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This paper represents an effort to evaluate the current position and perspectives of science, technology and innovation in several Atlantic Regions. It is based on the results of a still running European research project (REGINA) that puts together Andaluzia, Algarve, Norte, Galicia, País Vasco, Bretagne, West Midlands and Border, Midland and Western. Not discussing the large spectrum of the goals of that project, this is an exercise to discuss the possibility of setting up a lasting partnership for regional knowledge management in the politically so important Atlantic space. Comprehending Spain, Portugal, France, United Kingdom and Ireland, this part of Europe also integrates regions lagging in terms of tacit and codified knowledge environments and, consequent innovative attitudes. Would they benefit of a better territorial development balance within the Atlantic space in case of a regional innovation system common strategy? And if so, which sectors are those to show greater skills for technological transfer within cooperative performances? Highlighting an interactive model for which knowledge creation is understood in a broad perspective and innovation implicitly demands more than a simply gathering of discoveries and inventions the theoretical framing accepts the adaptation and combination of existing forms of knowledge. This interactive and dynamic concept emphasises the external environment of the firms in addition to their internal knowledge creation capacity and refers a synthetic framework based on the concept of the learning process as a driver to redress stakeholders' attitudes and strategic choices. In such a context, the advantages that may result from institutional geographical proximity or similarity, specific knowledge diffusion and networking in coordination of common interests could build up advantages. In short, the specific construction of a territorial knowledge base and the consequent achievement of more sustainable regional development for a large part of the European Atlantic border are discussed in this practical case. Based on secondary data from the European Innovation Scoreboard, an outline over the regional innovation performances of the considered regions will be supplied. Also, based on primary data obtained near the institutional bodies of each region, an analysis of the existent governance structures is possible. The conclusion allows considerations related to the present context for the development of an Atlantic spatial development strategy.

The present paper addresses the dynamics of innovation, by extending the analysis beyond a static-economic perspective. It offers a dynamic-institutional mapping of relational capacities to dynamically innovate. Its main goal is to contribute to the above-mentioned research theme by presenting a new methodology able to pinpoint different trends in the relational capacities of institutions when they are innovative. Thereby, major characteristics in the networks of innovation are identified. This investigation uses an extended set of private institutions and public organizations located in Portugal, evaluated by their WebPage contents. To this data set a new combination of multivariate statistical methods is applied to detect group performances, to compare them, and to identify gradients of capacity to dynamically innovate. The results demonstrate that this method can provide extremely useful and tailor-made information for policy evaluation at regional or national levels.

Portuguese strategic choices regarding innovation and R&D policy have, over the past two decades, produced various positive achievements, in which the regions of Lisbon and Algarve have taken the lead, and are the only ones in the country to converge towards the European average growth rate. Regarding the other Portuguese regions - despite significant national growth rates in the 1990s as well as a successful attempt to cope with the EMU -, these are lagging behind the EU average with respect to gross production, investment or employment generation. Meanwhile, one of the greatest public policy efforts was to diffuse much of the European funds across the entrepreneurial sector. After a long pathway, it is now timely to evaluate the firms' contribution to national and regional growth, their obstacles and impacts. For the purpose of this paper, innovation is used here as a major contributor to the policy evaluation process referred to above. Our investigation aims to explain the present performance of Portuguese firms located throughout the country and to explore those innovation determinants that have a region-specific connotation. To provide a thorough investigation, our analysis defines, on a regional basis, a set of firms' behavioural patterns regarding innovation. In our modelling, we employ a new methodology, viz. the External Logistic Biplot method, which is applied to an extensive sample of innovative institutions in Portugal. Variables such as 'Promoting knowledge', 'Management skills', 'Promoting R&D', 'Knowledge transfer', 'Promoting partnership & cooperation', and 'Orientation of public measures' have been identified as crucial determinants in earlier studies and are now used to describe regional institutional profiles. Such profiles exhibit a great variety in the way they combine these determinants to promote regional innovation. The creation of a gradient of capacity to dynamically innovate associated with each firm makes it possible to analyse the innovation gradient of each region in Portugal. Our paper presents and systematically investigates these findings and then reaches some policy conclusions.