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.