Hidden Champions: Breaking the Urban Bias in Innovation

From Tax Incentives to Innovation Spillovers: Rethinking R&D Policy

In this episode, innovation economist Matěj Bajgar discusses how R&D tax incentives shape innovation, why smaller firms often benefit the most, and how policy design can better support regional development. The conversation explores innovation economics, startup financing, regional disparities, and emerging research on innovation spillovers through firm networks. Here you also have the opportunity to add links to websites: Find Andy on the Matěj Bajgar [https://matejbajgar.com/], Google Scholar  [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=8k_3ZjYAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao]   Please follow Centre for Innovation Research [https://www.linkedin.com/company/centre-for-innovation-research/] for other episodes.   Episode transcription [https://podcast.uis.no/media/SIF/2026_0414_1540_MASTER.pdf]

Making do, making well – Resource‑constrained innovation from the ‘other side’

In this episode, Professor Soumodip Sarkar discusses how innovation emerges under resource constraints, particularly in “non-WEIRD” contexts (non-Western, less resource-rich environments). The conversation explores frugal innovation, grassroots innovation, bricolage, COVID-era problem solving, low-cost technological breakthroughs, and the future of industrial policy in the age of AI.     Find Soumodip Sarkar LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/soumodip-sarkar-4a49551/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_detail_base%3B7TqS6N3jS7Gk8EKo70JaNQ%3D%3D] , Google Scholar [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=_lp0Lf0AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao]. Please follow the Centre for Innovation Research [https://www.linkedin.com/company/centre-for-innovation-research/] and the RegInno Podcast [https://nettop.guru/wordpress/category/reginno/] for other episodes.   #RegInno_Podcast   Episode transcription [https://podcast.uis.no/media/SIF/2026_0507_1416_MASTER.pdf]

Charged Up: Europe, China & the Battery Race That’s Reshaping Geography

Dr. Julian Schwabe (Marburg) joins The RegInno Podcast to discuss how the electric vehicle revolution is rewriting global production networks — from Shenzhen’s battery clusters to Wolfsburg’s anxious boardrooms — and what it means for Europe’s regions, jobs, and industrial future.  Optional links (e.g. website): Find Julian Schwabe on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-julian-schwabe?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Aorganization_admin_admin_page_posts_published%3B0bd60556-64d6-43d5-93ce-eec5ef818e9f], Google Scholar  [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=LOyaGnsAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao]and the website of the University of Marburg [https://www.uni-marburg.de/de/fb19/fachbereich/staff/dr-julian-schwabe], where he is also the Head of the Department. Please follow the Centre for Innovation Research [https://www.linkedin.com/company/centre-for-innovation-research/] and the RegInno Podcast [https://nettop.guru/wordpress/category/reginno/] for other episodes.   Episode transcription [https://podcast.uis.no/media/SIF/2026_0319_0902_MASTER.pdf]

Hidden Champions: Breaking the Urban Bias in Innovation

Are cities really the engines of innovation? Together with Thilo Lang, we explore how “hidden champions” – global leaders in niche markets – are distributed across regions and operate with similar innovation dynamics regardless of location. The conversation challenges urban bias and rethinks how we understand peripherality and regional development. Find Thilo Lang on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thilo-lang-72814218/], Google Scholar [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=u2leh8gAAAAJ&hl=de] and the website of the Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography [https://www.uni-leipzig.de/en/profile/mitarbeiter/dr-thilo-lang], where he is also the Head of the Department.   Please follow the Centre for Innovation Research [https://www.linkedin.com/company/centre-for-innovation-research/] and the RegInno Podcast [https://nettop.guru/wordpress/category/reginno/] for other episodes.   #RegInno_Podcast   Episode transcription [https://podcast.uis.no/media/SIF/2026_0312_1619.pdf]

Boundary Objects, Policy Transfer, and Sustainability Transitions

In this episode, we talk with Matias Ramirez about sustainability transitions, transformative innovation policy, and why innovation policy cannot simply be transferred from one context to another. We discuss uncertainty, complexity, boundary objects, policy transfer, and the differences between innovation and transformation in the Global North and Global South. The conversation explores how policy ideas travel, how they change across contexts, and why transformation often emerges from society, not just from policymakers.   Here you also have the opportunity to add links to websites: Find Andy on the University of Sussex [https://profiles.sussex.ac.uk/p213810-matias-ramirez], Google Scholar [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=fHIx3MYAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao] and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/matias-ramirez-b77a89303/]  Please follow Centre for Innovation Research [https://www.linkedin.com/company/centre-for-innovation-research/] for other episodes.   Transcript of episode. [https://podcast.uis.no/media/SIF/2026_0305_0928_Master.pdf]