A challenge for triple-helix policies?
1. The challenge: Triple-helix in a different environment
2. Research design: Explorative case studies
3. Results: Nordland and North Jutland
4: Conclusions: Diversity and intermediaries
Lise Smed Olsen – lise.smed.olsen@nordregio.se
Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk

From a high-tech manufacturing concept…
 Interaction between firms and public/private knowledge producers
 Informal institutional context and organised interaction
 Triple helix: Universities/government/industry with overlapping roles
 Wide appeal among policy-makers
… to a high-touch service context
 SMEs, low education, seasonality, life-style entrepreneurs
 Importance of tacit knowledge in incremental innovation
 What role for HEIs/universities in tourist destination development?
 Importance of destination and HEI characteristics!
Lise Smed Olsen – lise.smed.olsen@nordregio.se
Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk

 Two case studies of Nordic peripheral regions
 Nordland, Norway
 North Jutland, Denmark
 Interviews with policy-makers and HEIs, not firms
 Identify patterns of collaboration, not impact evaluation
 Focus on
 Actor resources
 Actors strategies
 Interaction patterns
Lise Smed Olsen – lise.smed.olsen@nordregio.se
Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk

Actor resources
 Nature-based tourism, small private firms dominate
 National funding for R&D (InnovationNorway, Research Council)
 University with general teaching programmes and applied research
Actor strategies
 Firms: select few interest in access to HEI knowledge
 HEI: from student projects to applied research centre
 DMO marginal, region with geo-political concerns
Interactions
 Feed-back loop from research to firms via project manager
Lise Smed Olsen – lise.smed.olsen@nordregio.se
Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk

Actor resources
 Nature-based tourism, small private firms dominate
 Regional funding via DMO
 University with triple-helix profile and dedicated tourism profile
Actor strategies
 Firms: Limited interest, except very large/innovative
 HEI: empirical data and dual publication (dissemination, academic)
 DMO: building consortia, translating/endorsing knowledge
Interactions
 HEI as plug-in in DMO projects (occasionally proactive agenda)
Lise Smed Olsen – lise.smed.olsen@nordregio.se
Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk

 Importance of education/labour market relations in knowledge dynamics
 Funding: National versus regional
 Agenda setting: HEI versus DMO
 Important commonality: Importance of knowledge brokers
 Translation taking tacit knowledge of firms into consideration
 Importance of destination and HEI characteristics
 What firms, DMOs, and HEIs?
 Several types of tourism triple helix
Lise Smed Olsen – lise.smed.olsen@nordregio.se
Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs.aau.dk