Basic Report

As innovations have been recognized as core elements for transforming the current economy into knowledge based economy, the significance of regional economies has become more illuminated. The success stories of regional innovation have already become known in major developed countries. The Korean government is pursuing a policy to develop 10 Innovation cities as centers for creating regional innovation. However, Innovation cities still do no have sufficient innovation base as centers for creating regional innovation.
   This study is aiming at improving the legal and institutional support system to strengthen the linkage among innovation actors, - public institutions, local corporations, research laboratories, local universities, and local government - in Innovation cities for building the regional innovation system in Korea. In order to examine the mechanism of the regional innovation system in Innovation cities, this study proposed an analytical framework based upon the regional industrial ecosystem composed of value chain structure, corporate relationship, innovative resource and activities, and institutional support system. And two typical cases, Gwangju-Geonnam Innovation city and Gangwon Innovation city, were selected for a case study.
   From the analysis results, the following policy implications can be derived. To promote successful regional innovation system, it is needed : building the innovative milieu through cooperation of the various innovation actors, especially driven by a key public institution in a Innovation city: strengthening the linkage between the key public institution and various innovation actors like local corporations, local universities, and social enterprises and so on : reforming the innovation support system that can promote exchanges among innovation actors : improving the legal and institutional support system.
   In addition, it is needed to revise ‘Special Act for Construction and Development of Innovation Cities’ to promote innovation activities and to strengthen linkage among innovation actors in Innovation cities.