A FEW THOUGHTS ON SCIENCE

PARKS FROM A WORLDWIDE

PERSPECTIVE
IASP Luis Sanz. Director General
 Scheme of the speech
2

1. What are STPs

2. STPs worldwide
experience
3. Why do some parks
fail?
4. Current trends

Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010

 IASP definition of Science Park
3

A Science Park is an organisation managed by

specialised professionals, whose main aim is to increase
the wealth of its community by promoting the culture of
innovation and the competitiveness of its associated
businesses and knowledge-based institutions.
To enable these goals to be met, a Science Park
stimulates and manages the flow of knowledge and
technology amongst universities, R&D institutions,
companies and markets; it facilitates the creation and
growth of innovation-based companies through
incubation and spin-off processes; and provides other
value-added services together with high quality space
and facilities.
Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010
 IASP definition of Science Park
4

A Science Park is an organisation managed by

specialised professionals, whose main aim is to increase
the wealth of its community by promoting the culture of
innovation and the competitiveness of its associated
businesses and knowledge-based institutions.
To enable these goals to be met, a Science Park
stimulates and manages the flow of knowledge and
technology amongst universities, R&D institutions,
companies and markets; it facilitates the creation and
growth of innovation-based companies through
incubation and spin-off processes; and provides other
value-added services together with high quality space
and facilities.
Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010
 A well known model...
5

Un n t
ive me
rsi e rn
ty o v
G

Industry

Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010

 STPs in the “triple helix”
6

Un n t
ive me
rsi e rn
ty o v
G
STP

Industry

Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010

 STPs main building blocks
7

Management

University
Value-added services
Quality facilities
New businesses creation
Business attraction
Network
Territorial influence

Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010

 STPs: where is the accent put?
8

Cocktail of priorities imposed on STPs:

… Ambitious but vague:
† Regional development
† Access the Knowledge Economy
… Specific but narrow:
† Create jobs
† Attract foreign companies (multinationals)
† University commercial broker
† Recover degraded urban areas

Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010

 About setting priorities
9

… It does not matter which priorities are set as long as:

… They make sense in that particular place
† They fit in the broader innovation policy
… Specific targets are set and adequate resources
allocated

Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010

10 Same concept, different approaches
The IASP observatory

Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010

 IASP
11

… 26 years (1984)
… The largest and the only global association of STPs
… Nearly 400 members
… 72 countries
… 6 Regional Divisions
… >250,000 companies

Luis Sanz, IASP - February 2010 - South Africa www.iasp.ws

 IASP membership growth
12

Luis Sanz, IASP - February 2010 - South Africa www.iasp.ws

 STPs in the USA
13

… Research Parks
… Social & business culture was ready for the concept
… Entrepreneurial and competitive instinct
… Universities ready to work with the market place

Today:
… A few giants

… Parks beyond parks (Sil. Valley, Boston, etc.)

… Many small university parks

… Split management

… No international vocation (this is beginning to change)

Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010

 STPs in the UK
14

… Science Parks
… Strong links to Universities
… Strong focus on NTBF (less in mature companies)
… Good “cultural” pre-existing conditions

Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010

 STPs in Japan
15

… Concept misunderstood
… Top down
… Lots of resources but…
… Inadequate management
… No incubation

Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010

 STPs in China
16

… State projects / Central in their innovation policy

… Top down
… Gigantic
… Gov. support continues after different evaluations

Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010

 STPs in Brazil
17

… State policy
… Gradual approach
… From incubators to Parks
… Central role in innovation policies
… STPs and incubators have changed the Brazilian business
culture profoundly.

Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010

 Other areas where STPs do count
18

… Northern Europe (Scandinavia and Finland)

… Spain
… India

Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010

 5 STP failure factors
19

1. Choosing the wrong model:

† Sheer imitation
† Wrong or inexistent feasibility / market study
2. Political interference:
† STPs in the middle of political party confrontation
† Over-interventionism (politicians as managers)
3. Refusing to understand that STPs are mid/long term projects
4. Inadequate CEO
5. Immobility (fossilization): refusal to evolve
When you are skating on thin ice, salvation lies on speed.
(R.W. Emerson)
Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010
20 Trends in the STP industry
IASP Strategigram - © Luis Sanz

Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010

 IASP strategigram (© Luis Sanz)
21

Urban density (location)

-10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Position in the tech. stream

-10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Target firms
-10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Specialisation
-10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Target markets
-10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Networking ‘style’
-10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Management model
-10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010

 Location & environment (Axis 1)
22

Urban Non urban

•From STP towards Knowledge City

•Role and features of the “knowledge workers”
•Active role of cities in economic development
•Being attractive to companies and people!

Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010

 Target firms (Axis 3)
23

NTBF Mature firms

•Slightly increased focus on NTBF

•Incubation reinforces its key role in STPs

Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010

 Specialisation (Axis 4)
24

Specialised Generalist

•Growing number of specialised STPs

•Stronger sectors: “bio”, “agro-food”, software...
•Need of more specific (specialised) infrastructures.
•Need of more specialised STP managers

Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010

 Target markets (Axis 5)
25

Domestic International

•To serve your “local” context efficiently, STPs today

need to increase their international dimension.
•Internationalisation is a bidirectional concept!

Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010

 Ownership, governance (Axis 7)
26

Institutional Business

•In search of an enriching mix and balance between the

public and private sector in fostering STPs.
•Private investor’s participation in STPs has many
variants.

Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010

 4 Conclusions
27

1. If STPs did not exist we should invent them

immediately.
2. Make sure you choose the right model for you.
3. Give your STPs an international dimension since
day 1.
4. Pay extra attention to your communication
strategy.

Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010

 2010 IASP World Conference
Global Green Growth (G3): Challenges and opportunities for STPs

DAEJEON
May 23-26 2010
www.iasp2010ddi.com
28 Luis Sanz, IASP - February 2010 - South Africa www.iasp.ws
 www.iasp.ws Thank you
Member of:
for your time

29 Luis Sanz - COFISA Conf. Joburg, Feb. 2010

30 International Association of Science Parks

Luis Sanz, IASP - February 2010 - South Africa www.iasp.ws