ABSTRACT
‘Knowledge production’ requires special knowledge management tools, such as monitoring the knowledge flow in the same way as the flow of capital and raw material is managed in a company. In a knowledge-based economy, however, it is no longer possible to control each part of the value chain on the same level; hence companies have to focus on some special expertise, called ‘core competences’. In a knowledge-driven economic context, the focus of attention is on the core knowledge and related competence, which determine the character of a firm’s activities. Technology clinics can provide a knowledge-intensive environment specialised to fit a narrow field of technology. The number of researchers employed in the knowledge intensive sector is still low and the knowledge transfer between the academic and business spheres is incidental. The role of the traditional institutions has transformed into new organisations, which can be characterised as knowledge transfer/knowledge-sharing platforms.
