The emergence of novel science-related fields: regional or technological patterns? Exploration and exploitation in UK nanotechnology

An extensive literature addresses the emergence of new technologies in their geographical and cognitive context. Drawing on a spatial innovation systems approach, this issue is explored for a newly emerging area: nano-science and nanotechnology. This study draws on a multi-method approach to explore the emergence of nanotechnology in the United Kingdom, covering bibliometric, patent, and firm-level data. The results point to regional concentrations of scientific and technological activity as well as to a concentration of nanotechnology firms in the well-established ‘science hubs’. However, further inspection of the evidence also hints at the importance of non-local links and networks along technological paths.