Coordinating a conscious geography: the role of research centers in multi-scalar innovation policy and economic development in the US and Canada

This article contributes to the debate about the role of the region in the placement and coordination of research centers linking technology-led economic development and science, technology, and innovation policy. Through a comparison of how a “conscious geography” has informed the organization of innovation + development (I + D) research centers in the US and Canada, this analysis focuses on the variation in the models of multi-scalar policy coordination deployed through the I + D research center frameworks in the US and Canada. This article begins with a discussion of the theoretical arguments behind territorial innovation systems. It continues by describing the different models of I + D research centers in the US and Canada and the role of the region in each set of policy frameworks. The third section discusses ways policy outcomes are influenced by the initial consideration of the spatial distribution of production and innovation. The article concludes with the case for a policy model which prioritizes a role for the region as a site of economic and geographic analysis and a partner in the design of a multi-scalar innovation policy.