I
THE PLANNING AND DESIGN OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY PARKS:
The Jordanian Prospect
By
Firas T. Thalji
Supervisor
Dr. Nabil Abu-Dayyeh
This Thesis was Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Master's Degree of Science in Architecture
Faculty of Graduate Studies
The University of Jordan
May, 2005
I
THE UNIVERSITY OF JORDAN
AUTHORIZATION FORM
I, Firas T. Thalji, authorize the University of Jordan to supply copies of
my Thesis/Dissertation to libraries or establishments or individuals on
request.
Signature:
Date:
III
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Authorization Form .................................................................................................................... I
Examination Committee Decision:............................................................................................II
Assoc. Prof. of History and Theory of Architecture..................................................................II
List of figures: ........................................................................................................................VII
List of Tables:.......................................................................................................................... IX
List of Plates:.............................................................................................................................X
Aknowledgement: ..................................................................................................................XII
Abstract: ................................................................................................................................XIII
Abbreviations and acronyms: ............................................................................................... XIV
Information Technology Era ...................................................................1
1.0 Introduction: ........................................................................................................................ 1
2.0 History of science and technology: ..................................................................................... 1
3.0 The history Information Technology:.................................................................................. 3
4.0 The Informational economy: ............................................................................................... 8
An overview of Science and Technology Parks (STPs).......................................................... 13
An Overview of STPs..............................................................................13
1.0 Introduction: ...................................................................................................................... 13
2.0 Defining STP:.................................................................................................................... 13
3.0 Technology Incubator:....................................................................................................... 14
4.0 Origins of STPs and Their diffusion around the world: .................................................... 15
5.0 Goals of STPs:................................................................................................................... 19
6.0 Functions of STPs: ............................................................................................................ 21
7.0 Technology Transfer: ........................................................................................................ 22
8.0 Classifying types of STPs:................................................................................................. 23
Center type...................................................................................................................... 26
Park type ......................................................................................................................... 26
City/park type ................................................................................................................. 26
STP ................................................................................................................................. 26
Major functions .......................................................................................................... 27
10.0 Development of STPs:..................................................................................................... 28
Type .................................................................................................................................... 29
11.0 Summary: ........................................................................................................................ 32
Study Cases..............................................................................................35
Study Cases Criteria: ............................................................................................................... 35
Study case (1.0): Stanford Research Park: .............................................................................. 36
Study Case (2.0): Cambridge Science Park:............................................................................ 43
Study Case (3): Hong Kong Science and Technology Park:................................................... 50
Study Case (4): MATAM Scientific Industry Center Haifa Ltd. ............................................ 56
Summary: ................................................................................................................................ 61
Planning (STPs).......................................................................................62
1.0 Planning an STP: ............................................................................................................... 62
2.0 Legislative and Policy Framework .................................................................................... 62
3.0 site Selection: .................................................................................................................... 65
3.1 Location factor: ............................................................................................................. 66
3.2 Development Criteria:................................................................................................... 69
3.2.1 Prestige locations, visibility:.................................................................................. 70
3.2.2 The linkage with university: .................................................................................. 70
IV
3.3 Preliminary planning analysis:...................................................................................... 72
4.0 Project Engineering and Design: ....................................................................................... 72
4.1 Infrastructure needed for STPs: .................................................................................... 72
4.2 Street Layout and Design:............................................................................................. 73
4.2.1 Design Principles for STP Streets:......................................................................... 74
4.2.2 Other Design Consideration: ................................................................................. 74
4.2.3 Architectural Character, Signage and Graphics:.................................................... 75
4.2.4 Perimeter Sites:...................................................................................................... 75
4.2.5 Creating Value on Interior Sites: ........................................................................... 76
5.0 Development Strategy: ...................................................................................................... 76
5.1 Financing:...................................................................................................................... 76
5.2 Organizing STP:............................................................................................................ 79
5.3 Management of STP: .................................................................................................... 80
5.4 Future Consideration:.................................................................................................... 82
5.5 Evaluating STPs:........................................................................................................... 83
6.0 Summary: .......................................................................................................................... 87
Building Design Issues ............................................................................88
1.0 Architectural Design Issues:.............................................................................................. 88
1.1 The programming, design, and construction process. ................................................... 89
1.1.1 Schematic design: .................................................................................................. 89
1.1.2 Design development: ............................................................................................. 89
1.1.3 Construction documents: ....................................................................................... 90
1.1.4 Bid phase: .............................................................................................................. 90
1.1.5 Construction administration:.................................................................................. 90
1.2 General Architectural Design Issues:............................................................................ 91
1.3 The lab module, basis for laboratory design: ................................................................ 91
1.3.1 Basic lab module: .................................................................................................. 91
1.3.2 Two directional lab module: .................................................................................. 92
1.3.3 Three dimensional lab modules: ............................................................................ 93
1.4 Site Planning: ................................................................................................................ 94
1.5 Exterior image:.............................................................................................................. 94
1.6 Building Massing: ......................................................................................................... 95
1.7 Interior image:............................................................................................................... 95
1.7.1 Reception and lobby: ............................................................................................. 96
1.7.2 Lounges and break rooms:..................................................................................... 96
1.7.3 Corridors:............................................................................................................... 96
1.7.4 Elevators and stairs: ............................................................................................... 97
1.7.5 Labs: ...................................................................................................................... 98
1.7.5 Offices: .................................................................................................................. 99
1.8 Adjacencies: .................................................................................................................. 99
1.8.1 Corridors:............................................................................................................... 99
1.8.1.1 Single corridor arrangement:.......................................................................... 99
1.8.1.2 Two corridor arrangements .......................................................................... 101
1.8.1.3 Three corridor arrangements: ....................................................................... 102
1.8.2 Open versus closed plan: ..................................................................................... 103
1.8.3 Write-up areas:..................................................................................................... 104
1.9 Interior finishes: .......................................................................................................... 104
1.9.1 Floors: .................................................................................................................. 104
1.9.2 Walls:................................................................................................................... 105
1.9.3 Ceiling: ................................................................................................................ 105
1.10 Acoustical issues: ...................................................................................................... 105
1.11 Casework:.................................................................................................................. 106
1.11.1 Types of casework: ............................................................................................ 106
V
1.11.1.1 Fixed casework........................................................................................... 106
1.11.1.2 HUNG casework ........................................................................................ 106
1.11.1.3 Cantilevered casework: .............................................................................. 106
1.11.1.4 Mobile casework: ....................................................................................... 106
1.12 Ergonomics: .............................................................................................................. 107
1.13 Fume Hoods: ............................................................................................................. 107
1.14 Safety: ....................................................................................................................... 107
1.14.1 General safety principles: .................................................................................. 107
1.14.2 Safety showers and eyewashes: ......................................................................... 108
1.14.3 Chemical storage: .............................................................................................. 108
1.14.4 Security systems: ............................................................................................... 109
1.14.5 The regulatory environment: ............................................................................. 110
1.14.5.1 Building and life safety codes: ................................................................... 110
1.14.5.2 Fire suppression system: ............................................................................ 110
1.14.5.3 Seismic design:........................................................................................... 110
1.15 Way-finding, Signage, and Graphics: ....................................................................... 111
1.15.1 Signage: ............................................................................................................. 111
1.15.2 Graphics:............................................................................................................ 112
1.15.3 Lab safety manual:............................................................................................. 112
1.15.5 Lab hazard signs: ............................................................................................... 112
1.15.6 Life and safety sign book:.................................................................................. 113
1.15.7 Clean rooms:...................................................................................................... 113
1.16 Specialized Equipment and Equipment Spaces: ....................................................... 114
2.0 Engineering Design Issues: ............................................................................................. 114
2.1 Structural systems: ...................................................................................................... 114
2.1.1 Options for structural systems: ............................................................................ 115
2.1.1.1 Steel:............................................................................................................. 115
2.1.1.2 Cast in Place Concrete:................................................................................. 116
2.1.1.3 Columns: ...................................................................................................... 116
2.1.2 Vibration control:................................................................................................. 117
2.2 Mechanical systems, General Design Issues:.............................................................. 117
2.2.1 Shaft and Ductwork: ............................................................................................ 117
2.2.2 Service corridors:................................................................................................. 119
2.2.3 Interstitial space: .................................................................................................. 119
2.3 Electrical systems:....................................................................................................... 120
2.3.2 Emergency standby power requirements:............................................................ 120
2.4 Lighting Design: ......................................................................................................... 121
2.4.1 Uniformity: .......................................................................................................... 121
2.4.2 Methods of light distribution: .............................................................................. 122
2.4.2.1 Indirect / direct distribution:......................................................................... 122
2.4.2.2 Direct Distribution:....................................................................................... 122
2.4.2.3 Luminaries' location and orientation: ........................................................... 122
2.5 Telephone / Data System: ........................................................................................... 123
2.6 Information Technology: ............................................................................................ 123
2.7 Closets:........................................................................................................................ 124
2.8 Audiovisual Engineering for Presentation Rooms:..................................................... 125
2.8.1 Projection Screens/Viewing Areas: ..................................................................... 125
2.8.2 Presentation Space Acoustics: ............................................................................. 126
2.8.3 Presentation Space Lighting: ............................................................................... 126
2.9 Plumping Systems:...................................................................................................... 127
2.9.1 Floor Drains, Roof Drains, and Sprinklers: ......................................................... 127
2.9.2 Hot water: ............................................................................................................ 128
2.9.3 Piped Gases:......................................................................................................... 128
2.10 Commissioning: ........................................................................................................ 129
2.11 Renovation / Restoration and Adaptive Reuse:......................................................... 129
VI
The Jordanian initiative .......................................................................131
1.0 Perspective on the Jordanian IT services Vision:............................................................ 131
2.0 Country Overview: .......................................................................................................... 131
Figure 49, Population dispersal over Jordan (Source: Author) ............................................. 132
3.0 Education in Jordan: ........................................................................................................ 133
4.0 The Legal Environment:.................................................................................................. 135
5.0 Analysis: National ICT, Strengths and Weaknesses ....................................................... 137
5.1 Assessment in Brief: ................................................................................................... 137
5.2 Detailed Analysis: ....................................................................................................... 137
6.0 THE Size of the Domestic IT Market: ............................................................................ 140
7.0 JORDAN'S ICT Policy.................................................................................................... 141
8.0 Jordan's Telecom Infrastructure: ..................................................................................... 143
9.0 Computing and Internet Diffusion: ................................................................................. 145
10.0 Electronic Commerce & E-Business ............................................................................. 147
11.0 Local Productions:......................................................................................................... 148
11.1 Software Development:............................................................................................. 148
11.2 Hardware Manufacturing: ......................................................................................... 149
12. 0 IT Workforce ................................................................................................................ 150
13.0 IT Geographies: ............................................................................................................. 151
14.0 IT Financing in Jordan................................................................................................... 152
14.1 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI): ............................................................................. 152
14.2 Venture Capital: ........................................................................................................ 153
15.0 E-Government in Jordan................................................................................................ 153
16.0 Jordan Attempts toward establishing STPs: .................................................................. 156
16.1 CyberCity in Irbid ..................................................................................................... 157
16.2 Aqaba Special Economic Zone: ................................................................................ 158
16.3 IT district at Al Abdali urban regeneration project:.................................................. 160
17.0 Proposed locations for STPs in Jordan:......................................................................... 161
Findings and recommendations...........................................................169
1.0 Findings:.......................................................................................................................... 169
1.1 Finding Related to Chapter 1: ..................................................................................... 169
1.2 Finding Related to Chapter 2: ..................................................................................... 169
1.3 Finding Related to Chapter 3: ..................................................................................... 170
1.4 Finding Related to Chapter 4: ..................................................................................... 172
1.5 Finding Related to Chapter 5: ..................................................................................... 173
1.6 Finding Related to Chapter 6: ..................................................................................... 175
2.0 General recommendations:.............................................................................................. 176
References:.............................................................................................180
Appendix.................................................................................................... I
Abstract in Arabic: ..................................................................................V
VII
LIST OF FIGURES:
Figure No. Title
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
Investments Around the world in year 1980(Source:
Kung, 2002)
Investments Around the world in year 1998 (Source:
Kung, 2002)
Number of Researchers in R&D around the world
(Rem et al, 2001)
The Historical evolution of STP (Luiz, 2002)
The diffusion of STP, 1970 (Kung, 2002)
The diffusion of STP, 1980 (Kung, 2002)
The diffusion of STP, 1985 (Kung, 2002)
The diffusion of STP, 1990 (Kung, 2002)
Science and Technology Parks, by date of creation
(IASP, 2002)
Number of tenants. (IASP, 2002)
Type of tenants in STPs (IASP, 2001).
