Projects
Current Projects
KIMERAA - Knowledge transfer to Improve Marine Economy in Regions of the Atlantic Area.
The project aims to develop niches of economic excellence in the marine sector through the creation of bridges and links between specialist knowledge providers and firms engaged in maritime activity. With a strong focus on innovation, the project includes creating and consolidating scientific and technological networks that contribute to the enhancement of innovative capabilities within maritime firms.
Project Duration 2010-2012
Staff involved in the project: Philip Cooke, Julie Porter, Laura Norris and Adrian Healy
What Makes a Successful Entrepreneur in Wales? An Empirical Study
This project is funded by a Welsh Government Economic Research Grant
The key aim of this study is to provide a robust and empirically-based analysis and understanding of the factors underlying entrepreneurial success (and conversely, failure) in a Wales-based environment. In particular, the study addresses the following: (1) the extent to which the particular characteristics and traits of entrepreneurs in Wales impact on the success of their ventures. Such traits include age, gender, entrepreneurial motivation, education level, entrepreneurial history, entrepreneurial ‘skills’, network orientation, etc.; and (2) the extent to which the external environment entrepreneurs in Wales are exposed to impacts on the success of their ventures, with external environment covering factors such as: geographic location; type of sector/industry, availability of physical, human, and financial capital; access to ‘enterprise support’, etc.
Project Duration 2011-2012
Staff involved in the project: This project is led by Robert Huggins in conjunction with researchers at Cardiff Metropolitan University
Cardiff: KnowCities
The project is funded by Cardiff City Council
A study of the development of Cardiff as a knowledge economy as part of the international comparative study KnowCities initiative encompassing a number of cities in the European Atlantic Rim (Portugal, Spain, France, UK and Ireland). The study focuses on Cardiff in relation to its: inherited resources - people, the knowledge institutes, business sectors, geography and place; governance - describing the system and routines under which economic policies are designed in the city, as well as relevant policy organisations; policies and projects - describing specific policies and projects to foster the knowledge economy and economic upgrading in the city; national, regional and EU policies relevant for the local knowledge economy - analysing how multi-level policies affect city; and city performance - outlining the economic performance of the city.
Project Duration 2011
Staff involved in the project: Robert Huggins and Piers Thompson (Cardiff Metropolitan University)
RethE- Rethinking Entrepreneurship
The aims of this project are two-fold: (1) to formulate a new entrepreneurial model that allows organisations, particularly regional development agencies, to provide support services and tools for entrepreneurs and start-ups, and (2) to create a network of organisations in the Atlantic Area that are involved in entrepreneurship promotion which will contribute to reducing the existing differential with other, more dynamic areas of the EU. The first aim was achieved through qualitative research focusing on best practice cases within each partner region as well as at the global level. The research at this stage focused on five themes: networking/collaboration, seed entrepreneurship, business creation, target groups, and funding. The current stage focuses on the second aim in disseminating the research from phase one to interested organisations in an effort to create a sustainable network.
Project Duration 2008 - 2011
Staff involved in the project: Philip Cooke, Julie Porter and Adrian Healy
The KNETWORKS project seeks to create a knowledge sharing and dissemination Network in the Atlantic Area. With a strong digital focus, the project will promote the exchange of good practices and implementation strategies for building and exploiting a 21st Century Knowledge and Information Society. The project will also study the conditions and requirements for the creation of the European Knowledge Centre in the Atlantic Area. This initiative would be an open network based in the Atlantic area with a main interest in the fields of: e-government, innovation, knowledge transfer, technology, the Internet, collective intelligence, future and the creation of knowledge.
Project Duration 2010 - 2012
Staff involved in the project: Philip Cooke, Selyf Morgan, Laura Norris and Adrian Healy
KIT- Knowledge, Innovation & Territory
The project, funded through the ESPON programme, aims to add a territorial dimension to the innovation and knowledge economy in the EU. New scientific and technological powers outside the European territory are attracting considerable and increasing amounts of R&D investments. Against this background new opportunities arise but also the question of Europe’s ability to sustain a competitive edge in knowledge and innovation. The EC recognises the territorial dimension of the innovation and knowledge economy and its role in potential territorial development and cohesion in both, the Green Paper on the European Research Area as well as the Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion. Knowledge has in recent years become a key driver for growth of economic systems, and the access to knowledge is generally considered as a key condition for innovative activities in our modern economy. The project takes this policy context as a starting point to explore the territorial dimension of the innovation and knowledge economy. An overall concept is used including product innovation, process innovation and organisational innovation. This project will take into account the current state, patterns and potentials of regions with respect to the knowledge and innovation economy and identify new development opportunities through innovation for Europe and its territories.
