Biotechnology innovation systems in two small countries: a comparison of Portugal and Ireland

This paper compares the biotechnology policies of two small EU member states (Ireland and Portugal) from an innovation systems perspective. By drawing on both quantitative data and qualitative interviews the paper asks whether differences in performance in these two countries can be traced back to specific systems failures. It demonstrates that Portugal is less successful than Ireland overall, and that this is partially because Portugal suffers from a failure of industrial demand. It concludes that an integrated set of policies addressing both development of the knowledge base and commercialisation are needed for the successful promotion of biotechnology in a country.