The Future of Europe s Industrial Giants

The Future of Europe's Industrial Giants

In the race of the regions to develop the critical mass of successful high-tech activities needed to compete on a global scale, companies and governments alike must take into account the existing strengths and opportunities of their regions. Building on what already exists may prove more fruitful than trying to create something entirely new. The time factor should not be neglected in this context. Sophia Antipolis took 30 years to develop (with much acclaim), Munich has been a technology capital for close to 50 years, and Cambridge has been a worldwide leader in science for hundreds of years .

Whether the European industrial giants Germany, the U.K. and France will ever catch up to Silicon Valley remains to be seen. In any case, they each like to claim that they are serious competitors of their U.S. role model. Germany, the U.K., and France have each undertaken considerable measures to plug into the Innovation Economy. Entrepreneurship cultures are increasingly taking hold, and governments are repositioning to enable their economies to compete in the 21st century.

About the Author

This chapter was co- authored by Philip Heimann . He studied management at ESCP-EAP European School of Management in Paris, Oxford, and Berlin, has worked for the consulting firm A.T. Kearney and is currently preparing his doctoral thesis on linking corporate and regional innovation systems. Philip currently resides in Berlin, Germany.