Institutional entrepreneurship, power, and knowledge in innovation systems: Institutionalization of regenerative medicine in Tampere, Finland

Abstract

In this article, we ask what is the place of institutional entrepreneurship in an (regional) innovation system. The main research questions addressed are (a) how does a new science-based concentration of innovation become institutionalized in an innovation system, (b) who are the institutional entrepreneurs and what do they actually do in their efforts to institutionalize new beliefs, practices and activities within a system, and (c) what knowledge institutional entrepreneurs do need and what kind of power do they exercise in the institutionalization process. We add new knowledge to studies focusing on innovation systems by revealing how new elements are attached into it. We also add power and knowledge to the study of institutional entrepreneurship and institutional change. The empirical analysis identifies the main phases of institutionalization, key actors in different phases and their strategies of influence. This paper is based on the analysis of secondary data and 28 interviews with key actors.