The role of universities in regional innovation system development : an analysis of government policy and university-industry cooperative relationships in South Korea.

This thesis is a theoretically grounded empirical study aimed at shedding light on the dynamic interactions of universities with government and industry in response to university-industry cooperation policy in South Korea. It questions the loosely-based assumptions found in current literature relating to the role of universities in their engagement in regional innovative development, that universities may engage actively in localised interactive processes. This study uses the concept of RIS (Regional Innovation'System) as a conceptual framework to explore the relationships between theory, practice and policy. The study analysed new university-industry cooperation policy in South Korea that had been implemented after 2003 to promote RIS building. The empirical fieldwork was completed in two administrative regions, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and Daegu City, by the selection of four regional universities. In order to identify the dynamic interactions of universities in response to the policy, this research used a mixed methodology mainly based on qualitative interviews with academics, government officers and firm managers. The Triple Helix Model was adopted to provide an analytical tool to study these responses. Analysis of the empirical study reveals significant findings: first, the regional universities responded positively to the government policy, in terms of outward appearances, but their interactions with government and industry did not develop to the degree of creating new relationships in the triple helix relations; second, therefore, it can be said that it is difficult to co-ordinate universities into the localised interactive processes as a part of regional innovation strategies; and last, it seems that the .' boundaries. for regional innovation system are determined through ongoing dynamic selective processes for maximising the benefits of each organisation.