ABSTRACT
In recent years, the emergence of the network paradigm has led to a growing interest and recognition in understanding the influence of network structures in the context of spatial analyses (Balland, 2012; Broekel and Hartog, 2013; Boschma et al. 2014), in particular understanding network structures pertaining to knowledge flows and patterns of innovation (Capello and Camilla, 2013; Sebestyén and Varga, 2013). This chapter seeks to build upon this research by exploring the relationship between the structure of the knowledge networks stemming from links between universities and other actors, principally firms. Conceptually, it is situated in a network theory discourse, whereby network structures are considered a means of helping to explain other phenomena (Glückler, 2013), in this case patterns of regional innovation and development.