Development of STPs
location of Stanford Research Park
Stanford Research Park Master Plan (Lochmoeller, et
al. 1982)
Composition of Stanford research Park
Location map of the park
Map of the park
Location Map of the HKSTP (HKSTP website, 2005)
Master Plan of Hong Kong Science and Technology
Park (HKSTP website, 2005)
Arial View of Hong Kong Science and Technology
Park (HKSTP website, 2005)
Management Team (Source: Author)
Location Map (MATAM Park Website, 2005)
Master Plan for MATAM (MATAM Park Website,
2005)
STPs Size, world wide average (IASP, 2002)
Location of STPs (IASP, 2002)
Distance from Science Parks to...(IASP, 2002)
STPs and University: Location (IASP, 2002)
STPs and University: Distance (IASP. 2002)
Shared things between STP and University (IASP,
2002)
STPs In / Out University Campus (IASP, 2002)
STP and University: Location (IASP, 2002)
STP and University: Distance (IASP, 2002)
General organization for STP development
STP management team: staff
Science Parks: Expansion plans? (IASP, 2002)
Page
Number
9
9
11
16
16
17
17
18
18
20
21
28
36
37
39
43
43
50
52
52
53
56
57
65
67
67
68
68
70
70
71
71
81
81
82
VIII
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
STP growths through several stages as they became
mature.(prestwood & Schumann, 2002)
Plan and Section of a typical lab module (Watch,
2001)
Typical lab module and its inherent flexibility
(Watch, 2001)
Three dimensional lab module concepts (Watch,
2001)
Single Corridor Lab Options (Watch, 2001)
Double Corridor Lab Options (Watch, 2001)
Three Corridor Lab Options (Watch, 2001)
Write-up areas options (Watch, 2001)
Shaft at the end of the building (Watch, 2001)
Shafts in the middle of a building (Watch, 2001)
Shafts at the end and the supply in the middle
(Watch, 2001)
Multiple internal Shafts (Watch, 2001)
Interstitial space. (Watch, 2001)
Population dispersal over Jordan (Source: Author)
The location of Jordanian Universities (Source:
Author)
Number of Internet Users in Jordan (Source: Author)
CyberCity Map (CyberCity, 2004)
Locations for future STPs in Aqaba (ASEZA, 2002)
Al Abdali Urban Regineration Project, Arial View
Ranking for suitable cities for STPs (Source: Author)
Criteria used for selecting STPs
84
92
92
93
100
102
103
104
118
118
118
119
120
132
134
152
157
160
160
163
168
IX
LIST OF TABLES:
Table No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Title
Page
Number
Comparison between industrial economy and
knowledge economy (Source: Author)
Types of Science and Technology Parks (Luger ,
2000)
A Comparison of Classifications on Science and
Technology Parks (Luger, 2000)
Typology of Science and Technology Parks (Source:
Author)
Types of Development
Summarized criteria for study cases (source: Author)
Countries and Dates of Signing Treaties (WIPO,
2005).
Major Factor Determining the STP location (Source:
Author)
Guide for Determining Widths of New Roadways
(Lochmoeller et al, 1982)
Recommended Noise Criteria (Watch, 2001)
Brief assessment of the readiness of each category
(Source: Author)
Size of the Jordanian IT Sector in the Economy
Summary of the IT infrastructure conditions (Source:
Author)
Domestic revenues and export revenues (Int@j,
2004)
Number of PC's in different sectors (REACH 3,
2002)
Criteria for selecting the most favorable city for
hosting STPs. (Source: Author)
Criteria for selecting the most favorable Location for
hosting STPs. (Source: Author)
Points of Strengths and Weakness in Jordan condition
(Source: Author)
11
25
26
27
29
61
62
66
74
105
137
140
143
137
149
164
167
175
X
LIST OF PLATES:
Plate No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Title
Page
Number
Arial View of the park (Cambridge Park website,
2005)
A view toward one of the research facilities
(Cambridge Park website, 2005)
The importance of the exterior image (Cambridge
Park website, 2005) Plate 4
The Importance of a pleasing surrounding
(Cambridge Park website, 2005)
A noon view showing the night life at the park
(Cambridge Park website, 2005)
Bird eye view of MATAM Park (MATAM Park
Website, 2005)
Philips Medical Systems Ltd
Philips Medical Systems Ltd
Life and Safety Sign Book (Watch, 2001)
Location map of CyberCity Irbid (Khalaldeh, 2002)
Proposed Location A (Source: Author)
Proposed Location B (Source: Author)
44
46
46
46
47
58
58
58
113
157
166
167
XI
DEDICATION:
To my:
Parents,
University,
Omrania, ......
XII
AKNOWLEDGEMENT:
This work was realized by the help of the following persons who is already
engraved in my mind and heart.
The supervisor of my thesis:
Dr. Nabil Abu-Dayyeh
Also I would like to thank the examination committee Dr. Majdi Tawfiq, Dr.
Ali Abu-Ganimeh and Dr. Mohammed Yaghan for their time and effort in reading my
thesis and modifying it
Further Thanks to:
Arch. Roula Dahdaleh and Arch. Faten Abdulla for their English language revisions,
also I would like to thank Eng. Hasan Abdulla
XIII
THE PLANNING AND DESIGN OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY PARKS:
The Jordanian Prospect
By
Firas T. Thalji
Supervisor
Dr. Nabil Abu-Dayyeh
ABSTRACT
The world is experiencing a revolution in high technology. Science and
Technology Parks (STPs), even entire cities are being built around high technology
nodes. Technology has become a vital factor for society's development. since the
1980s this emphasis on technology has further narrowed down to "high-technology
industries". Accompanying this trend was the birth of many property-based hightechnology development projects.
The effort to innovate and develop very often takes the form of creating and
nurturing what we have called STPs. We need now a more precise definition; under
this name I tried to include various deliberate attempts to plan and promote, within
one concentrated area, technologically innovative, industrial-related production:
technology parks, and science cities. This study will try to assess how these different
developments perform (or fail to perform) their role as engines of the new round of
economic development and as organizing nodes of the new industrial space besides
analyzing the Jordanian prospect towards establishing STPs. Comprehension of the
STP phenomenon has been so blurred by political, ideological, and business biases
that any serious study must start from a careful analysis of how these centers were
created and developed, and of the factors that account for their differential success,
according to a set of criteria that must be established at the start.
Being the most representative of STPs, several study cases were selected and
analyzed;
1. Stanford Research Park the origin of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, California,
Being the first and most successful,
2. Cambridge Science Park, Cambridge United Kingdom, known as the most
successful park in Europe,
3. Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, a well established park to
promote innovation in far-east,
4. MATAM Science Park, Haifa, Israel, the most successful park in Middle
East
Several basic planning and design criteria were thus deduced/derived from the
analysis of these world-famous STPs, which are then applied to the local cases
represented in Jordan by the CyberCity in Irbid, and Al-Abdali Urban Regeneration
Plan in Amman.
Such criteria were then used to assess the situation in Jordan, regarding the
currently existing or proposed STPs projects, and would serve as guidelines for the
future design and planning of STPs in Jordan, according to the criteria suggested, two
sample locations where suggested and evaluated.
XIV
ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS:
AGRP
AGIP
AIIE
ARA
ASEZ
ASEZA
CAD
cm
D
DOE
DOS
EU
FZ
FTA
GNP
HCST
HKSP
HKSTP
Inches
IP
IT
ICT
IASP
INRIA
IPDAS
TP
STP
SP
JD
JIEC
JUST
m
MGA
Mm
MOIT
MOP
MW
NEPC
NGO
No.
P
QAIA
QIZ
RGC
RSS
SME
Average Growth Rate of the Population
Abu Ghazaleh Intellectual Property
Aqaba International Industrial Estate
Aqaba Regional Authority
Aqaba Special Economic Zone
Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority
Computer Aided Design
Centimeters, 1cm = 10 mm (millimeters) = .01 m (meter)
Distance
Department of Energy
Department of Statistics
European Union
Free Zone (s: for plural)
Free Trade Agreement
Gross National Product
Higher Council for Science and Technology
Hong Kong Science Park
Hong Kong Science and Technology Park
1 inch= 2.54 cm
Industrial Park
Information Technology
Information and Communication Technology
International Association for Science Parks
French Abbreviation for National Institute for research in Computer
Science and Control.
Innovation Product Development Assistance Scheme
Technology Park
Science and Technology Park
Science Park
Jordan Dinar
Jordan Industrial Estate Corporation
Jordan University of Science and Technology
meter (s) 1m=100cm
Municipality of Greater Amman
millimeters, I cm= 10 cm
Ministry of Industry and Trade
Ministry of Planning
Mega Watt
National Electric Power Company
Non-Governmental Organization
Number
Population
Queen Alia International Airport
Qualified Industrial Zones
Royal Geographic Center
Royal Scientific Society
Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (s: for plural)
XV
sq.m
WTO
NID
SRP
USA
SERAP
RIBA
R&D
HKSAR
ENIAC
WIPO
ANBIA
NMR
BOCA
OSHA
NFBA
NIH
MRI
UPS
CCTV
CATV
COTS
ISP
FLAG
PC
JEA
FDI
BOC
IFC
VPN
MGA
ZIE
OECD
Square meters
World Trade Organization
New Industrial Districts
Stanford Research Park
United States of America
Small Entrepreneur Research Assistance Program
Royal Institute of British Architects
Research and Development
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Electrical Numerical Integrator and Calculator
World Intellectual Property Organization
American National Business Incubation Association
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Building Officials and Codes Administrators
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
National Fire Protection Association
National Institute of Health
Magnetic Resonance Imager
Uninterruptible Power Supply
Closed Circuit TV
Cable TV
Commercial-Off-the-Shelf products
Internet Service Provider
Fiber Optic Link around the Globe
Personal Computer
Jordanian Engineering Association
Foreign Direct Investment
Business Optimization Consultants
International Financing Corporation
Virtual Private Network
Municipality of Greater Amman
Zarqa Industrial Estate
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
1
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ERA
1.0 INTRODUCTION:
Today the world is experiencing a revolution in high technology as profound
as the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century. Science and Technology Parks
(STPs), even entire cities built around high technology, are emerging around the
world. Unlike nineteenth-century cities which produced manufactured goods such as
textiles, steel, or lumber, these new centers produce information and innovative ideas.
What STPs are like is of more than academic interest as countries around the
world scramble to promote successful high-tech cities which can function effectively
as milieus of innovation. Where they have succeeded, STPs have provided jobs,
wealth, and future prospects. But the world is also littered with failed efforts to
promote such cities based more on boosterizm and hope than careful analysis and
realism.
2.0 HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:
The relationship between technological innovations, and cities before the
Industrial Revolution attracted the interests of historians such as; Joel Mokyr1, who
came to a conclusion about the positive role of cities in technological progress were
historically false (Mokyr, 1995). Science was clearly an urban phenomenon, but
technological progress was not. Before 1750 technological changes was not an urban
phenomenon at all, as Mokyr pointed out. This is not very surprising since science
and technology developed more or less on two separate trajectories before 18th
century.
1
Joel Mokyr (PhD Yale, 1974), the Robert H. Strotz Professor of Arts and Sciences, holds a joint
appointment in economics. He is particularly interested in the economic history of technology and
population, but considers himself a general-purpose economic historian.
2
Urban features, such as the agglomeration of scientists, the existence of
scientific institutions, libraries and universities, did not play an important role in
technological changes before the 19th century. Metropolises were rather the audience
of the Industrial Revolution. Cities as (Manchester and Glasgow which possessed
scientific communities and institutions, they hosted technicians, entrepreneurs and
traders met in scientific societies and clubs, were of much more relevance to
technology). That leads us to a conclusion that the more important the connection of
science and technology became, the more the role of that urban spot grows. These
intentions where culminated in the second half on the 20th century in an attempt to
connect science and technology within an urbanized area, (Castell 1996).
In the twentieth century the relation of science and technology to cities was
influenced by two very important developments: First the 20th century is characterized
by concepts of planning and the ideal of feasibility which led in general to
megalomaniac projects. Politicians and economists aimed to create "innovative
milieus" (Camagni, 1991); thus, new cities were founded, science cities, techno-cities,
and techno-science cities, which emerged at the end of the 20th century. Second issue;
a process can be observed since the end of the 19th century, in which knowledge as a
factor of production has played an increasingly important role. The fact that science
became a necessary factor for technological change, a process which is much older
but started to play a more important role since the world war II, with more emphasis
on a close connection between science, politics and industry. Genesis, access and
availability of knowledge nowadays are regarded as essential factors for economic
prosperity.
The emergence of high-tech industries, such as microelectronics and the
computer industry, brought awareness of the advantages of spatial proximity of
industry, universities, and research institutes. Within this historical context, social
science and history as well as economic theory, discovered spaces to be a relevant
3
factors for innovation and economic success: spatial proximity, density, the
concentration of various institutes, the agglomeration of scientist, technicians,
engineers, and politicians within a small area almost became a new paradigm for
success.
3.0 THE HISTORY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY:
The history of life is a series of stable states, punctuated at rare intervals by
major events that occur with great rapidity and help to establish the next stable era
(Castells, 1996). Our starting point is that at the end of the 20th century and the start
of the 21st century we are living through one of these rare intervals in history, an
interval characterized by the transformation of our "material culture" by the works of
a new technological paradigm organized around information technology.
The development of new industries, spearheaded by the producers of
information technology, along with the crisis of old line manufacturing is
transforming cities all over the world. This technological revolution has very definite
spatial dimensions, (Castells, 1991) with far-reaching consequences for the future of
cities and regions. In recent years a growing body of research has focused on the
location of high-technology industries and the factors conditioning their spatial
pattern. Unlike nineteenth-century cities which produced manufactured goods such as
textiles, steel, or lumber, these new centers produce information and innovative
ideas.these are often referred to as innovative milieus) each of which compromises a
communication space in which contacts personal, as well as institutional, formal as
well as informal play a crucial role. Thus, creativity is closely connected to
communication.
The historical record of technological revolutions, as compiled by Melvin
Krenzberg and Carroll Pursell (1990), shows that they are all characterized by their
pervasiveness, that is; by their penetration of all domains of human activity. In other
4
words besides inducing new products they are process oriented. On the other hand,
unlike any other revolution, the core of the transformation we are experiencing refers
to technologies of information processing and communication. Information
technology is to this revolution what new sources of energy were to the successive
industrial revolutions, from the steam engine to the electricity, from fossil fuels to
nuclear power, since the generation and distribution of energy was the underlying key
element in the industrial society.
