Innovation and Regional Development

The diploma thesis deals with the impact of innovation on regional development. The theoretical section explains the basic concepts of innovation and regional development, and describes the importance of innovation for regional development. The knowledge gained in the theoretical part is applied to the Central Region in the practical part of this thesis. Firstly, the individual actors in the Central innovation system are characterized and then their impact on the development of the region is outlined. Subsequently, the influence of the European Union support trough the Operational Programmes for the development of the region is evaluated. Due to the fact that innovation is the holder of sustainable economic growth and competitiveness of the region, the final chapter is dedicated to the innovative performance of the Central Region and to the comparison of the individual counties according to their level of competitiveness