Local embeddedness of knowledge spillover agents: Empirical evidence from German star scientists

The spatial scope of knowledge flows is a topic of fierce debate. While several studies have focused on single modes, the aim of this paper is to look at different knowledge flows originating from individual scientists, namely, scientific and industrial collaboration, entrepreneurial activities and human capital formation. The analysis is based on qualitative data acquired from interviews with distinguished German scientists from the disciplines of science and technology. It was found that the excellence of star scientists manifests itself in several ways. However, the results do not confirm the expectation that knowledge flows are predominantly locally embedded. The impact on the local economy was especially low for industrial collaborations.