Accelerating Synergies in Technological Research Parks: The Case of TECNOPUC

One of the holy grails of Science and Technology Parks (STP) is the creation of synergy across tenants. Synergy can manifest itself in several ways: when two (or more) companies use each others capabilities to further their own work; when companies join forces to deliver innovative products or services that could not exist if the respective companies were working alone; or when companies locate suitable partners or financial backers either inside or outside of the park. Specific examples of different types of synergy exist in most parks; typically, companies become aware of each others capabilities and needs through personal connections, networking events, or even through the work of individuals who make connections their mission. The connection of ones capabilities with anothers needs, or just a connection between capabilities of two or more companies, is arguably one of the avenues for innovation leading to commercial success. Although in some cases such synergies are extremely successful, it is hard not to think that serendipity plays a large role in this process, and that only a fraction of the potential is being explored. Ultimately, still missing is an approach that consistently delivers purposeful synergistic business connections, adding value to the tenants and to the park. Enter Strategic Resource Mapping (SRM) (Evaristo and Zaheer, 2014) as an enabler of synergy acceleration. SRM is a novel methodology which can be used to assess and identify needs and capabilities in organizations across different boundaries (or silos): different geographies, functional areas, or business units. The same concept can be adapted to look at multiple federated organizations, such as the companies in a STP. In this manuscript, we will describe the generic problem underlying the challenges discussed, give examples of real problems and solutions in corporations, extrapolate the solution to Regional Economic Development, and then expand key details to the reality of a STP. The case study of SRM application at TECNOPUC in Porto Alegre, Brazil will then be described. Conclusions will be drawn.