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The (Failed) Development of a Biotechnology Cluster: The Case of Lombardy

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Abstract

This paper discusses the development of the biotechnology industry in an Italian region, Lombardy. It asks why significant innovative activities in biotechnology did not emerge in what might have been considered at the outset a promising area for the growth of this industry and why in very recent years some timid symptoms of dynamism seem to be appearing. After an overview of the patterns of the development of biotechnology in Italy, the specific case of Lombardy, is described. Then, the paper discusses what kind of factors might explain the lagging behind of the Italian (and more generally, European) biotechnology industry vis-à-vis the United States.

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Orsenigo, L. The (Failed) Development of a Biotechnology Cluster: The Case of Lombardy. Small Business Economics 17, 77–92 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011122404765

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