Historians; Krenzberg and Pursell (1990), Goldman (2004) have shown that
there were at least two industrial revolutions: the first revolution started in the last
third of the 18th century characterized by new technologies such as the steam engine,
beside the replacement of hand-tools by machines. The second revolution about 100
years later, featured the development of electricity, the internal combustion engine,
science-based chemicals, efficient steel casting and the beginning of communication
technologies with the diffusion of the telegraph and the invention of the telephone.
Between the two intervals there are fundamental continuities, as well as some critical
differences, the main one being the decisive importance of scientific knowledge, in
sustaining and guiding technological development after 1850. But, because of their
differences, features common to both may offer insights towards understanding the
logic of technological revolutions.
The preeminent role of information technology is often confused with the
characterization of the current revolution as essentially dependent on new knowledge
and information, true for the current process of technological change, but equally true
for the preceding technological revolutions, as was shown by the leading historians of
technology; Krenzberg and Pursell 1990. The first industrial revolution although not
science-based, relied on the extensive use of information, applying and developing
preexisting knowledge, and the same for the second industrial revolution after 1850
which was characterized by the decisive role of science in fostering innovation;
5
indeed R&D laboratories appeared for the first time in German chemical industry in
the last decades of the 19th century. (Castells, 1996)
Therefore, what characterizes the current technological revolution is not the
centrality of knowledge and information, but the application of such knowledge and
information to information processing/communication devices, in a cumulative
feedback loop between innovation and the uses of innovation (Camagni, 1991). In
itself, the diffusion of technology endlessly amplifies the power of technology, as it
becomes appropriated and redefined by its users, what we think, and how we think
become expressed in goods, (Castells, 1996).
In both cases, Mokyr describes the technological revolution as a period of
"accelerating and unprecedented technological change", a set of macro inventions
prepared the ground for the blossoming of micro inventions in the realms of
agriculture, industry, and communication (Mokyr 1995). In Thomas Kuhn's sense
they constituted a technological "revolution" whereby a sudden unexpected surge of
technological applications which transformed the process of production and
distribution, created a flurry of new products, and shifted decisively the location of
wealth and power in a planet that became suddenly under the reach of those countries
and elites able to master the new technological system.
Technological breakthroughs came in clusters, interacting with each other in a
process of increasing returns. Technological innovation is not an isolated instance, it
reflects a given state of knowledge, a particular institutional and industrial
environment, a certain availability of skills to define a technological problem and to
solve it, economic mentality to make such application cost-efficient, and a network of
producers and users who can communicate their experiences cumulatively, learning
by using and by doing.
The last and essential lesson to be learnt from the industrial revolution is that
as a classical historian of technology affirms: "the invention of the steam engine is the
6
central fact in the industrial revolution followed by the introduction of new prime
movers and the mobile prime mover, under which the power of steam engine could be
created where needed and to the extent desired". Electricity was the central force of
the 2nd revolution, in spite of other extraordinary developments in chemicals, steel, the
internal combustion engine, telegraphy and telephony, this was only because through
electricity and its distribution all the other fields were able to develop their
applications and be connected to each other.
During the last three centuries five great innovations have produced what is often
called the Machine age:
1. The steam engine (18th century).
2. The water turbine (19th century).
3. The internal combustion engine (19th century).
4. The steam turbine (19th century).
5. The gas turbine (20th century).
The core of all processes that is the necessary power to produce, distribute, and
communicate, thus the two industrial revolutions diffused throughout the entire
economic system and permeated the whole social fabric; cheap, accessible and mobile
energy sources, extended and augmented the power of the human body creating the
material basis for the historical continuation of similar movement toward the
expansion of the human mind.
It is analytically useful to recall the main axes of technological transformation
in information generation, processing, transmission and to place them in the sequence
that drifted toward the formation of a new socio-technical paradigm.
During the two decades from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, a series of
scientific and technological innovations have converged to constitute a new
technological paradigm in microelectronics, building on the sequential discoveries of
7
the transistor (1947), the integrated circle (1957), the planar process (1969), and the
microprocessor (1971).
The invention of the transistor in 1947 at Bell laboratory in Murray, New
Jersey, by three physicists Bardeen, Brattain, and Shockley (recipient of the Nobel
Prize for this discovery), made possible the processing of electric impulse at a fast
pace in a binary mode of interruption and amplification, thus enabling the coding of
logic and communication with and between machines. Scientists call these devices
semiconductors, while people call them chips, yet its fabrication and widespread use
required new manufacturing technologies and the use of an appropriate material. The
shift to silicon was first accomplished by Texas instruments in Dallas in 1954
(Castells, 1996), while the invention of the planar process in 1959 by Fairchild
Semiconductors in Silicon Valley opened up the possibility of the integration of
miniaturized components with precision manufacturing .
Computers were also conceived from the mother of all technologies that was
World War II. The actual experimentation of the calculator's power under US Army
sponsorship, took place at the University of Pennsylvania. Where Mauchly and Eckert
produced in 1946 the first general purpose computer, the ENIAC (Electrical
Numerical Integrator and Calculator). Historians will recall that the first electronic
computer weighed 30 tons and was built on metal modules nine feet tall, had 70,000
resistors, and 18,000 vacuum tubes and occupied the area of a gymnasium. When
turned on, its electricity consumption was so high that Philadelphia's lighting twinkled
(Castells, 1996).
Microelectronics changed all this, inducing a revolution within a revolution
with the advent of the microprocessor in 1971. The capacity to put a computer on a
chip; turned the electronics world and the world itself, upside down. A fundamental
condition for the diffusion of microprocessors was fulfilled by the development of
new software adapting their operation. PC software also emerged in the mid 1970s out
8
of the enthusiasm generated by two young Harvard drop outs, Bill gates and Paul
Allen adapting Basic for operating the Altair machine in 1976, after their realization
of the potential of such a thing they went on to found Microsoft, that giant firm which
is dominating the software for the exponentially growing microcomputer market
today.
Since the mid 1980s microcomputers cannot be conceived in isolation, they
perform in networks with increasing mobility on the basis of portable computers. This
extraordinary versatility, and the capacity to add memory, and processing capacity, by
sharing computing power in an electronic network, decisively shifted the computer
age in the 1990s from centralized data storage and processing, to networked,
interactive computer power, not only the whole technological system, but the social
and organizational interaction as well. The average cost of processing fell from
around 75$ per million operations in 1960 to less than one hundredth of a cent in 1990
(Castells, 1996). Technology through development offers decreasing cost with
increasing quality.
Telecommunications have also been revolutionized by the:
•
•
•
Combination of "Node" technologies (electronic switches and routers )
Major advances in optoelectronics (fiber optics and laser transmission).
Broadening the capacity of transmission lines; (IBN) (DSL) and (ISDN)
4.0 THE INFORMATIONAL ECONOMY:
Recalling the 19th century industrial economy image, familiar from history
textbooks: a coal mine and its neighboring iron foundry, belching forth black smoke
into the sky, and illuminating the night heavens with lurid red glare. There is a
corresponding image for the new economy that has taken its place in the last years of
the twentieth century, but it is only just imprinting itself on our consciousness. It
consists of a series of low, discreet buildings, usually displaying a certain air of quiet
9
good taste, and set amidst impeccable landscaping in that standard real-estate cliché, a
campus-like atmosphere. Referring to figure 1 & 2 which shows the investments
around the world between 1980 and 1998, the informational economy has been less
noticed than the industrial economy.
Figure 1, Investments Around the world in year 1980(Source: Kung, 2002)
Figure 2, Investments Around the world in year 1998 (Source: Kung, 2002)
10
STPs in fact explicitly commemorate the reality that cities and regions are
being profoundly modified in their structure, and conditioned in their growth
dynamics, by the interplay of three major, interrelated, historical processes :
1. A technological revolution, mainly based in information technologies
(including genetic engineering), at least as momentous historically as the two
industrial revolutions based on the discovery of new sources of energy .
2. The formation of a global economy: that is, the structuring of all economic
processes on a planetary scale, even if national boundaries and national
governments remain essential elements and key actors in the strategies played
out in international competition. By a global economy we understand one that
works in real time as a unit in a worldwide space, be it for capital,
management, labor, technology, information or markets. Even firms that are
anchored in and aimed at domestic markets depend on the dynamics and logic
of the world economy through the intermediation of their customers, suppliers,
and competitors. The acceleration of the process of European integration and
the creation of the new European Economic Area emphasize these tendencies
towards globalization and interdependence in the world economy (see figure 4
& 5 ).
3. The emergence of a new form of economic production and management, that in common with a number of economists and sociologists we term
informational. It is characterized by the fact that productivity and
competitiveness are increasingly based on the generation of new knowledge
and on the access to, and processing of, appropriate information.
5.0 SUMMARY:
We may summarize the main differences between the industrial economy and the
informational economy as shown in Table 1.
11
Table 1, Comparison between industrial economy and knowledge economy (Source: Author)
Industrial economy:
Knowledge economy:
• Intangibles: Software
• Solid products: Hardware
• Lighter Industry
• Heavy Industry
• Knowledge intense
• Huge Production Plants
• Long term jobs
• Short term jobs
• Local roots
• Movable, Rootless
• Identifiable competitors
• Invisible competitors
• Unclear social hierarchies
• Standard clients
• Rigid social hierarchies
• Demanding clients
• Visible centers of decision makers
• Blurry centers of decision makers
The main focus of this chapter was to explain informational economy and the
need for special proximity between different players; this increase in the number of
researchers around the world urged for a great need to communicate face-to-face
(refer to figure 3), we may summarize the need for this kind of special proximity by
the following points:
•
•
•
•
Complexity of Tasks.
Extreme Specialization.
Deadlines.
Intensive Research Patterns.
Figure3, Number of Researchers in R&D around the world (Rem et al, 2001)
12
STPs, are the incarnating of such a special proximity also they are regarded as;
engines of economic, technological, and managerial growth, but they are also a factor of
urban creation and re-creation. At present, STPs are key elements for the dynamization of
urban areas, while they originate qualified labor force, and innovative individuals It is
important to produce technological actions on applications, advanced software systems,
and network technologies: briefly, telecommunications technologies. These types of
actions need not only traditional technological parks that concentrate large industrial
installations: these innovation environments are more intelligence-intensive than
building-intensive. The key issue is to search for articulation forms between the physical
territory, and these much subtler social, spatial, economic, cultural, innovation
mechanisms, linked to the innovation dynamics, and particularly, to the innovation of
small and medium enterprises.
13
AN OVERVIEW OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
PARKS (STPS)
1.0 INTRODUCTION:
During the 1980s, many policymakers facing decreasing revenues and
increasing unemployment looked at technology-led development to pump new life
into their sagging regional and national's economies (Amirahmadi, 1993). One of the
ways they attempted to promote this high-tech strategy was through the creation of
Science and Technology Parks (STPs). Although these parks had demonstrated some
potential for enhancing economic growth, they are hardly the economic hot fixes
which some policy makers believe them to be. Successful parks often have taken a
decade or more to become economically viable, their failure rates are high, and their
regional and national economic impacts are exaggerated.
2.0 DEFINING STP:
The simplicity of this general concept has become somewhat obscured by the
plethora of names employed. These include Technology Parks, Business and
Innovation Centers, Techno-parks, Innovation Centers, Technology Centers, Science
Parks, Technopoles and Research Parks. Such organizations can differ greatly in
scale, scope and the range of services provided internally, but their common
distinctiveness is encompassed by the definition given below.
The most accepted definition was according to what is known as the
International Association of Science Parks (IASP).
According to the IASP(2002), STP is defined as:
•
A property-based initiative, which has formal and operational links with
universities or other higher educational institution, or major centers of
research.
14
•
•
Designed to encourage the formation and growth of knowledge-based
industries or high value-added firms, normally resident on site.
Has a steady management team actively engaged in fostering the transfer of
technology and business skills to tenant organizations.
The term STP usually denotes a focus on technology innovation and Tenant
Company involved in applied science. In presenting the relevant international
experience in this study, as much as there is no consistent term for the functions that
an STP provide, for the purpose of this thesis the term that will be used is Science
and Technology Parks (STP) to avoid any interchangeability between any of the
synonyms2 .
3.0 TECHNOLOGY INCUBATOR:
The incubator is a physical unit, a single building or a group of buildings in which
participating entrepreneurs can be housed together, thereby facilitating spontaneous
interaction. To support start-up businesses, the incubators perform the following
functions:
1. Provide physical facilities suitable for carrying out each project, including
plant and equipment and administrative offices;
2. marketing feasibility studies and
3. preparing an R&D plan
4. Assist in recruiting and organizing R&D staff;
5. Provide professional and managerial guidance and direction;
6. Provide secretarial, administrative, maintenance, purchasing, bookkeeping and
legal services; and
2
The following is a list of terms that are often used interchangeably with "Science and Technology
Park": cyber park, business park, hi-tech park, industrial park, innovation center, R&D park, research
park, research and technology park, science and technology park, science city, science park, technology
incubator, technopark, technopole, technopolis.
15
7. Assist in recruiting investment capital and preparation for commercialization
and marketing.
