The Microgeographies of Academic

Knowledge ExchangeBen Spigel

Department of GeographyThe Ohio State University

spigel.1@osu.edu

Knowledge is useless unless it is shared

How do we get scientists to share knowledge?

The critical question:

Why are billions invested in the physical infrastructure of networking...

But almost nothing invested in the human infrastructure for networking?

•Research labs in urban areas cost hundreds of millions

•The cost is accepted because of advantages of being near a university

•Disconnect in the discourse of networking and the material reality

•Neoliberal processes require benchmarking and qualitative measures

•But how can we count knowledge?

•Can qualitative measures be constructed for knowledge

•Private research labs within 1 kilometer of a major R1 university

•Located in an urban area

•Examination of informal networking

Two Case Studies

Columbus, Ohio Toronto, Ontario

Incubation center

University lab space

Contract R&D

Applied research

Are MaRS and Battelle comparable?

• Hetrogenious corporate cultures

• Foucaultian diffusion of power

• Concentration on informal networks

Survey of interaction

•Internet survey

•Survey of departments doing similar research to proximate research lab

•Asks subjects their history of discussing their research with outside parties

Survey ResultsDiscuss Research

Informal Contact

Social Event

Colleage

Friend

Talk to Private Sector

0%22

.5%45

.0%67

.5%90

.0%

OSU U of T

OSU U of T

Why the disconnect between friendship and networking?

Discuss Research

Informal Contact

Social Event

Colleage

Friend

Talk to Private Sector

0%22

.5%45

.0%67

.5%90

.0%

Problems•OSU and Battelle have few programs to

encourage interaction - and there is little interaction

•U of T and MaRS have several programs to encouarge interaction - and there is little interaction

•Why do U of T researchers have so many friends at MaRS but still don't discuss their research with them?

Politics of Network Building

•Impossible to benchmark the success of network building

•Projects like MaRS are a political tool

•The physical structures are visible political objects

•Human networks are invisible and their creation does not build political capital

Questions?