Knowledge Spillover Dynamics in Entrepreneurship
Summary
Knowledge spillover dynamics describe how ideas, technologies and expertise diffuse beyond their original sources to catalyse entrepreneurial activity. Such diffusion occurs through formal channels—research collaborations, licensing and corporate alliances—and informal interactions within clusters, incubators and digital platforms. Entrepreneurs act as conduits, absorbing external knowledge and recombining it into novel products, services and business models. The effectiveness of spillovers depends on factors such as absorptive capacity, institutional frameworks and geographic proximity. Regions with dense networks of universities, research centres and innovative firms tend to exhibit higher rates of venture formation and faster economic growth. In digital and technology-intensive sectors, the velocity of spillovers is amplified by online communities, open‐source ecosystems and data‐driven platforms. Policymakers worldwide harness these insights to design innovation districts, enhance skill endowments and stimulate cross‐sectoral knowledge exchange, thereby strengthening competitiveness and resilience.
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Knowledge Spillover Dynamics in Entrepreneurship publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in knowledge spillover dynamics in entrepreneurship across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Knowledge spillover: the transmission of ideas or technologies from one actor to another without direct compensation, enabling unintended recipients to innovate.
Absorptive capacity: an organisation’s ability to identify, assimilate and exploit external knowledge for commercial purposes.
Moderated mediation model: a statistical approach that tests how an intermediary variable carries an effect from a cause to an outcome, and how this pathway is influenced by another variable.
Knowledge specialisation: the concentration of research or expertise in specific technological or application fields within a region or institution.
References
- The effects of knowledge spillovers, digital capabilities, and innovation on firm performance: A moderated mediation model. Technological Forecasting and Social Change (2024).
- The creation of digital innovative start-ups: the role of digital knowledge spillovers and digital skill endowment. Small Business Economics (2023).
- When computer science is not enough: universities knowledge specializations behind artificial intelligence startups in Italy. The Journal of Technology Transfer (2023).
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