// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the tech park say? Byte-ing to meet you.
A technology park is a planned development that brings together technology-based companies, research and development activities, and related services in a defined geographic area. Technology parks are intended to facilitate technology transfer, cooperation between businesses and universities or research institutions, and the growth of innovation-based firms.[1][2]
Technology parks are commonly developed as innovation ecosystems in which companies may share infrastructure, specialised facilities and business support services. Depending on their model, they may host established firms as well as start-ups, business incubators and research organisations. Their objectives may include commercialising research, encouraging entrepreneurship, attracting investment and contributing to economic development.[3]
Characteristics
[edit]A technology park may include office and laboratory space, R&D facilities, pilot-production or light-manufacturing facilities, conference and educational facilities, and support services for companies. The organisational model varies, but management commonly plays an active role in developing links between firms, universities and research institutions and in supporting technology transfer.[4]
The physical development of a technology park can range from a single campus to a larger, multi-site development. Some parks are established or supported by government authorities, while others involve universities, private developers or public–private partnerships.[5]
Technology park and science park
[edit]The terms technology park and science park are often used interchangeably, and there is no universally accepted distinction between them.[6][7]
In particular, the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation treats the expressions technology park, research park, technopark and science park as referring to a broad, overlapping concept. In some European policy literature, however, a distinction has been made whereby science parks tend to be smaller and more closely linked to universities and research activities, while technology parks may be larger and more likely to accommodate productive activities in addition to research and development.[8]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Science park". International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation.
- ↑ "Setting up, managing and evaluating EU science and technology parks". European Commission. 2014.
- ↑ "Creating Communities of Innovation" (PDF). Association of University Research Parks.
- ↑ "Creating Communities of Innovation" (PDF). Association of University Research Parks.
- ↑ "Setting up, managing and evaluating EU science and technology parks". European Commission. 2014.
- ↑ "Science park". International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation.
- ↑ Albahari, Alberto; Barge-Gil, Andrés; Pérez-Canto, Salvador; Landoni, Paolo (2023). "The effect of science and technology parks on tenant firms: a literature review". The Journal of Technology Transfer. 48: 1489–1531. doi:10.1007/s10961-022-09949-7.
- ↑ "Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on "Industrial districts and clusters"". European Union. 2011.
Further reading
[edit]- Castells, Manuel; Hall, Peter. Technopoles of the World: The Making of Twenty-First-Century Industrial Complexes. Routledge, 1994.
- Link, Albert N.; Scott, John T. The Economics of University Research Parks. Oxford University Press, 2003.
- Phan, Phillip H.; Siegel, Donald S.; Wright, Mike. "Science parks and incubators: observations, synthesis and future research". Journal of Business Venturing, vol. 20, no. 2, 2005, pp. 165–182. doi:10.1016/j.jbusvent.2003.12.001