Knowledge organizations and local economic development: The cases of Oxford and Grenoble

In Europe, European Union and individual countries' knowledge institutions are expected to stimulate regional or local economic development. This paper explores the increasingly important role of universities and national laboratories (knowledge institutions) as territorial actors. It reports on a recently completed study in which surveys were conducted with academics in scientific departments and technology transfer units in Oxford and Grenoble's universities and national laboratories. It focuses on some of the rules of the game which national innovation systems construct to institutionalize and normalize this role. It compares similar and different outcomes of common priorities.