4.0 ORIGINS OF STPS AND THEIR DIFFUSION AROUND THE
WORLD:
During the 1980s, STPs were a rallying symbol for regions, local governments
and universities faced with a changing national and world economy. The decline of
manufacturing industry, and severe cuts in central government funding, the perceived
high-tech success of regions such as Silicon Valley, Research Triangle Park, and
Boston's Route 128 assumed mythical proportions, and localities all over the world
compete with each other to replicate their success. High-technology-led development
was seen as the vehicle for renewed economic growth, with STPs being the means of
drawing these firms into a locality. Goldstein and Luger comment that there was
nearly 300% increase in the number of parks in the US between 1982 and 1989. This
rapid rate of growth was not confined to USA; in Britain, for instance the number of
parks grew from 2 in 1972 to 65 in 1991 (Goldstein and Luger, 1991).
The origins of the ideas of STPs goes back to 1939 when Hewlett Packard was
founded by Stanford University graduates in Palo Alto California, which was called
the beginning of Silicon Valley. In 1951 Cornell University (Ithaca, New York)
partnered with General Electric to establish the GE Advanced Electronic Center, and
at the same year Stanford Research Park was founded, the United States' first oncampus Technology Park was established. Then in 1956, Research Triangle Park was
formed in North Carolina. In France, Pierre Laffitte, principal of the Mines of Paris,
designed the International City of Wisdom, Science, Arts and Technology, in year
1960. His goal was to establish a center for cross fertilization among high technology
companies and research centers. In 1967, INRIA the National Institute for research in
16
Computer Science and Control created a location near Paris, then in 1974 a decision
was taken to implement the "Parc International dÁctivites' de Valbonne" in Valbonne
France, and FRANLAB became the first company to set up on the site of the French
Science and Technology Park which is known under the name of Sophia Antipolis.
Even before the French decided to create an STP, Israel back to the early 1970, had
founded MATAM Scientific Industry Center in Haifa, the diagram in Figure 4
summarizes the historical evolution of STPs.
Stanford
Research
Rest of
USA
´50
Europe
Japan
´60
South
Asia-Pacific
Mediterranean
Latin Am.
´70
´80
Figure 4, The Historical evolution of STP (Luiz, 2002)
Figure 5,The diffusion of STP, 1970 (Kung, 2002)
´90
17
Figure 6, The diffusion of STP, 1980 (Kung, 2002)
Figure 7, The diffusion of STP, 1985 (Kung, 2002)
18
Figure 8, The diffusion of STP, 1990 (Kung, 2002)
Since the 1980s, a rapid growth of STPs worldwide, known as 'Science and
Technology Parks Movement', (Massey et al, 1992), as shown in (figure 9), 30% of
the existing STP where created in the 1980s.These STPs came to be seen as a seedbed
or catalyst for improving the exploitation of academic research, encouraging
innovation, and promoting the formation of new high technology firms (Massey et al,
1992) (see figures 5-8). At the same time, STPs started to appeal to both central and
local governments as a means of attracting leading edge technology and create new
jobs in areas in need of industrial restructuring (Cho,1999).
Figure 9, Science and Technology Parks, by date of creation (IASP, 2002)
19
In the 1980s, 91 STPs were established in the USA, compared with 32 parks
between 1951 and 1980 (Quintas, 1997). According to the Association of UniversityRelated Research Parks (AURRP), there are more than 410 parks at various stages of
development in the world. Also, now there are several hundred members of the
International Association of Science and Technology Parks (IASP) and dozens of
members of several country-based park membership organizations (Luger and
Goldstein, 1991). These kinds of development of STPs have contributed to the growth
of innovation-based regions possessing a number of common characteristics:
•
•
A technology-oriented manufacturing base with a mix of large firms (anchor
organizations) and small entrepreneurial firms;
A knowledge base made of a solid research infrastructure (public and private
research laboratories, research universities), supported by an appropriate
supply of qualified human resources (universities, colleges, professional
•
•
training organizations);
A local quality of life attractive to highly skilled individuals;
A local culture encouraging formal and informal networking, exchanges,
communications and cooperation among local stakeholder (individuals,
businesses, governments, educational institutions) and supportive of
•
entrepreneurial activities;
An
appropriate
physical
and
business
infrastructure
(transportation,
telecommunications, business services, venture capital, government rules,
regulations and programs).
5.0 GOALS OF STPs:
STPs are designed to facilitate the production and commercialization of
advanced technologies by introducing synergies among research centers, education
institutions, and technology-based companies. Tenants of STPs are usually small
20
companies at an early development stage pursuing an ambitious growth strategy based
on the incubation of new ideas. To facilitate the successful adaptation and take-up of
these ideas in the market place, the STPs provide:
•
•
•
•
•
Cooperation in R&D with scientific research institutes and laboratories;
Financial consulting and assistance in obtaining venture capital;
Professional, technical, administrative and legal assistance;
Information and telecommunications services; and
Supportive business infrastructure.
According to a study conducted by IASP (2002), (Figure 10) it has been found
that (50% of STPs have less than 50 tenants, and a 36% have a number of tenants
between 50-200)
Figure 10, Number of tenants. (IASP, 2002)
Several types of tenant's occupy STPs the majority of which are service
companies, others are industrial and others companies involved with research
activities. A survey conducted by IASP refer to (figure 11) showed that the category
"Research activities" comprises either private and public owned facilities or
institutions located in STPs, such as labs, R&D units, etc.
21
Figure 11, Type of tenants in STPs (IASP, 2001).
By aiding the growth of tenant companies3, STPs plays a significant role in the
development of local economies. They help creating new jobs, attract foreign capital,
and increase local and national competitiveness. This developmental role is
particularly important in transition economies, which must absorb a great deal of
structural unemployment and "catch-up" with rapid technological developments in the
global economy.
6.0 FUNCTIONS OF STPs:
Most of STPs, especially those in the US, are built around universities. This
allows for:
•
•
•
•
•
3
Access to faculty and staff on a consultative basis;
Access to graduate and undergraduate students through internships and
co-op arrangements;
Access to university facilities and proprietary technology and
intellectual property;
Contractual use of university owned scientific, engineering and
computing equipment;
Access to the university library system;
Some prefer to call the SMEs, entrepreneurial knowledge-based small and medium sized enterprises;
SMEs have been described as the backbone of the private sector as they help diversifying the economy.
22
•
The ability to receive on-site customized training and education
offerings, as well as access to regular and continuing education
offerings on the university campus.
In addition to the above university-specific services, university-linked tech
parks can also develop services providing support in the areas of:
•
•
•
Scientific, engineering, financial, tax, managerial and business planning;
Copy, fax facilities, telephone answering and on-site fiber optics; and
Shipping and receiving capabilities.
7.0 TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER:
Technology transfer addresses the assessment adoption and implementation of
technology, innovation diffusion4 theory provides a conceptual background that has
frequently been used in the study of technology transfer.
Recent research indicate that technology transfer, in STP has varied, from
having a very little impact to highly successful rate of technology transfer, depending
on what portion of the high-tech product life cycle is being assessed, and what type of
knowledge or technology is being transferred.
Methods of adoption of technology:
•
Formal adoption:
o Merger of two companies to form one.
o Acquisition as affiliates, subsidiaries, divisions, or product lines of a
parent.
•
o Alliances.
Licensing: in its simplest forms, the term "licensing" means acquiring the
rights to a product, technology or services, often for a certain period of time
4
Diffusion is defined as the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels
over time, among the members of a social system.
23
and often limited to a certain market area, these rights may include the right to
•
manufacture, to partially manufacture, and to market and sell a product
Joint venture: two or more companies set up a separate entity in which the
parent firms have a shareholding, their objective to share is to receive
dividends or profits from this entity, and often share technology as well as
•
market coverage.
Spin-offs5: R&D is one of the key functions of Science and Technology Park.
By our definition of the park, the site is linked to educational or research
facility, companies acquire new technologies from their own research and
development activities or through work of these educational and research
institutions, facilitating the transfer of technology through spin-offs. Spin-offs
are usually formed to commercialize a technology originated in a government,
•
university, or other private research and development setting.
Informal adoption: the proximity between companies, educational and
research institutions creates an informal opportunity for technology transfer, in
business terminology; this effect is known as synergy. It is always said that it
is better for tenants to be within a Science and Technology Park rather to be
outside it.
8.0 CLASSIFYING TYPES OF STPs:
There are many different types of STPs and in fact development processes also
vary considerably in different countries and regions. Amirahmadi (1993), points out
that any study of the STPs is bedeviled by the difficulty of defining exactly what a
STP is, and of distinguishing between this and other types of high technology
5
Spin-off is defined as a new company that is formed either by individuals who were former
employees from the parent organization, or a core technology that is transferred from parent
organization.
24
development. The use of the term 'Science and Technology Park' has been mixed up
with that of `research park', 'technology park', 'business park', 'innovation center',
'technology and business incubator'. Some use these terms interchangeably and others
distinguish them according to the characteristics of development type. There exist the
differences of the name of the parks from country to country, being called 'Research
Park' in USA., 'Science Park' in U.K. and 'Technology Park' in Spain.
In terms of the relationship between industry and academia, Grayson (1993)
identifies various sub-forms. One is "Research Park" as a pure form in which the
principal form of activity is academic/industrial liaison in leading edge technologies.
Another is "Science and Technology Park" as a similar form to the research park in that
it is usually located on, or very near to, the university campus but development work is
likely to be as important as pure research, and some prototype production facilities may
exist. The third is "Technology Park", usually designed to accommodate firms engaged
in the commercial application of advanced technologies.
9.0 TYPOLOGIES OF STPs:
Luger (2000) and Kung (1995), in their effort to identify the nature of STPs
and classifying them. Luger (2000) classified various types of STPs according to the
host country’s or region’s level of development; the parks’ objectives, industrial
focus, and type of ownership as shown in (Table 2). This classification is basically
focused on the physical characteristics and is static in nature.
Three terms were often used as the general title to include all the propertybased high technology development types: Science Park, Technopole, and
Technopolis. Firstly, Castells and Hall (1994) decided to appropriate the French word
"Technopole" for the English language as a generic name for this purpose. Secondly,
25
Kung (1995) recognized that Science Park was the most commonly used general term
in academic and professional publications between 1983 and 1994. On the other hand
Oh (1997) suggested that in its broadest sense the term "Technopolis" denotes
property-based development. All these three terms presented in the proposed
association title though "Technopolis" and "Science Park" was both used as the
English equivalents of the French word "Technopole".
Table 2,Types of Science and Technology Parks (Luger , 2000)
Term
Main Focus
STPs
– Focus on application of science and engineering to the
development of new products and processes with
commercial potential
– Occupants engage primarily in production of relatively
high value-added goods
agricultural)
– Many parks in Asia
High-tech industrial
(or
parks
Distribution parks
– Big boxes. But may incorporate high tech elements (e.g.,
advanced logistics)
– Includes “Global Transparks” Thailand, on sites of
decommissioned airfields
Office/
– Sales functions, administrative activities; regional presence
Warehouse/
Headquarters parks
Eco-industrial parks
– Input-output linkages among tenants optimized to
minimize accumulation/discharge of waste and pollution
– Not really a “park” but a region
26
Table 3, A Comparison of Classifications on Science and Technology Parks (Luger, 2000)
Author
General term
Sub-types
Castells and Hall
(1994)
Technopole
Technology park
(Including research
park, STP),
Science city
Technopolis
Techno-industrial
complex
(unplanned)
Kung(1995)
Oh(1997)
STP
Center type
business
center
innovation
center
technology center
Incubator type
Park type
research park
STP
technology park
Pole/polis
type
Technopole
Technopolis
City/park type
Technopolis
STP
innovation center
science/technology
park
research park
Technopolis
science city
Technopolis
All in all, STPs can be found in various levels. STPs function as research
centers, including incubators, training & education centers, small-scale innovative and
creative industrial complex, office & warehouse facilities. Luger (2000) commits that
they can be research parks if their activities focus on generating and diffusing
knowledge and developing new products, and producing high value-added goods. If
their activities are concerned with supply of intermediate goods and assembly of final
goods, utilizing subcontracting systems or production networks, they can be industrial
parks. As shown in the above section, Kung(1995) and Oh(1997) also classified STPs
according to major functions. If we compare STPs according to the ‘developers’, we
can classify them as government-led and private-led parks. In a similar vein, STPs can
be categorized as independent & remote parks, nearby metropolitan area parks, and
within metropolitan area parks according to the relative location refer to (Table 4).
27
Table 4, Typology of Science and Technology Parks (Source: Author)
Types/Exemplars
•Research park, STP, industrial park, warehouse park,
office park, eco–industrial park (Luger 2000)
Major functions
•Center type, incubator type, park type, pole/polis type,
city/park type (Kung, 1995)
Government-led Science and Technology Parks (Taedok,
Hsinchu, Sophia-Antipolis), Private-led (spontaneous)
Developers
Science and Technology Parks (Silicon Valley, Berlin
Innovation Center)
Independent & remote parks (Sophia-Antipolis), Nearby
Metropolitan area parks (Cambridge STP), Within
Location
Metropolitan area parks (Zhong-Guan-Cun Science City)
Developmental Science City, industrial park, techno park, information city
(Oh and Im, 1999)
Stage
Criteria
The heterogeneity of STPs, as shown above, led researchers to review the
typology and reclassify them according to various attributes. Most of the
classifications, however, do not seem to reflect the developmental path or the
evolution of STPs. These days every STP developers, public-led or private-led,
consider that building a STP is an efficient way to create local conditions supportive
of the innovation process. Designed for research and development organizations,
high-tech firms and support services providers are often linked with a university.