Project Duration 2010 - 2012
Staff involved in the project: Philip Cooke and Selyf Morgan
T-Res- Territories and Technologies in an Unstable Knowledge Economy: an evolutionary framework of regional resilience
T-Res- Territories and Technologies in an Unstable Knowledge Economy: an evolutionary framework of regional resilience. This ESRC- funded, Open Research Area project aims to develop further insight into territorial resilience in the evolutionary economic geography context. The key question for this research is: in an unstable and cyclical macro-economic context marked by rapid technological cycles, recurrent economic and financial crisis and contemporary environmental challenges, how can regions succeed in maintaining a high level of innovation whilst adapting to this changing environment and even develop new growth patterns? This question will be explored through mixed methods research, using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, on specific industries that are prominent in the partner regions ranging from aerospace to ICT.
Project Duration 2011 - 2014
Staff involved in the project: Philip Cooke, Gillian Bristow and Julie Porter.
Recently completed projects
CURE: Corporate Culture and
Regional Embeddedness
The project is funded under the EU FP6
The overall goal of CURE is to develop a common framework for a better understanding of the processes involved in cultural transmission. CURE, therefore, aims at studying processes of cultural change in order to facilitate understanding of culturally perceived values and practices both, in companies and regions to develop a vision of the regional embedded company and an innovative regional culture
Project Duration 2007-2009
EURODITE Regional Trajectories
to the Knowledge Economy: A Dynamic Model?
The project is funded under the EU FP6
The significance of knowledge for economic activity has grown exponentially since the 1980s. However, there is as yet little understanding of the nature and composition of the knowledge economy, especially at a regional level. The EURODITE project will address this deficiency by examining the dynamics of knowledge in the economies of European regions to inform policies seeking to promote the transition of Europe towards a knowledge-based society. What are the different trajectories towards the knowledge economy? Through what generative and communication pathways does knowledge flow into and within regional economies? An analytical framework will be developed enabling policy-makers to measure the intensity of regional knowledge use, and to identify appropriate practices for different regions given their respective economic base and level of knowledge development.
Project duration: 2005- 2008
AFIBIO:
Access to finance in the Biotechnology Sector
The project is funded under the EU FP6
The project aims at analysing the difficulties that the European Biotechnology Healthcare sector faces in the commercialisation of first-class research and the financial needs, the poor cooperation between sector actors and the absence of appropriate early-stage risk capital severely impairs the formation of innovative start-up companies. The project will contribute to enhancing access to finance through the formation of a network of professionals (from research to finance) sharing knowledge and best practice in order to provide models, toolkits and recommendations. After a precise identification of the specific needs and challenges in this sector through the analysis of both good practice and business failures, mapping and rating the available sources of financing will lead to practical propositions, such as setting up a financial toolkit for supporting innovative biotechnology businesses across the EU, and recommendations to help bridge the gaps.
Project duration: 2005- 2008
DIME: Dynamics of Institutions
and Markets in Europe
The project is funded under the EU FP6 Network of Excellence
DIME is a network of social scientists in Europe, working on the economic and social consequences of increasing globalization and the rise of the knowledge economy. The network brings together a wide variety of scholars, for example from economics, geography, sociology, history, political science and law. The Structural Activity Line 3 (SAL3), which CASS is responsible for, integrates ‘users’ of DIME research such as industry and intermediaries e.g. Regional and National Industry Ministries, Regional Development Agencies and industry or business associations. Although these users have the option of viewing the SAL3 articles under alternative headings, the SAL3 gathers the pertinent information for the target group to provide a concentrated, up-to-date understanding of the key issues. Furthermore, the SAL3 gathers the pertinent people for 1-2 day training sessions that are organized to allow policymakers, businesspeople, and academics to interact on related subjects.
Project duration: 2004- 2008
GEM Wales
The project is funded by the Assembly Government
The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) research program is an annual assessment of the national level of entrepreneurial activity and is the world’s largest study of its kind. During the course of its history; nearly 60 countries have been involved with the research. The United Kingdom was a founding GEM nation in 1999, while in Wales it has been co-directed by Professor Dylan Jones-Evans since 2000. The Welsh input is based on an adult population survey of 2,000 people and is the main comparative research project used by the Welsh Assembly Government to develop enterprise policies. The principal output is a comparable index of entrepreneurial activity that allows performance in Wales to be benchmarked against other similar regions and nations. GEM Research has three main objectives: To measure differences in the level of early stage entrepreneurial activity between countries; To uncover factors determining the levels of entrepreneurial activity;To identify policies that may enhance the level of entrepreneurial activity.
Established in 1998, the primary objective of the project has been to promote the development of growth businesses in Wales through highlighting the fifty fastest growing Welsh ventures. The annual Fast Growth 50 initiative is managed by the Centre for Advanced Studies. It is a key barometer in gauging the health of the economy’s enterprise sector. The real stars of this project are the successful Welsh entrepreneurs that have made a real difference to their business, their local economy and the people who work for them. The project has helped to raise the profile of these individual businesses within their sector and as many firms have commented, being listed in the Wales Fast Growth 50 has put the spotlight on their business and highlights their presence to customers and suppliers, thus bringing new business opportunities that may not have previously existed.