Managing science and technology parks in low-tech environments: a resource-based strategic mapping framework

Summary form only given. A relatively recent phenomenon not sufficiently addressed in the literature, is the development of science parks in low-tech environments such as Spain, Portugal and Greece in Europe and Brazil in South America. As low-tech environments we consider regions or countries with low levels of R&D as a percentage of GDP, low levels of industrially funded R&D and low-tech core industrial sectors. The development of S&T parks in low-tech environments creates a paradox. Considering the criticism of the S&T park concept even in countries with tradition in research and technology, what can we expect from parks in countries that do little research and are based on industries that do not fund or need R&D? The authors carried out three case-studies of S&T parks in Greece, placing the emphasis on the parks as organisations and their struggle to survive. The study had four distinct objectives: (1) to describe the parks´ development; (2) to evaluate their management and operation; (3) to explore the effect of their macro-environment (political, economic, social and technological) on their operation; and (4) to map the strategic options for the parks´ management within a low-tech environment