Resource coordination and control through strategic networking: insights from biotechnology incubators in Sweden

Purpose This study explores how Swedish biotechnology incubators coordinate and control critical resources through strategic networking. It examines the mechanisms that enable incubators to manage resource flows and identifies the key partners involved in these exchanges within Sweden's innovation ecosystem. Design/methodology/approach We analyze strategic practices by a qualitative multiple-case approach, drawing on semi-structured interviews with CEOs and board members from seven major biotechnology incubators in Sweden. Data were analyzed through a qualitative content analysis, combining deductive coding based on the resource-based view framework with inductive identification of emerging network actors and interaction patterns. Findings The analysis reveals four core categories of resources including human, financial, operational and technological resources acquired through diverse network alliances. Universities, science parks, investors, government agencies and service providers emerge as key partners in resource acquisition. Incubators employ trust-based relationships, organized interaction mechanisms, specialization strategies and geographical proximity to sustain and expand these networks. The findings also show variation in incubator business models and highlight how proximity to universities and science parks enhances credibility, resource access and collaborative opportunities. Originality/value This paper provides an in-depth understanding of how resource coordination unfolds within biotechnology incubation networks. By integrating theoretical and empirical perspectives, it contributes to the literature on strategic incubator management, with implications for innovation policy and incubator best practice.