They are expected to create a critical mass of technology-based activities providing
member organizations with an environment conductive to the cross-fertilization of
technical and business ideas and supportive of the commercialization process. This
process can contribute to regional economic development and job creation, resulting
from cooperation, competition, and firm innovative performance. Recently, the
elements of collective learning process and institutionalization, or building a social
capital in the innovative clusters are added to a successful STP (Antonelli, 2000)
(Lawson and Lorenz, 1999). These elements of successful STPs have not always been
applied to the constructing concept of every STP in every region and country. We can
28
therefore interpret the developmental path of STPs within the framework of time and
space.
10.0 DEVELOPMENT OF STPS:
Figure 12 presents the framework of analysis in understanding the
Development of STP, conceptualized based on the previous industrial district and STP
studies. In Figure 12 different type of STPs are identified, say industrial
agglomeration, industrial park, research park, techno park, and science town, and for
each the preconditions are identified.
Figure 12, Development of STPs
This investigation utilizes five criteria to partition in the evolution of STPs
into four distinct phases. They are: clustering characteristics of STP development,
changes in corporate organizational structure associated with technological
developments, complexity and direction of the both in the dimension of inter and
intra-corporate control linkages, changes in government regional development policy
focus in the development of STP, and changing location preference for the successful
STP development. As shown in (Table 5), these criteria provide a basis for
characterizing each evolutionary phase.
29
Table 5, Types of Development
Type
Key components
Industrial
Agglomeration
Industrial
Park
Research
Park
STPs
Science
Town
- Physical Infrastructure
- Business support functions (management, marketing, information,
administration, legal supports)
- Inter-industry linkages
- Joint projects among firms
- University Linkages
- Informal associations, meetings, forums
- Spin-offs and technology transfers
- Collaborative Linkages
- Training/Retraining Programs
- Seminars, Conferences, Expos, etc.
- Collective Learning
- Techno Mart (technology transfers)
- Institutionalization (Shared rules, Trust, collaboration, culture)
- Venture incubators
Phase 1: ‘Industrial Agglomeration’ turns into an ‘Industrial Park’ when interindustrial linkages are built over time and an element of cultural and organizational
proximity among firms are added. The quality of the relationships improves with trust
and social interactions and these set in motion informal and tacit knowledge transfers
of information and know-how among constituent actors. Industrial Parks possesses
the characteristics of an industrial district, which is based on the efficiency of
industrial atmosphere and transaction cost reduction.
The industrial district was defined as a “socio-geographical entity which is
characterized by the active presence of both a community of people and a population
of firms in one naturally and historically bounded area” (Becattini. 1990). The
geographical proximity or simple clustering, however, doesn’t always entail dynamic
interaction, or spin-offs & technology transfer among actors. There needs ‘some else’,
which is often described as ‘synergy’ (Castell and Hall, 1994), and social structures of
sociability and trust, which can be found in the situation of industry-academic link
environment (Oinas and Malecki, 1999).
30
Phase 2: If the element of university linkages is added to “Industrial Park”,
the framework for a “Research Park” develops. Research and educational institutes,
spin-off firms, and significant transfer of knowledge can contribute to the
development of a research park (Hall, 1997). When cooperation and the tacit transfer
of knowledge are transformed into innovative capacity between both parties of
universities and industries, rather than simple social solidarity and interaction, an
industrial park will appear (Capello, 1999).
As noted by OECD (1997), “Government-supported research institutes and
universities are main performers of generic research through producing a body of
basic knowledge for use and further development by industry. The general ability of
industry to access that knowledge is important. This can be through patent data,
published information, access to scientific networks and spin-off firms nurtured in
technology incubators”. The role of universities as complements to STPs is important.
Not only do universities contribute to local research activities, human resource
development and training, but also to the local quality of life through their cultural
activities.
Principal examples emphasizing the importance of research universities for
high-tech growth and spin-offs include Silicon Valley, Route 128 and Research
Triangle of the USA. The presence of universities, however, doesn’t necessarily lead
to the development of a high-technology STP (Malecki, 1997).
Phase 3: When a collaborative linkage between research universities and
industries as well as the transfer of knowledge is transformed into innovative synergy
a Research Park becomes a STP. As indicated by Oh and Im (1999), “A techno park
initiated by universities is intended to induce the exchange of research findings with
private sector and assist production oriented innovation, new software development,
information processing and related industries. To maximize the opportunities for
31
technology transfer in the region, each techno park has an incubator containing joint
venture, R&D facilities of Research Park and training components.” These dynamic
technology transfer and collaboration between the local research universities and
industries can be promoted through informal contacts and visits from an industrial
liaison officer as exemplified in English techno parks such as Cambridge and HeriotWatt Science and Technology Parks. If these dynamic synergies are not present, the
park remains a local research park with competitive advantage based on the reduction
of transaction cost and the strength of university leadership.
Often, the dynamic synergy fails to develop in the ‘created’ (government-led)
STPs rather than spontaneous STPs. As Park and Jung (1999) exemplified, Taeduk
techno park, which is located 160 km, approximately two hours drive south of Seoul,
has suffered several problems such as barriers to interaction within the park, a lack of
local linkages, difficulty in recruiting skilled labor and insufficient provision of
various services. Moreover, it has not up to date contributed much to the actual
development of the region, for its occupants have had few inter-firm linkages within
the region and their linkages have been mainly external to the region.
Phase 4: The final form, “Science Town” can be reached through the positive
interest and capacity of local actors to grasp collective learning, as well as
institutionalization of social capital usually initiated by local governmental agencies.
A collective learning process is a kind of an informal “cafeteria” effect (Camagni,
1999), can be defined as social process of cumulative knowledge based on common
and shared rules which allow individuals to coordinate their actions in search for
problem solutions. Under this environment, ‘a clear understanding and mutual
consensus over the rules provide a basis for the progressive build-up of trust, which is
arguably indispensable for innovative collaboration, given the uncertainties which
surround its terms and outcomes (Lorenz, 1996)’. Thus, a true science town enjoys the
dynamic interactions among innovative and creative industries and non-firm
32
organization like universities, governments, development agencies, and research
institutions, which can bring into the region the essential external technological and
managerial expertise.
Another important criteria is the ‘metropolitan setting’. Only metropolitan
regions can supply bundle of amenities and infrastructures, which is essential for the
new firm formation and even more, innovative synergy effect. The complex and
dynamic advantages associated with urban size such as face-to-face communications,
pools of professional workers and quality managers, outweigh the largely aesthetic
attributes of science town, which can be found only in non-metropolitan setting. Thus,
only metropolitan regions provide with the synergy of amenities, accessibility and
agglomeration factors (Castell and Hall, 1994).
Once a true science town is achieved, positive feedback from the innovative
process reinforces the elements of continuity such as collaborative linkages between
universities and industries, and of dynamic synergies such as interactive mechanisms
leading to innovation. Through exploiting collective learning and institutionalization
of local social capital, knowledge can be transformed into business ideas. The
informal exchanges of ideas among researchers, producers, and customers may lead to
the identification of specific needs and may be important mechanisms for building
local entrepreneurial capacity.
11.0 SUMMARY:
This chapter profiles the growth of the STP movement over the past 20 years.
It shows the current research effort on the classification of STPs. Even though the
classification is very useful in conceptualizing the functional typology of STPs, it is
basically focus on the physical characteristics and static in nature. Most of the
classifications, however, do not seem to reflect the developmental path or the
33
evolution of STPs. These days every STP developers, public-led (‘created’) or
private-led (spontaneous), consider that building a STP is an efficient way to create
local conditions supportive of the innovation process.
The effort to innovate and develop, very often takes the form of creating and
nurturing what we have called STPs. In this chapter we tried to give a precise
definition; beside under this name I tried to include various deliberate attempts to plan
and promote, within one concentrated area, technologically innovative, industrialrelated production: technology parks, and science cities. This chapter tries to assess
how these different developments perform their role as engines of the new round of
economic development and as organizing nodes of the new industrial space.
Comprehension of the STP phenomenon has been so blurred by political, ideological,
and business biases that any serious study must start from a careful analysis of how
these centers are created and developed, and of the factors that account for their
differential success, according to a set of criteria that must be established at the start.
This chapter presented the evolution process of industrial district and STPs
both in terms of the developmental trajectory of the main concepts and the location
requirements, utilizing five criteria to partition the evolution of STP into four distinct
phases, namely, clustering characteristics of STP development, changes in corporate
organizational structure associated with technological developments, complexity and
direction of the both in the dimension of inter and intra-corporate control linkages,
changes in government regional development policy focus in the development of
STPs, and changing location preference for the successful STP development..
Phase 1 describes simple ‘Industrial Agglomeration’ turns into an ‘Industrial
Park’ when inter-industrial linkages are built over time and an element of cultural and
organizational proximity among firms are added. Phase 2 indicates “Research Park”
34
when the element of university linkages is added to “Industrial Park”. Phase 3 arrives
when a collaborative linkage between research universities and industries as well as
vivid transfer of knowledge is transformed into innovative synergy (5), a Research
Park becomes a Techno Park. Lastly, Phase 4, “Science Town” can be reached
through the positive interest and capacity of local actors to grasp collective learning as
well as institutionalization of social capital usually initiated by local governmental
agencies.
35
STUDY CASES
STUDY CASES CRITERIA:
Since there are no local study cases, or even the available cases are hardly
regarded as STPs so it was hard to focus on a local study case. According to the high
number of STP around they world a selection of four successful STPs where selected
from a different geographical locations (America, Asia, and Europe).This chapter will
focus on four international study cases; Stanford Research park which is regarded as
the origin of all STPs, Cambridge Science Park, Hong Kong science and technology
park and; and MATAM Science Park. beside they were created from an excellent
awareness of their importance to the regions in an attempt to replicate the success of
Silicon valley.
Among these challenges particular attention is being paid to quality of life
issues (housing, environment etc.) to the problem of social exclusion - as Manuel
Castell (1996) said: “the greater the importance of the networks, the greater the cost
of exclusion”, to the problem of immigration (after the downsizing of a great number
of start-ups and established enterprises).
Each study case will be analyzed using the criteria below:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Location.
Year Founded.
Focus.
Size.
Composition.
Notable Tenants.
Governing Body.
•
•
•
•
•
Universities.
Infrastructure.
Research Funding and Financial
Incentives.
Measures of Success.
Setbacks.
36
STUDY CASE (1.0): STANFORD RESEARCH PARK:
a. Location:
Stanford Research Park is located in the City of Palo Alto, California,
adjacent to the Stanford University campus (as shown in figure 13). The Park is
twenty miles north of downtown San Jose and 32 miles south of San Francisco
(Lochmoeller, 1982).
Figure13, location of Stanford Research Park
b. Year Founded (the story of establishment):
1951, the project has been developed as part of a program for increasing the
revenues from the original 8,800 acres of land granted to the university at its founding
in 1885 by senator Leland Stanford, on condition that the land could never be
37
alienated (Lochmoeller, 1982). Refer to (Figure 14) for the whole Stanford STP
development
Figure 14, Stanford Research Park Master Plan (Lochmoeller, et al. 1982)
In the 1930's, Professor Frederick Emmons
Terman
of
Stanford
University's Department of Electrical Engineering was concerned by the lack of
good employment opportunities in the area for Stanford engineering graduates. It
troubled him that his best graduates had to go to the East Coast to find employment,
38
especially in the field of radio engineering. His solution was to establish the then-new
radio technology locally.
One of his first steps was to bring together two of his former students,
William Hewlett and David Packard, founders of the Hewlett-Packard Company.
After World War II, when Terman was dean of the School of Engineering, he was
successful in attracting research support from a number of sources.
This amount
eventually became very large, especially when compared with prewar experiences.
Terman was thus able to attract bright new faculty and students. In addition, he
continued to encourage his graduates to start their own companies. Faculty members
soon joined in consulting, investing, and, in some instances, founding new companies.
And finally Fred Terman became the father of Silicon Valley Legend.
By the mid of 1970s Silicon Valley had attracted tens of thousands of bright
young minds from around the world coming to the excitement of the new
technological Mecca in a search for the talisman of innovation and money. They
gathered in loose clubs to exchange ideas and information on the latest developments.
One of such gatherings was Home Brew Computer Club, whose young visionaries
including Bill Gates would go on to create companies including Microsoft, and Apple.
Silicon Valley (which is considered the second stage of Stanford Science
Park) is a leading model for innovation and technologies and a successful economic
development model. Many regions including Britain, Singapore, Hong Kong and
Israel had tried to replicate the success of Silicon Valley; the surprising thing is that
most of them did succeed. Nevertheless, the rapid growth in Silicon Valley, plus the
crisis which recently hit the region, showed the limits of this development model and
the important challenges to be addressed to create a better situation for all Silicon
Valley’s residents and to foster and build stronger, more inclusive and more livable
communities.
