ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to discuss the main findings deriving from data analysis and proposes a theoretical framework for the study of LIS relational dimension. Section 4.1 illustrates the results emerging from the social network analysis conducted on a sample of organizations in biopharma sector localized in the Greater Boston Area to provide a snapshot of the network structural configuration and to identify the central nodes. Section 4.2 illustrates and critically discusses the results of the round of interviews conducted with representatives of different organizations in biopharma with the specific purpose of gaining insights about the preferable network portfolio combination along two specific dimensions (i.e. the impact on knowledge transfer and the importance of spatial proximity). Section 4.3 provides an in-depth discussion of results from both analyses and combines them to achieve a more complete overview about the whole system’s functioning and proposes an analytical framework for future studies. A set of propositions for practitioners are presented in the concluding section together with main limitations of the study and suggestions for future research.
