ABSTRACT
The biotechnology sector is widely considered a “born-global” industry (Geenhuizen and Soetanto 2008). Factors such as close ties with academia, rapid flow of information, and the significant role of the sector’s regional megacentres, bringing together leading academic institutions and companies, contribute to the strengthening of this image of the industry (Cooke 2004). At the same time, a variety of local factors also play a very important role in the development of biotechnology, due to one of the basic characteristics of the sector – strong links between science and industry. Local entrepreneurial culture, institutional thickness, and an innovative milieu serve often as factors determining the development of biotechnology enterprises (Lawton-Smith 2004, Lawton-Smith and Ho 2006). The importance of local factors can become even larger, given the sector’s strong tendency to form spatial clusters, integrating knowledge centres (universities, research institutes), dedicated biotechnology firms (DBFs), other companies loosely related to the industry, and a wide range of participating organisations (Lawton-Smith 2004).
