Knowledge generation and diffusion in the German wind energy industry

Abstract

Abstract This paper shows that collaborative innovation projects (CIPs) are an important arena for both knowledge generation and its incorporation into the industrial knowledge base (IKB). By differentiating between the cultural-cognitive, normative, and regulative dimensions of technology generation and diffusion, we describe interdependencies between CIPs and IKBs. On the basis of three vignettes from the German wind energy industry, six interrelations (translation, imitation, structuring devices, consolidation, strategic closure, and strategic inertia) are identified on how CIPs contribute to IKBs.