Very generally, a set of interacting private and public interests, formal institutions, and other organizations that promote the generation, use, and dissemination of knowledge. ‘The basic argument is that this set of actors produce pervasive and systemic effects that encourage firms within the region to develop specific forms of capital that is derived from social relations, norms, values and interaction within the community in order to reinforce regional innovative capability and competitiveness’ (Yu and Jackson (2001) Growth & Change 42, 2, 111).