ABSTRACT
In a knowledge-based economy, the Knowledge-Intensive Business Services (KIBS) firms are considered ‘value drivers’ given that they act as a catalyst for innovation systems (Castaldi 2009; Castellaci 2008; Fernandes and Ferreira 2013). They play a key role in the development and commercialisation of new products, processes and services (Muller and Doloreux 2009). KIBS firms are also a source of innovation for other firms (Den Hertog 2000; Muller and Doloreux 2009), partly due to the fact that they carry new ideas and practices from one firm to another (Smedlund and Toivonen 2007). As providers of knowledge-intensive services, the location of KIBS firms in a particular territory is often seen as a way to leverage regional competitiveness, even in non-KIBS firms in the surrounding region (Fernandes and Ferreira 2013).
