Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction. Smart specialisation: expectations, challenges and solutions ge Mariussen and Seija Virkkala PART I Entrepreneurial discovery processes and their institutional challenges 1 Self-discovery enabling entrepreneurial discovery processes Seija Virkkala and ge Mariussen 2 Entrepreneurial discovery processes in different regional contexts. A conceptual discussion Arne Isaksen, Nina Kyllingstad, Jan Ole Rypestl and Ann Camilla Schulze-Krogh 3 The Institutional worlds of entrepreneurial discovery. Finding a place for less developed regions Ji Blaek and Kevin Morgan 4 Entrepreneurial discovery processes through a wicked game approach. Civil society engagement as a possibility for exploration Antti Menp and Niklas Lundstrm PART II Collaborative micro-level arrangements creating new knowledge 5 Career mobility, hybridity and knowledge combination. A third space perspective. Alice Lam 6 The bond, the bridge and the broker. Knowledge conversion in the university-industry nexus Hkon Finne and Tone Merethe Aasen 7 Approaching entrepreneurial discovery and knowledge conversion from a complexity perspective Tone Merethe Aasen 8 Entrepreneurial discovery processes, knowledge creation and knowledge space Seija Virkkala PART III Macro-level impacts from micro-level solutions 9 Emergence of new business areas in regional economies through entrepreneurial discovery processes Seija Virkkala and ge Mariussen 10 Moving beyond related variety, creating firm-level ambidexterity for economic growth via the entrepreneurial discovery process Nhien Nguyen and ge Mariussen 11 Smart specialisation andInterregional learning via thematic partnerships ge Mariussen, Fatime Barbara Hegyi and Ruslan Rakhmatullin, PART IV Lessons from systems of innovation 12 Science-practice knowledge interaction in the Norwegian fish farming industry Tone Merethe Aasen, Eli Fyhn Ullern and ge Mariussen 13 The transformation of Lofoten islands into a year-round experience destination Jarle Lvland and Hkon Finne 14 Historical examples of entrepreneurial discovery. Revisiting the manufacturing history of Raufoss evolving between exploration and exploitation Asbjrn Karlsen PART V Summary and conclusions 15 Summary and conclusions ge Mariussen and Hkon Finne.

There is a broad and long-standing debate on possible solutions to the regional vulnerabilities of globalisation. In 2014, the European Commission began implementing Smart Specialisation Strategy, a place-based strategy of growth, regional transformation and new industrial policy with collective entrepreneurial discovery processes (EDP) at its core. This volume approaches the mystery of entrepreneurial discovery; that is, how relevant knowledge is created, converted and shared in a process of discovery. These essays bring together scholars from economics, geography, sociology, organisation studies, innovation studies, and complexity theory, offering new approaches to overcome the limitations of place-based development and suggesting improved methods leading to growth.

Also available in print format.