Pastor Gosálbez, María Teresa

Business innovation is fundamental for sustained economic growth at the regional level. Knowing the common characteristics of innovative companies and their location is essential to carry out appropriate economic policies. To this end, we have carried out a double analysis: one grouping of companies according to characteristics and another by geolocation. This study focused on one of Spain’s 17 autonomous communities, the Comunitat Valenciana, a region characterised by significant industrial diversity. Our results show, among other things, that size is not a differentiating factor when it comes to innovation, and that there is a positive relationship between physical clustering and productivity.

A geographical concentration of businesses enables them to mitigate the drawbacks arising from their small size. It is therefore important to highlight the existence of such zones and their location in regions where most businesses are SMEs, such as the Valencia Community region. Moreover, it is particularly important for technological companies, since such concentrations act as a means of increasing their productivity. By using georeferencing software, SatScan, four zones with a high concentration of technological companies are identified superimposed on zones with a very industrial tradition. The profile of the companies analysed could be of interest in implementing suitable industrial policies.