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The paper examines the role of Technology and Innovation Centres (TICs) in bridging the gap between the university research base and industry in order to foster economic development in a lagging industrial region. The context is provided by an academic literature on the role of universities in regional innovation systems, some of which casts doubt on the capacity of universities to operate in this domain, particularly within a lagging region. The empirical case reports on a bold experiment initiated by the Regional Development Agency in the older industrial region of the North-East of England to create and support new TICs in the fields of process innovation in high-value manufacturing and new and renewable energy, and on the engagement of a regionally committed university with these centres. The evidence presented suggests that while there are links between the university and the centres, both are principally operating in a national science and technology system in which contributing to addressing uneven regional economic development is a secondary concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of renewable energy is the key to deal with climate change and low-carbon economy development in China. Here, based on a balanced panel dataset of 30 provinces in China cover the period of 1996–2013, this paper explores the effect of economic growth, CO 2 emissions, foreign trade (exports or imports) and urbanization on renewable energy consumption at the national and regional levels by using a dynamic system-GMM panel model. The empirical results show that the influence of economic growth, CO 2 emissions, foreign trade and urbanization on the renewable energy consumption is heterogeneous across regions. First, economic development has an important positive impact on renewable energy consumption in the four panels we consider and the impact is the greatest in the eastern region, follows by the national, central and western regions. Second, CO 2 emissions have a significant positive impact on renewable energy consumption in the central and national regions. However, CO 2 emissions have a weak negative impact on the consumption of renewable energy in the eastern region, and have no impact in the western region; Third, per capita exports are found to have a positive effect on the renewable energy consumption, with the greatest impact in the central region, followed by the eastern and national regions and have a weak negative impact in the western regions; Fourth, per capita imports have a negative effect on renewable energy consumption in the eastern, western and national regions and have a weak positive effect in the central region; Finally, the changes in the urbanization level significantly affect the renewable energy consumption in the four panels we consider and the impact is the greatest in the eastern region with high level of urbanization, follow by the central and western regions. On the basis of this study, we put forward the corresponding countermeasures and suggestions to achieving sustainable development in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]