Towards a Marshall-based theory of research and technology organisations: the role of regional policy to address the varieties of knowledge

The ability to generate knowledge across different technological cycles lies at the core of countries and regions’ competitiveness and economic growth. In this paper, we argue that research and technology organisations are public actors best enabled to fill in the capabilities gaps that emerge across the varieties of knowledge. Given the recent policy focus on regional development and the increasing complexity of new knowledge generation, we propose a capability-based theory of research and technology organisations building on the insights of Alfred Marshall, specifically his contributions about the collaborative nature of the knowledge-generation process and the place-based nature of knowledge.