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Methodology
This part of the present study explains the methods that are going to be used in carrying out the research focusing attention on the analysis of data. It should be mentioned that the methodology hasn’t taken a certain shape yet due to its evolving nature.
My arguments will be based on the data obtained in different experiments and studies and will provide a deeper understanding of the nature of the phenomenon. It is possible to consider contrasting examples drawn from different sources both Russian and American ones.
Since the Silicon Valley is one of the largest and most well-known innovative ecosystems in the world, it seems reasonable to base the present investigation on careful studying of this ecosystem. Moreover the phenomenon of the Silicon Valley has been hotly debated time and again by the leading scholars so it could be helpful to observe different points of view especially because the subject needs to be investigated in greater details. In addition to the Silicon Valley Skolkovo will also be investigated because it is the first possible Russian innovative ecosystem. Observation of the Russian proposed innovative ecosystem Skolkovo will contribute material for the testing of my claim.
The investigation utilizes mostly qualitative data which includes both primary and secondary data based on interviews with chief executive officers, politics, expert commentaries and scientific articles. The monitoring of Internet sources (twitter accounts, livejournal blogs and so on) will serve the purposes of the present inquiry. It seems likely that an entrepreneur’s twitter or a business angel’s livejournal could be more valuable source than it is always expected. A new trend shows that when social blogs overcome ordinary print media and it should be taken into account. Such a politics helps to investigate the problem of innovative ecosystems emergence by giving a clear inside view from first hands.
The main approach utilized in the current study is to carefully analyze all possible valuable sources of information about innovative ecosystems and to find out the basic principles of innovative ecosystems emergence to establish universal results.
The present work will combine theory testing with theory generation and due to this fact analytic induction approach will be chosen. It is a widely used logic across multiple case studies. The formulated hypothesis (if this factor influences innovative ecosystem emergence) is compared against the first case, and if it does not fit some necessary changes are done to make the model consistent with the data in the first case. Then the revised model is compared against the second case and the operation repeats until any universal results are established.
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Summary of the results anticipated
In the part of the proposal to follow I will report on the results which are likely to be obtained with the methods mentioned. The results anticipated are intended to reveal key components of innovative ecosystems and to show connection between them. My arguments will be based on the data obtained by analysis of the Silicon Valley and it might be expected that they should be common and universal with other innovation ecosystems.
It appears from what has been discussed that innovative ecosystems should have four key components in order to emerge. They are: knowledge sources (universities, corporate and government research labs), knowledge seekers (venture capitalists, business angels, entrepreneurs); knowledge producers (start-ups, enterprises); knowledge lubricants (jurists, accountants and so on). All these components are tightly bind and they create self-contained system. Also any innovative ecosystem should be multicultural due to global economic processes because otherwise it will soon run out of ideas.
The baseline results of the present research illustrate that those factors are most likely to be the same for all countries. I believe that the method employed seems to have many unexpected practical benefits.
Skolkovo seems a reasonable project but it should be protected from excessive government interference and bureaucracy.
The study will have some major theoretical implications, confirming and expanding the existing model and it may provide some useful basis for practical activities. However, additional research will be needed.