39
c. Focus:
Predominantly scientific, technical and research oriented with major representation in
the fields of electronics, space, biotechnology, computer hardware and software.
d. Size:
Stanford Research Park sprawls over 770 acres (Lochmoeller, 1982). There
are 162 buildings in the Park and 23,000 employees (SRP Website, 2003).
e. Composition:
Figure 15 shows that of the 95 companies listed on the Park's website, 52% are
research and technology-oriented companies. 46% provide services to the technology
companies, including 12 banks and financiers, 10 law firms, 4 consulting firms,
restaurants, a YMCA and a movie theater. 2% of Stanford Research Park's businesses
can be classified as dot coms. Graphically, the composition of Stanford Research
Park is as follows:
Figure15, Composition of Stanford research Park
f. Notable Tenants:
Hewlett Packard, IBM, Motorola, Mitsubishi, Lockheed Martin, DaimlerBenz, Roche Bioscience, Oxford Pharmagenesis and Genencor International
g. Governing Body:
The development of Stanford Research Park is managed by the Land
Development Office, which functions under the University's Vice President for
40
Business Affairs. To attract tenants, the University depends on the prestige of
association with the University, the attractive location, and the pleasant climate of San
Francisco peninsula. Since the park inception, the university has accepted members
into the Parks community with great care and as development progressed, the
standards for admission have become even more rigid. If a would-be tenant passes the
preliminary and informal tests, he is invited to submit an overall plan detailing the
type, size, and location of buildings, along with plans for setbacks, roads, off-street
parking, and green areas. The plans are considered by the park Land Development
Office, the University Planning Department, and then by the President's Faculty
Advisory Committee on Land and Building Development before being submitted to
the President and the Board of Trustees for review and approval. (Lochmoeller,
1982).
h. Universities:
Clearly, the primary university involved with Stanford Research Park is
Stanford University. While Stanford is the primary school in the area, other notable
schools and national laboratories in relatively close proximity, include:
•
•
•
•
University of California, Berkeley
University of California at San Francisco
Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
i. Infrastructure:
Stanford describes its campus as a "self-sustaining city," providing "46 miles
of roads, a 49-megawatt power plant, two separate water systems, three dams and
lakes, 100 miles of water mains, a central heating and cooling plant, a high-voltage
distribution system and a post office," in addition to its own fire and police services.
41
The city of Palo Alto has developed a 31-mile dark fiber ring to facilitate
"ultra-fast" Internet access. if the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center is any indication
of the Palo Alto area as a whole, fiber infrastructure in the Palo Alto area is state of
the art. Features include: gigabit transmission with speeds up to 622 Mbps and access
to Internet 2, a consortium of 180 USA universities creating an advanced internet
network for the national research community. (Cottrell, 2001)
Venture capital and other funding sources in the Park include Lucent Venture
Partners ($100 million), (Bell Labs, 1998) and several banks and investment
companies. In the year 2000, approximately $17 billion was invested in start-up
companies in the Silicon Valley area.9 However, the Park lacks an official incubator
program to fund start up companies. (Kennedy, 2001)
Stanford Research Park is easily accessible, being close to 3 airports, 2 main
highways and serviced by rail and bus.
j. Research Funding and Financial Incentives:
During the year 200-2001, the total budget for sponsored research at Stanford
was $660 million, with approximately 90% of this funding coming from the federal
government and an additional $50 million coming from corporations, foundations and
individuals.
h. Measures of Success:
Stanford Research Park is considered by many to be the premiere technology
park in the world. Stanford's claim to fame is the number of multi-billion dollar
technology companies that began as ideas in Stanford's computer science department,
including Silicon Graphics, Sun Microsystems and Cisco Systems. (Aley, 1997)
The City of Palo Alto has benefited enormously from the success of the Park,
which has attracted a wealthy and well-educated population. The mean household
income in Palo Alto in the year 2000 was $107,100. 87% of the city's resident's have
42
Internet access and 65% of the city's residents have four or more years of college
education.
All is not rosy in Silicon Valley, however. With increased incomes come
increased costs of living. The average monthly rent for an apartment in Silicon
Valley is $1,600. Exorbitant housing costs have forced many employed Silicon
Valley workers to take refuge in homeless shelters or to live at work, sleeping on
futons in their office cubicles
It does not appear that Stanford Research Park offers financial incentives in
order to convince businesses to locate there. The prestige of a Stanford Research Park
address is incentive enough. The state of California, however, is very mindful of
creating government policies that will encourage business. One of these policies is the
California Internet Tax Freedom Act, which prevents Internet or bandwidth use taxes
from being imposed. The current Internet Tax Freedom Act was destined to expire on
January 1, 2002 but a bill was introduced in the California Senate to extend this tax
exemption to January 1, 2007. The extension was overwhelmingly approved 39 - 0
on September 4, 2001.
43
STUDY CASE (2.0): CAMBRIDGE SCIENCE PARK:
a.Location: Cambridge United Kingdom (Figure 16).
Figure 16, Location map of the park
Figure 17 shows a master plan of the whole STP, also Plate 1 shows an arial view of
the STP.
Figure17, Map of the park
44
Plate 1, Arial View of the park (Cambridge Park website, 2005)
b. Year Founded:
Established by Trinity College in 1970.
c. Focus:
General telecommunications, electronics and Biotechnology
d. Size:
145,540 sq. m (Cambridge Science Park website, 2005)
e. Composition:
The Cambridge Science Park provides a wide range of accommodation for
high technology companies and support services. There is a total of over 145,540 sq
m of accommodation divided into units of many sizes. At the smaller end there are
office and laboratory buildings of 93 sq m, while the largest buildings are in excess of
4,645 sq m.
45
The Cambridge Science Park accommodates companies engaged in a wide
range of research activities. Current occupiers include companies active in the life
sciences, telecommunications, forensic accident investigation, photonics, terahertz
technology,
and
computer
hardware
and
software
development.
To accommodate the varied demands of these companies, the Cambridge Science
Park provides a range of different buildings necessary to support the relevant research
activities. These include: clean rooms, biology and chemistry laboratories, optical
table rooms, high capacity server suites and offices
Space at the Cambridge Science Park is available for lease on terms that
reflect its particular specifications and the size of the premises. Typically, smaller
units for 'start up' companies are available on shorter leases of between 3 and 5 years.
The larger, more specialized buildings are available on leases of 15, 20 and 25 years.
The exact terms will depend on a number of factors, including the specification.
A range of facilities are available on the Cambridge Science Park, including: health
and fitness club, bar and restaurant, conference centre, child care nursery, squash
courts, cash machine, the Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (CFEL) and the
Science Park HR Group:
From its earliest days the Cambridge Science Park has benefited from a park
like setting of low density. The original landscaping design philosophy was inwards
looking with the objective being to create a peaceful and serene environment in
accord with a location whose ideal is the pursuit of scientific research and
development (see plate 2 -5). Strenuous efforts have been made to conceal car parks
behind trees and shrub covered bunds. In practical terms, the site benefits from
amenity landscaping which provides a central area of lakes, natural habitat, mature
trees, shrubs and extensive grassed areas. No building is permitted in this protected
area. In addition between 35% and 40% of each building plot is dedicated to further
landscaping which extends to the very periphery of each building.
46
Plate 2, a view toward one of the research facilities (Cambridge Park website, 2005)
Plate 3, the importance of the exterior image (Cambridge Park website, 2005)
Plate 4, The Importance of a pleasing surrounding (Cambridge Park website, 2005)
47
Plate 5, a noon view showing the night life at the park (Cambridge Park website, 2005)
f. Notable Tenants:
The Cambridge Science Park is home to some 66 companies and 5,000
employees. The companies currently located on the Science Park are listed below:
3i Plc, Abcam, Accelrys, Advanced Technologies (Cambridge), Amgen, ART VPS,
Arthur D Little, Astex Technology,
g. Governing Body:
The park is managed a university team (Cambridge Consultants) specialized in
managing Research facilities.
h. Universities:
•
•
Cambridge University
Trinity College Research: Since the early 80s, Trinity College has provided a
funding scheme to support collaborative research between Science Park
companies and University partners. It is intended to encourage movement and
communication between staff from Science Park research laboratories and
University laboratories and to create a few extra jobs. The scheme is designed
to be as simple as possible to access and is run as flexibly as possible.
48
i. Infrastructure:
The Cambridge Science Park has the benefit of 5 fiber optic broadband
systems in operation, including a full digital service network, ISDN, ATM, fiber-optic
and satellite services, In addition to these services, the park is equipped to support
conferences for two to 120 delegates. The meeting rooms can be equipped with
plasma screens, telephone and internet connections, DVD, VCR, and screens. The
park also has video and teleconference facilities.
The security system in operation at the Cambridge Science Park operates at
two levels. Across the Park there is a 30 camera low light level color digital CCTV
system which is in operation permanently. The system functions from an operations
room within the Park where data is stored should it be required. In addition manned
foot patrols visit each building outside normal business hours to provide a further
deterrent to criminals. The Park security guards are in radio contact with the
operations room where the controller is able to direct their activities by using the
CCTV system.
Cambridge Science Park also offers a variety of ancillary services, such as a
medical center with modern facilities and daycare centers for children
j. Research Funding and Financial Incentives:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
British Chamber of Commerce.
Cambridge Enterprise.
Cambridge University Technology & Enterprise Club.
DTI.
DTI Innovation Unit.
National Business Angels Network (NBAN).
Patent Office.
Small Business Service.
49
•
•
UK Business Incubation.
The Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning.
k. Measures of Success:
The park is one of the most successful parks in Europe with Sophia Anti-polis
in France. The park is successful in terms of the new innovations generated within, it
is well known in terms of developing new products and not in mass production since
it’s a R&D facility.
50
STUDY CASE (3): HONG KONG SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
PARK:
a. Location:
Hong Kong Science Park (HKSP) is located on the Tolo Harbour waterfront in
Pak Shek Kok, New Territories, HKSP benefits from strategic transport links, being
equidistant from Hong Kong Island and the border with Mainland China see the map
in (Figure 18).
Figure 18, Location Map of the HKSTP (HKSTP website, 2005)
51
b. Year Founded:
Inaugurated on 7 May 2001 as a statutory body set up by the Government of the Hong
Kong Special Administrative Region. The Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks
Corporation (HKSTP) is leading the transformation of Hong Kong into Asia's hub for
technology innovation in the focused clusters (Electronics, Biotechnology, Precision
Engineering, and IT & Telecommunications).
c. Focus:
To play a leading role for Hong Kong to become a major international centre
of innovation and technology development in the focused clusters, and a hub for high
value-adding, skill-intensive manufacturing and service industry capacities.
The parks mission is better described in the below:
•
To provide quality infrastructure and support facilities for innovation and
technology development in the focused clusters and the upgrading of
•
•
manufacturing and service industry capabilities
To provide full-service incubation program for technology start-ups
To
foster
partnership
and
collaboration
between
industry
and
universities/applied research institutes through consulting, training and
research programs
d. Size:
A 22,000 sq.m, state-of-the-art infrastructure provides a knowledge-based and
campus-like environment where high-technology enterprises and talented people can
converge to generate synergistic forces. It is designed to accommodate companies of
all sizes and stages of development and to promote interaction and innovation at both
local and global level.
52
e. Composition:
Based on the listing at the Park's website, it appears that 100% of the Park
tenants are research-oriented. However, there are some non-research facilities on the
Park grounds, such as cafeterias, children's day centers, a medical clinic, transport
facilities, a post office, and parking areas. The master plan in Figure 19, shows the
whole STP development including the parks three phases of construction. Figure 20
shows an Arial view of the HKSTP which will be achieved by year 2009.
Figure 19, Master Plan of Hong Kong Science and Technology Park (HKSTP website, 2005)
Figure20, Arial View of Hong Kong Science and Technology Park (HKSTP website, 2005)
53
f. Notable Tenants:
•
Acasia Technologies (HK) Ltd, Advanced Analogic Technologies Inc,
Advantek Biologics (HK) Ltd, Andigilog International Limited, Antonio
Precise Products Manufactory Limited, Aspheric Optics, Aztech Systems (HK)
Limited.
g. Governing Body:
•
•
•
•
•
Board of Directors
Finance and Administration committee.
Projects and Facilities Committee.
Business Development and Admission Committee.
Management Team (see Figure 21)
Figure 21, Management Team (Source: Author)
h. Universities:
To bridge the commercial sector and the academia, the Hong Kong Science
and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) has signed a memorandum of
54
understanding with six universities6, in Hong Kong - a significant step towards an
active co-operation.
According to the memorandum of understanding, the following will be
exercised whenever feasible for provider-universities, with the aim of bringing mutual
benefits to the universities, HKSTP and/or its tenants/ incubation companies.
1. Research Programs
2. R&D Funding
3. Staff Appointment
4. Student Internship and Training
5. Professional Service and Facilities
6. Library
7. Internship & Training:
8. Consultancy and Joint R&D Projects
9. University Student Resources
10. Work-Study Program
i. Infrastructure:
Internet infrastructure is highly developed, including a full digital service
network, ISDN, ATM, fiber-optic and satellite services. In addition to these services,
HKSTP also has satellite communication services for international communication
and video conferencing.
Advanced facilities and support services available for high technology
companies include an IC Design/ Development Support Centre and a Photonics
Development Support Centre for its tenants and incubate as well as access to the best
scientific and business minds that Hong Kong, China and the world have to offer.
1. Conference / Meeting Rooms and Exhibition Area
6
Chinese University of Hong Kong, Lingnan University, City university of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Baptist University, the Hong Kong Polytectnic University, and Hong Kong University of Science and
Technology.
55
2. Business Centre
3. IT & Telecommunications Facilities
4. Serviced-Apartments
5. Fitness and Recreation Centre
6. Shuttle Bus Services and Car Parking
7. Catering Services and Retail Shops
8. Facilities Management Team
j. Research Funding and Financial Incentives:
HKSTP incubates successfully obtained HK$144.8 million in capital funding
in 17 investment deals, and received a total of HK$11.7 million in Small Entrepreneur
Research Assistance Program (SERAP) and Innovation Product Development
Assistance Scheme (IPDAS) funding on 23 occasions.
k. Measures of Success:
During 2003/2004, HKSTP was honored to receive the following certifications
and awards for aspects of its operations and facilities:
•
•
•
•
Intelligent Building of the Year Award for 2003 for Science Park Phase 1a
and 1b.
