Strategic fit between regional innovation policy and regional innovation systems: The case of local public technology centers in Japan

Local public technology centers are publicly-managed technology transfer organizations, and their resource allocation strategies represent policy instruments for the promotion of localized knowledge spillovers. Since substantial regional differences exist with regard to the need for public technological services, policy instruments should consider these differences. This study develops a model and a method to evaluate whether the regional innovation policy matches the characteristics of a regional innovation system. The results indicate that the resource allocation strategies of technology centers have not been developed according to the needs of the regional environment; hence, technology transfer activities may not have been optimally utilized to facilitate regional economic development.