Innovation in Clusters

5Scientific Competition and Economic Competition: Social Fields Spanned by Internal Struggles

As we have just seen in the previous chapter, most clusters, most notably the one studied in this survey, have set up multiple networking mechanisms. In spite of all these initiatives, it is difficult for cooperation to emerge. In fact, they have to emerge in a context of scientific competition between laboratories and economic competition between businesses. This competitive context is reinforced by the constant search for funding for projects and by the growing insecurity of researchers and entrepreneurs alike. Moreover, spontaneous collaborations between science and industry are developing slowly despite geographical proximity, mainly because of differences in work organizations and between disciplines; and this, despite unifying names such as “biotechnology”.

5.1. Asynchronous organizations and work rhythms

The diversity of the organizations gathered in the cluster is a source of divergences and stumbling blocks, particularly through the temporalities specific to each type of structure and their sometimes very distinct disciplinary groundings.

5.1.1. Dissonant work schedules between companies and laboratories

In all of the organizations observed during the survey, time lags, particularly between laboratories and companies, were revealed. In this respect, one company director confided the difference in approach to a CIFRE thesis between her company (which employed the PhD student) ...