The Hong Kong Energy Efficiency Registration Certificate from the
Electrical and Mechanical Services Department.
An Excellent HKBEAM Rating award for Environmental Design.
Royal Institute of British Architects Architectural Ironmongery Award for
2002.
56
STUDY CASE (4): MATAM SCIENTIFIC INDUSTRY CENTER
HAIFA LTD.
a. Location:
Matam Park, located at the southern entrance to Haifa, is the largest and oldest
business park in Israel" (see Figure 22), (MATAM Official Website, 2005).
It is of importance to note that the Park is situated on a main traffic
thoroughfare, and also to large transport facilities, such as the Carmel Beach Railway
Station, and Egged's main railway station. Haifa Port and airport are also not far
away.
The Park is a local and international technology center, where international
companies work in research and developments, advanced technology, are well known
for their international breakthroughs and international inventions."
Figure 22, Location Map (MATAM Park Website, 2005)
b. Year Founded: Early 1970's.
c. Focus: General telecommunications and electronics.
57
d. Size: MATAM Park is a closed campus as in Figure 23, the largest hi-tech park in
Israel today, covering an area of approximately 220,000 square meters. It is home to
50 hi-tech companies and 4500 employees. The Park is planning a future expansion of
100,000sqm.
Figure 23, Master Plan for MATAM (MATAM Park Website, 2005)
e. Composition: based on the listing at the Park's website, it appears that 100% of
the Park tenants are research-oriented. However, there are some non-research
facilities on the Park grounds, such as a central air-conditioning plant, cafeterias,
children's day centers, a medical clinic, transport facilities, a post office, a petrol
station and parking areas.
58
Plate 6, Bird eye view of MATAM Park (MATAM Park Website, 2005)
MATAM Park has flower gardens, trees and sculptures. Much attention is
given to cleanliness and ecology. The well-tended areas of MATAM offer green
lawns, cared for picturesque squares, avenues of trees, luscious vegetation and
sculptures, which add to the natural panorama of the park. Shady seating areas with
benches allow the workers to relax and enjoy the beautiful view of the sea.
MATAM Park as shown in plate 6; includes approximately 20 buildings, which are
among the most modern in the construction field, specifically catered for the needs of
the Hi-tech industry.
f. Notable Tenants: Intel, Elbit Systems, Philips see plate 7&8, Zoran, etc.
Plate 7, Philips Medical Systems Ltd
Plate 8, Philips Medical Systems Ltd
59
g. Governing Body:
"MATAM Scientific Industries Center, Haifa ("The Company") is a jointly
Owned Subsidiary of Bayside Land (of the Discount Group), holding 50.1% of the
shares, and the Haifa Economic Corp. Ltd. (49.9%), which is wholly owned by the
Haifa Municipality."
SHATAM Company supplies the entire park with running and maintenance services
of the highest quality, maintaining the roads, sidewalks and vehicle parking areas of
the Park
h. Universities:
•
•
•
MATAM is affiliated with the following educational institutions:
Haifa Technion Institute of Technology
Haifa University
Rambam Medical Center
Israelis are firm believers in education, evidenced by the fact that Israel has the
world's highest percentage of engineers (135 per 10,000 people compared to 85 per
10,000 in the U.S.), the highest number of medical doctors per capita in the world and
its academics publish more scientific papers in international journals (110 for every
10,000 persons) than any other country in the world. This high academic proficiency
has been attributed both to the large number of scientifically skilled Russian
immigrants in Israel as well as Israel's mandatory military service requirement that
trains young people in technology and fosters the development of personal networks.
(Cohen, 2005)
i. Infrastructure: Internet infrastructure in Israel is highly developed, including a full
digital service network, ISDN, ATM, fiber-optic and satellite services. In addition to
these services, MATAM also has satellite communication services for international
communication and video conferencing.
60
The government of Israel also provides incubator services for small or highly
risky businesses, not addressed by other government aid programs. Companies
accepted into an incubator qualify for a grant of 85% of their approved budget, or up
to $170,000 annually for two years.
MATAM also offers a variety of ancillary services, such as a medical center
with modern facilities, daycare centers for children aged 3 months to 6 years, and an
International Exhibition and Conference Center including a shopping center with
movie theatres, restaurants and a variety of shops.
j. Research Funding and Financial Incentives: the Israeli government offers
generous assistance to both high technology and other companies, to subsidize R&D
and capital spending. Alternatively, generous tax incentives are available. Some of
the spending measures undertaken by the Israeli government include: $400 million
annually in grants that cover between 30% and 66% of total development costs, $320
million in investment in start-up and new-immigrant entrepreneurial efforts, and $260
million annually on academic research. Israel also has R&D agreements with 8
countries and has set up bi-national R&D funds with 4 countries.
k. Measures of Success: one of the driving factors behind the establishment of
Israeli technology parks was the goal to establish a competency in the commercial
sale of technological innovations.
It is apparent that when measured against this goal, STPs in Israel have been
quite successful. "There are currently some 100 Israeli companies trading in the
USA, mainly on the NASDAQ market, representing the second-largest number of
foreign firms appearing on the USA stock markets (after Canada). Some 80% of these
companies develop and manufacture advanced technological products."
MATAM's path to success has not been without its setbacks. It currently faces
problems in retaining Park businesses and a supply of skilled workers. One of the
Park's biggest tenants, IBM, is currently building a new building that will be located
61
near Haifa University and expects to move all of its employees out of MATAM by
December 2001. Also, despite the enormous success seen in Israeli technology firms,
thousands of technology professionals have left Israel for the United States, resulting
in severe labor shortages that continue to rise.
SUMMARY:
Summarizing the main criteria for the study cases by introducing the table below
Table 6, these criteria will be later used to judge the Jordanian initiative in producing
CyberCity in Irbid and Al-Abdali IT district beside it will be used in proposing future
locations for STPs in Jordan.
Table 6, Summarized criteria for study cases (source: Author)
Location
Year Founded
Focus
Size
Composition
Governing Body
Number of
Universities
Infrastructure
Research Funds
and Financing
incentives
Measures of
success
Setbacks
Stanford
Research
Park
Cambridge
Science Park
HKSTP
MATAM
Palo Alto
1951
Electronics
Biotechnology
Computer
Hardware
310 hectare
95 companies
Research and
services
University of
Stanford
4
Cambridge
1970
Telecommunication
Electronic
Biotechnology
Hong Kong
2001
General
Telecommunication
, electronic and biotech
Haifa Israel
1970
General
Telecommunication
, electronic and biotech
145,000 sq.m
66 companies
22,000 sq.m
Research only
220, 000 sq.m
Research only
Cambridge Consultants
2
Special managing
company
6
Special managing
company (SHATAM)
3
3 airports+
High internet
connectivity
660$ million
High internet
connectivity+ secured
site + other services
Several sponsors
High internet
connectivity+ secured
site + other services
144.8$ million
High internet
connectivity+ secured
site + other services
Governmental
assistance
Premiere STP in
the world
Cost of living
Premiere STP in
Europe
RIBA Award
Promising STP
Premiere STP in
Middle east
Thousand of IT
professional left to
USA
Most of the business
angles as Intel and IBM
are leaving the STP
62
PLANNING (STPs)
1.0 PLANNING AN STP:
The planning process for STPs should be continuous. Improvements in
transportation, shifts in tenant mix, technological changes in processing or
communication, changes in the lifestyle of employees, and other factors may modify
the layout, the structures, and the optimum mix of uses, even in the final stages of
marketing. An ongoing planning process is important to insure completion of a
balanced and viable project which can be expected to have a long and productive life.
However, the concentrated planning effort comes during the initial stages of
development.
2.0 LEGISLATIVE AND POLICY FRAMEWORK
The legal environment presents in STP is an important investment
consideration, factors involved in a legal analysis of a particular STP include, the
similarity of that legal system to the USA legal system; the country's participation in
international intellectual property agreement (refer to Table 7) ; and finally the park's
tax policies.
Table 7, Countries and Dates of Signing Treaties (WIPO, 2005).
Country
Paris Convention
for Protection of
Industrial
Property (Patent)
Berne (Copyright)
United States
30-may-1887
1-march-1989
India
Israel
7-Dec-1998
24-March1950
4-Dec-1925
23-Feb-1985
1-April-1928
24-March1950
5-Oct-1927
21-Dec-1998
Ireland
Singapore
Madrid
(International
Registration
Trademarks)
of
Passed
congress
----------------------------------19-Oct-2001
31-Oct-2000
TRIPS
(date
country became a
member of the
WTO
1-Jan-1995
1-Jan-1995
21-March1995
1-Jan-1995
1-Jan-1995
Legal issues are an important facet of many STP projects, involving such
complex subject as business incorporation, taxation, immigration, labor law,
63
intellectual property and conflict of laws. While the majority of STPs are governed by
the same legal system present in the country where STP is located, there are some
interesting exceptions. It is often helpful to think of STP as a mini-government unto
itself that has the authority to relax or change legal requirements.
As many countries advertising STPs are trying to attract USA technology
business, adoption of a country's legal and governmental systems to match US
standards is a common tactic, for example of adaptation includes linkage of country's
currency to the USA dollar (as in Jordan, Panama and Bermuda).
The type of legal system followed in a given country is an important
consideration for foreign investment. The USA legal system follows a common law
scheme where concepts such as due process of law, transparency, and precedent are
critical. Precedent means that the results of previous cases set standards for how
subsequent cases are decided. The advantage of such a system is the one can predict
(to a limited extent) the outcome of a given case based on how cases were decided in
the past interestingly, the four IT centers outside the US: India, Ireland, Israel and
Singapore, all are based on common law systems.
Because changing the legal system of an entire country is a very long
procedure, many STPs have been able to attract foreign investments by relaxing
certain restrictions within the park only.
One legal requirement US technology business are not likely to compromise
on when making an investment decision is the strong intellectual property protection
and enforcement mechanisms, whether the country is a signatory of the international
intellectual property treatise is a very important consideration, there are four treaties
in this case, three of them are administrative by the World Intellectual Property
Organization: the Paris convention for protection of industrial property (patent), the
Berne Convention for protection of Literary and Artistic Works (copyright), and the
Madrid Agreement Concerning the international registration of Marks (trademark).
64
The intellectual property agreement is gaining the most enforcement strength. The
TRIPS agreement, brokered through the World Trade Organization, this agreement
requires WTO member countries to upgrade their intellectual property protections in
order to continue to receive favorable trade's status. Israel, India, Ireland and
Singapore have complied with nearly all of these agreements, below are admission
dates for Israel, India, Ireland and Singapore.
The success of STP and incubators depends on how effectively the country had
worked out on the legal scheme, when this issue is solved it will become more
attractive for foreign investors. Another thing is how effectively they create an
environment conducive to business development. State policies and regulations can
significantly contribute in this direction by:
•
•
simplifying the regulatory system to facilitate the registration costs and time
for starting a business;
encouraging the creation of flexible funding mechanisms, including venture
capital funds, loan-guarantee schemes, etc; providing tax incentives for
•
•
corporate and co-operative research and venture creation;
Strengthen the legal system to protect business rights and intellectual property.
In the US most of the business incentives for the park tenant companies are
provided at the municipal level, e.g. low-cost facilities, preferential income
taxes. In some industrializing countries, such as India, the national
government can relieve park tenants from national income tax for an initial
period of time and grant them exemptions from import and export duties.
Many countries offer a various economic incentives, primarily through tax
holidays and tax exemptions, for example:
•
Residents of the Rennes Atalante Science and Technology Park in Rennes,
France may receive up to 5 years exemption from France's business tax.
65
•
Cities designated as areas of economic protection by the European Economic
Community, such as Valencia qualify to award business subsides of up to 50
•
% of the investment amount.
Certain software companies that locate in Hyderabad, India can receive
numerous financial benefits including; income tax holidays, exemption from
custom and excise duties, and accelerated depreciation on computer
equipments.
3.0 SITE SELECTION:
According to the definition of STP, the site must be located near a university
center engaged in research activities, which ensures an active research and
development component to the park. The university presence results in a quality
workforce that is engaged in cross learning via proximity to others with similar
interests.
Figure 24, STPs Size, world wide average (IASP, 2002)
According to Figure 24 the size and activities within a single STP directly
affects several thousands families, and indirectly many thousands more. The location
of an STP determines the length and mode of transport time required for the trip to
work. The choice of a site indirectly increases or reduces social and economic costs to
the families. The nature of freight transport facilities available at the site.
66
Numerous existing STPs over the USA provided excellent proof that planned
location and development have enhanced the community's appearance. Local
employment, tax revenues and sales are also increased. Air and water quality, and the
natural environment, need not be violated when employment centers are properly
located, designed, and serviced in accordance with a comprehensive community
development plan.
The selection of future sites for planned STPs involves the following considerations:
•
•
•
Physical and economic factors.
Technological, social, and aesthetic standards supported by the park, and;
Social, ecological issues.
3.1 LOCATION FACTOR:
Experienced STPs developers list the following major factors which determine
STP location as shown in Table 8:
Table 8, Major Factor Determining the STP location (Source: Author)
Government Policies:
Intellectual Property.
Labor Force:
Price.
Availability.
Quality.
Infrastructure:
Telecommunications.
Transportation/roads.
Public works.
Energy.
Incentives:
Resources for production.
Tax and other incentives.
