Territorial concentration and evolution of science and technology activities in the European Union: a descriptive analysis

This article aims at exploring the geographical patterns of scientific and technological activities across the European regions, and comparing these p atterns in order to suggest some hypotheses concerning the spatial relation ship between science and technology (S&T). This paper proposes a descriptiv e account of basic spatial features of European Union (EU) countries for S& T activities, respectively, measured by Science Citation Index (SCI) public ations and European Patent Office (EPO) patents. It addresses concentration measures at various levels (regions within EU, within countries, countries within EU) and their evolution during the period 1988-1995, in relation wi th geographic convergence issues for S&T. These knowledge-based activities appear as much more concentrated than economic activities, but countries' p atterns are quite contrasted in terms of concentration values as well as of territorial coincidences or 'co-concentrations' between science and techno logy. Analysis of short-term evolution of concentration suggests an overall but slow tendency towards geographic homogenization in science, and a more chaotic picture in technology. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights r eserved.