Optimising intellectual capital development: a case study of brokering in a science park

Recent research trends have focused on the value of intellectual capital and deployment of networks. This study positions science parks as a network structure that enables the study of individual components of intellectual capital and suggests how these components can be leveraged through the network, with implications for science parks and also for wider intellectual capital optimisation. It identifies the key sources of intellectual capital and where they are located through the case study of Innovation Waikato, a science park located in New Zealand. In particular it makes an argument for the important role of science park management and staff, who adopt the intermediary role between tenant and recipient firms, to assist in optimising the overall intellectual capital flow in this setting.