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This study aims to analyse the provision of knowledge‐intensive services (KIS) by technology centres based on approaches used in the literature on trade areas.

The techniques employed derive from the literature on trade areas (customer spotting and ring studies) and spatial analysis (nearest neighbour analysis, Ripley's K statistic and median centre).

The research demonstrates that there is a geographic factor in the distribution of firms associated with a technology centre and some of their characteristics depend on their proximity to such a centre. Trade areas are determined and access facilities are detected. It has also been observed how geographic proximity is coupled with functional (sector) factors in the firm‐technology centre relationship.

These findings may contribute towards strategies for locating technology centres, and may be extended to future centre networks and to the development of more efficient marketing strategies aimed at attracting and acquiring client firms.

To date, little is known about the spatial distribution of firms associated with technology centres, nor are there studies that relate the profile of user firms in relation to the distance from their premises to the technology centre. Using methodology previously applied to trade areas, this research has identified the spatial pattern of associated firms which may be of use for a variety of purposes.