ABSTRACT
The perspective of the innovation phenomenon has dramatically changed over the last decade. It became widely accepted that innovation is not just the outcome of research and development (R&D) activities as the linear or “ladder of science” (Gomory, 1989) model suggested. Innovation is increasingly seen as a cumulative learning process that largely exceeds the boundaries of formal R&D, and where organisational aspects play a paramount role. This is acknowledged by the “chain-link” model of the innovation process, presented by Kline and Rosenberg (1986).
