Regional Innovation Systems Analysis and Evaluation: The Case of the Czech Republic

Regional innovation systems (RIS) have become a very important regional policy instrument. This instrument is based on linkages among the region’s institutions from the public and private sector. These linkages are very important because they provide an environment for the innovation process, which is the primary goal of the RIS. In this paper, we have defined and described the main characteristics common to every RIS. Knowledge of these characteristics allows us to create a new method to make it possible to analyze individual RISes. The goal of this chapter is to present a new method for evaluating RISes. The method must by easily applied in order for it to be used practically to map the development of the individual innovative systems in a region. The method is based on evaluating both qualitative and quantitative indicators and on applying WSA methods. The paper presents the application of this method on individual regions in the Czech Republic (NUTS3).