A river is a river - Cross-border networking between Baden and Alsace

Using the concepts of national and regional innovation systems as an analyt ical framework for analysing the cross-border networking activities between Baden and Alsace, the empirical analysis presented in this paper reveals t hat despite the political promotion of cross-border relations the reality i n innovation networking looks different. In the industry sample used for em pirical analysis, no firm in Baden had research contacts with an Alsatian r esearch institute, while at least 7% of the Alsatian firms cooperated with research and transfer institutes in Baden. Although spatial distance does n ot matter, cultural and institutional distance does. The neighbouring regio n is not looked at as a significant knowledge source for firms in both regi ons. Despite technological and economic internationalization, for many firm s innovation-relevant learning still takes place mainly within their own na tional and regional system of innovation. For the two regions under review the Rhine is still a cultural and institutional barrier which needs more ne tworking bridges to be crossed.