How to measure the effectiveness of technology parks? The case of Poland

In a knowledge-based economy, the human capital that is capable of innovative thinking and entrepreneurial action is the factor responsible for the creation of prosperity. Technology parks are an example of a high concentration of innovative human capital. In the past five years several new park initiatives have been established in Poland. In some large cities such as Poznan and Wroclaw, there is already a kind of fashion for technology parks. These initiatives are called technology parks, research and business parks. The activities of parks should be development measured, for example, by employment growth in the regions, and the innovativeness of companies. Technology parks are from an organizational and conceptual point of view the most advanced innovation centers in Poland. Entrepreneurs, representatives of the scientific sector, business environment institutions as well as regional authorities expect of them a permanent, intensive development, which translates into the development of the environment in which they operate. The main aim of this paper is a multidimensional comparative analysis of the spatial diversity of the development of technology parks in Poland. For the study of spatial differentiation in the development of technology parks in Poland a taxonomic measure of development zi was used, which was based on the statistical information collected during the study ”Benchmarking of technology parks in Poland – 2012 edition”. The statistical information of the 19 technology parks selected for the study was analyzed. The multi-dimensional comparative analysis in the study of technology parks shows that the phase of growth of parks does not always translate directly into the position they occupy in the taxonomic hierarchy.