Regional innovation evolution and economic performance

Conceptual reflections and empirical evidence on the evolution of regional innovation processes are increasing in recent years. This paper contributes to this debate by focusing on the long-term implications that evolutionary changes in regional innovation patterns – intended as alternative combinations of territorial structural conditions and phases of the innovation process – can have on regional economic dynamics. By applying the regional innovation pattern framework in a dynamic perspective, it shows that structural changes in regional innovation patterns positively influence regional economic performance. From these results, reflections on regional innovation policy in the European Union context are drawn.