Meeting the Needs for Skills Upgrading in SMEs through mobilization of Science Parks and Incubators: Swedish Experience and Issues for Developing countries

摘要

Relevant and effective competence upgrading is of crucial importance for firm competitiveness as well as regional and social development. R&D is important for innovation in many kinds of firms but takes secondary importance in many situations. In Africa and other developing regions it is crucially important to identify what mechanisms can effectively support the upgrading of relevant skills broadly in the economy, drawing on and combining what useful capabilities are available. Sweden, being a country with high R&D-intensity, strongly internationalised big business and extensive research in universities, presents some specific examples of new approaches in this area. Reviewing the experience of Science Park J?nk?ping in cooperation with J?nk?ping University, the paper presents lessons and conclusions how, and by which actors, more relevant capabilities and matching roles may be nurtured. Particular attention is paid to the challenges confronting SMEs in the upgrading of skills. Measures bridging the supply of general training by universities and the demand for idiosyncratic skills on the part of SMEs should be paralleled by those that mobilise more complementary contributions of external professional service providers. Rather than general knowledge promotion, programmes need to strongly emphasize local adaptation and specialisation.