El ABC de los parques científicos

Abstract

Science and technology parks (STPs) were first set up in Silicon Valley in California (USA) in the 1950s. These parks were established in the context of the concepts and models of entrepreneurial universities. Triple helix theory adds a third mission to entrepreneurial universities, namely to transfer knowledge and technology to industry and society in general. Currently, far from being a single model, the complexity of the components and models of STPs have increased.

Current STPs consist of sources of knowledge—such as universities, research institutes—spin-offs, technology and innovative companies and specialized capital. These entities are public-private partnerships that encourage interaction and synergy among the park's tenants. STP networks include all the innovation system agents located in a specific territory. Therefore, these hybrid spaces between science, technology and industry are, in many countries, public policy tools for economic and social development.