Analysis of Innovation Potential of Northern Russian Regions

The purpose of the study is to improve theoretical and methodological techniques for assessing innovation potential and determine the main areas of scientific and technological development of Northern Russian regions. The theoretical part of the article reveals the essence of innovative potential and provides the author’s classification of approaches to its measurement. It demonstrates that the majority of modern domestic and foreign studies are aimed at assessing the territory’s innovative potential through the calculation of the integrated index; however, this leads to the merging of diverse characteristics into a unified scale. The paper describes the features and limitations of factor analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis of the phenomenon under study, monitoring of specific profile and inward similarities of the analyzed objects. Factor analysis has revealed five most important characteristics which determine innovative development of Northern Russian regions: level of scientific development of the regions, level of inventive activity, human capacity, level of financing of innovation, ICT development. By means of the hierarchical cluster analysis method, four types of Northern Russian regions have been distinguished by type of their innovative potential: single leader; regions with high potential for creating innovation; regions with increased susceptibility to innovation; “defense areas”. The authors indicate the options of the state and corporate innovation policies in the identified groups; they emphasize the expediency of transition from importing ready technologies to international cooperation in their development in a unique natural environment of the Russian North, as well as the value of “eco-friendly” innovations compared to “resource-consuming”. The results of the research may be useful in inter-regional comparisons and searching for new approaches to territorial development. Thus they may be applicable to the development of strategic program documents on innovative development of Federal districts, regions under study, individual industries and enterprises. Methodological techniques of the present research should provide the basis for future research of innovative potential of both Northern territories and all Russian region