. It is important to further investigate these structures, because they have important implications for innovation and are responsible for new innovation patterns.

Practical implications

To boost innovation in specific localities, policymakers could encourage collaboration between different clusters and support interdisciplinary projects and programs. Those would help the local community generate radical innovations.

Social implications

Using this research, local policymakers could help local companies understand and explore international markets, as well as focus on attracting multinational firms that are leaders in their respective fields. Finally, local policymakers could further support important cluster intermediaries

Originality/value

This paper offers original contributions to the studies of industrial districts as it explores a competitive ecosystem composed of multiple industrial districts and analyzes how these industrial districts interact and where the most innovative solutions lie in the social fabric of this big ecosystem.

Citation

Turkina, E. and Oreshkin, B. (2022), "Evolving industrial districts and changing innovation patterns: the case of Montreal", Competitiveness Review, Vol. 32 No. 5, pp. 667-685. https://doi.org/10.1108/CR-11-2021-0165