Education:
Quality of schools.
Availability of higher education.
Programs/degrees offered by schools.
Community - Where would employees
like to live?
Affordable housing.
Public transportation.
Proximity to higher education, other
people in field.
Diversity.
Amount of crime.
Quality of health services.
Cost of living.
The location of STP is a very meaningful factor to understand the different
models of “Parks” existing in the world, their impact and objectives.
67
Figure 25, Location of STPs (IASP, 2002)
Reviewing Figure 25 shows that an overwhelming majority (75%) of the
currently existing STPs are located in cities, as opposed to those located outside cities.
Cities with less than 500,000 inhabitants are the ones that host the largest number of
STPs. Figure 26 shows another important criteria locating STPs. STPs have to be very
close to city center beside its closeness to universities/research facilities
Figure 26, Distance from Science Parks to...(IASP, 2002)
According to studies, one location cannot offer the optimum situation, so it
becomes clearly that the goal should be, to locate the park in an area that can offer as
many of the factors as possible or a pre-determined strategic mix, for example a park
may be strong in infrastructure and labor force, but it could be also located in an area
that is costly to live in, this is the current situation in Silicon Valley.
68
Parks can influence factors to encourage companies to locate in it, these
includes the governmental policies, quality of education, well developed
infrastructure and other incentives which where already discussed, however the labor
pool and the community are much more difficult to change and take time to get
developed, more often a park is developed where the labor pool and quality education
are already presented.
Figure 27, STPs and University: Location (IASP, 2002)
Overviewing Figure 27, It is interesting to notice that 44% (27%+17%) of the
existing STPs are located in university-owned land, showing the strong links between
“Parks” and University. 27% of STPs are even located within university campus. Of
course, many STPs are located in land not belonging to University, but this does not
mean that they have no links to them since most STPs are located quite near to
universities, regardless of who owns the land.
Figure 28, STPs and University: Distance (IASP. 2002)
Almost half of the existing STPs are either within university campus or
adjacent to it as shown in Figure 28, whereas 28% are within 5 kilometers distance.
This means that a highly significant 76% of STPs are very close to universities,
69
corroborating the results of the previous graphic regarding the strong connections
between STPs and Universities.
The critical factors in locating a park are too many and they always creates a
difficult task, so to make it a little bit easier we need to ask, What are companies
looking for when they make a location decision? The answer comes from a very
recent article by Chen May Yee published in the Wall Street Journal suggest the
critical factors that are considered by business in order of importance:
Essential Criteria;
•
•
•
•
Access to a skilled and qualified workforce
Proximity to world class research institutions
An attractive quality of life
Access to venture capital
Important Criteria:
•
•
•
•
Reasonable cost of doing business
An established technology presence
Available bandwidth and adequate infrastructure
Favorable business climate and regulatory environment
Desirable Criteria;
•
•
Presence of suppliers and partners
Availability of community incentives
3.2 DEVELOPMENT CRITERIA:
When selecting a site, the STP developer is thinking in terms of resources of
the specific community, the characteristics of the site and its environs, and how
adequately and rapidly essential community facilities can function.
Most STPs include some or all the following participants:
•
Small to medium size enterprises
70
•
•
•
•
Small to medium size research laboratories.
Related commercial facilities.
Light manufacturing.
Distributors requiring warehouses with office space.
3.2.1 PRESTIGE LOCATIONS, VISIBILITY:
Visibility is one advantage which universities provide to the STP. Prominent
sites with attractive buildings and extensive landscaping, which constitutes an
important form of free advertising for park occupants and are sought by firms wishing
to establish or maintain a progressive and forward thinking public image.
3.2.2 THE LINKAGE WITH UNIVERSITY:
STPs and Universities share a lot of things among them are; the scientific
infrastructure, the researchers and services as shown in Figure 39.
Figure 29, Shared things between STP and University (IASP, 2002)
Figure 30, STPs In / Out University Campus (IASP, 2002)
Figure 30 shows a pie chart of a study conducted by IASP (2000) showed that
32% of the Science and Technology Parks (world-wide) were located inside a
71
University campus, or in land owned by a University and adjacent to the campus
itself.
Figure 31, STP and University: Location (IASP, 2002)
Reviewing Figure 31, it is interesting to notice that 44% (27%+17%) of the
existing STPs are located in university-owned land, showing the strong links between
“Parks” and University. 27% of STPs are even located within university campus. Of
course, many STPs are located in land not belonging to University. But this does not
mean that they have no links to them since most STPs are located quite near to
universities, regardless of who owns the land (see Figure for distance between STP
and University).
Figure 32, STP and University: Distance (IASP, 2002)
By making a quick look at Figure 32, almost half of the existing STPs are
either within a university campus or adjacent to it, whereas 28% are within 5
kilometers distance. This means that a highly significant 76% of STPs are very close
to universities, corroborating the results of the previous Figure regarding the strong
connections between STPs and Universities.
72
For R&D laboratories and other tenant buildings with professional staff,
location near a major university can provide opportunities for professional
enrichment, use of library facilities, and consultation with professional experts.
Industries without large research or testing facilities can frequently contact for special
services if the research problems are of interest to the appropriate university
department. These sites have prestige values as well.
3.3 PRELIMINARY PLANNING ANALYSIS:
The pre-zoning stage of the STP process involves formation of the planning /
zoning team; a detailed analysis of the character of the site and its environs; an
evaluation of the effect of the official land use plan upon the site development; a
calculation of the effects of zoning ordinance standards upon the utilization of the
site; and the impact of the development on the community.
4.0 PROJECT ENGINEERING AND DESIGN:
4.1 INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDED FOR STPS:
The infrastructure needed to support STP can vary widely based on the Park's
location and the services provided, For a STP based on information technology, good
internet connectivity is clearly a core requirement, this requirement generally extends
to availability for fiber optics networks offering at least megabit transmission speeds
and redundant connectivity, either through multiple fiber providers or through a
combination of different transmission media, such as fiber optic cables and satellite
transmission. Beside the connectivity, some tenants are interested with developing
hardware so a well designed laboratories will be a major issue for them, another
important issue will be a reliable and abundant power supply is necessary to run large
data centers.
73
STPs cannot survive on internet infrastructure alone; STP is a combination of
technological infrastructure and pleasant surroundings. The ambience of STP might
include picturesque scenes of mountains, beaches or gardens and stimulating cultural
activities in the surrounding area that entertain a well educated workforce. Most of the
website pages for STPs dedicate a large portion of their site to local attractions, such
as museums, sports teams and nightlife, as many remote areas are using STPs as a
means to attract investment, the cultural requirement can be a difficult one to satisfy.
Special purpose facilities may also be needed depending on the nature of the
park's activities and the needs of park's tenants, for example, intensive manufacturing
operations such as semiconductor chip manufacturing, access to chemical suppliers,
metals and a large supply of fresh water7 (Intel, 2004), other parks might offer basic
administrative and secretarial services or convention centers capable of hosting large
conferences. Many parks advertise as many services as possible to attract business of
all varieties; the services offered by the Parks are ultimately the distinguishing factor
in attracting investment.
4.2 STREET LAYOUT AND DESIGN:
Gridiron street patterns, traditional in STP areas, have disadvantages which
need consideration. Straight streets, which extend for several blocks within an STP,
tend to attract unrelated fast moving traffic. This unrelated traffic can speed through
the STP streets which are free of parked cars or unloaded trucks. The deleterious
impact can be avoided through improved internal street design and through the
avoidance of a street layout which would encourage unwanted traffic.
7
Generally these are the requirements for Intel "how chips are made" (Intel, 2004)
74
4.2.1 DESIGN PRINCIPLES FOR STP STREETS:
STP streets have design requirements that are different than residential and
commercial streets. All too frequently, however, a local requirement treats all streets
as being the same to the detriment of good engineering and planning design.
Design traffic is expressed as design hourly volume (DHV) or average daily
traffic (ADT), the ADT is projected for future increases in traffic and is generally
used for design purposes for roads with low volumes. It is the most suitable for use in
design of STP streets, Table 9 proposes a guide for street designers while they are in
the process determining the width of STP internal Roadways
Table 9, Guide for Determining Widths of New Roadways (Lochmoeller et al, 1982)
Type
Local Access
Minor
Minor Collector
and
Major Collector and
Arterial
No# of Lanes
Pavement Width
Approximate ADT
2
7.8 meters
Restricted)
9.6 meters
One Side)
14 meters
Restricted)
(Parking
Less than 2500
(Parking
2500
(Parking
5000/10000
2
4
4.2.2 OTHER DESIGN CONSIDERATION:
The street Lighting must ensure that lighting contributes to the character of the
site and does not disturb adjacent developments and residences. We should follow the
below guidelines:
•
Lighting should complement other lighting elements used throughout and
surrounding the site, such as pedestrian pathway lighting, and lighting used in
•
adjacent developments and the public right-of-way.
All lighting should be shielded from the sky and adjacent properties and
structures, either through exterior shields or through optics within the fixture.
75
•
The use of accent lighting is encouraged but should be combined with
functional lighting to highlight special focal points, building/site entrances,
•
•
public art and special landscape features.
Lighting used should contribute to the overall character of the surrounding
community, site architecture or other site features.
Lighting used in parking lots shall not exceed a maximum of 9 meters in
height. Pedestrian scale lighting shall be a maximum of 4.7 meters in height.
4.2.3
ARCHITECTURAL
CHARACTER,
SIGNAGE
AND
GRAPHICS:
The overall appearance of an STP, in large measure, is determined by the
control the developer exercises over the architectural character of individual
buildings, signage, and graphics. Normally, these controls take the form of
predetermined guidelines established by the developer and understood both by
potential tenants and by the developer.
Graphics and Signage are used for purpose of identification, communication
of information, and vehicular control. These are devised by the architect/ designer and
applied according to a uniform format to street signs, interior and exterior directional
signs, building numbers, and the tenant names.
4.2.4 PERIMETER SITES:
Perimeter sites with high visibility usually command higher sales prices than
interior locations. Yet, many new STP subdivisions continue to be planned and
developed with buildings oriented toward internal streets with the rear of the structure
facing freeways or thoroughfares.
76
In preparing the development plan for the STP, it should be remembered that
lots which are adjacent to major highways are fronting on these streets and highways
are fronting on these streets and highways regardless of building orientation or site
access points.
4.2.5 CREATING VALUE ON INTERIOR SITES:
STP developers should consider ways to create prestige sites in the interior of
the parks. Some have provided plazas, sitting parks, gardens, recreation facilities, or
other open space areas as a focal point around which higher value interior sites can be
planned.
5.0 DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY:
5.1 FINANCING:
In all estate development, money makes the difference between a concept and
the actual implementation of that concept. Traditionally, real estate developers
commit very little of their own money to the long term or permanent financing of
their own projects. They do provide the startup money which is then replaced by
financing as the project develops. As true entrepreneurs, they are idea men and not
necessarily cash contributors. Many entrepreneurs contribute the idea of property,
time, effort, and, finally know-how rather than cash. Consequently, financing is
required in practically all real estate projects.
The planning and engineering efforts described in earlier sections are started
just prior to the formulation of the financing program. This work is undertaken by
outside consultants if the developer does not have this capability on his own staff.
The existence of well-developed university and research facilities and strong
technological talent is one of the conditions for the success of Science and
77
Technology parks and incubators. Another is availability of financing. There are
basically four models to structure the financing of a technology park/incubator
(Lalkaka. 1996).
1. One is for the state to cover the initial investment and then let the
park/incubator meet all operating cost on a fee-for-service basis.
2. The other is to cover both the capital and continuing operations as a social
investment.
3. The third is to structure the park/incubator as a private, for-profit, real-estate
based undertaking.
4. The fourth model is for a public-private partnership, whereby the state meets
capital and initial (3 to 5 years) operations, on the premise that private
investors will eventually take-over the entity.
STP has significant financial benefit for research-based university as a method of
"Academic Capitalism"8 and as a real estate investment. Academic Capitalism exists
when institutions and faculty members engage in market behaviors, such as:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Launching a spin-off companies
Building endowments
Patenting
Royalty and licensing agreements
Raising tuition and
Entering into business-education partnership.
Academicians still consider basic research the bedrock of science, but they see
entrepreneurial research forming a new opportunity, Merit is no longer defined as
8
According to Slaughter," Politics, policies, and the entrepreneurial university", since the end of the
WWII corporations in western countries have increasingly turned to research universities for sciencebased products, processes, and services to market in emerging global economy in order to compete
with the growing and emerging corporations of eastern countries
78
being acquired primarily through publication, but includes successful market and
market-like activities. Science and Technology Parks tied to research-based
universities seem to form a mix a both market behaviors (engaging in for profit
activities such as rental income) and market-like behaviors (entering partnerships with
government and industry), a Science and Technology park can also serve as a source
of future partnerships for the university and a means of technology transfer .
Income for the university may some as a real estate investment, depending on
how the park is setup. The investment is similar to an office park and is subject to
same supply and demand issues. According to the Institute of Real Estate
Management, there are 12 fundamental criteria for classifying office buildings;
location, ease of access, prestige, appearance, lobby, elevators, corridors, office
interiors, tenant services, mechanical systems, management, and tenant mix.
The key factor in demand for office park space is the level of office
employment needed, typical STP activities such as research and development
activities and other high-tech activities most often are office-based activities, also a
desire for close proximity to other with similar interests helps to create a need for
such spaces.
Like many investments, there are degrees of risk involved in the park. Also,
the goal is for a park to become self-sustaining, income is gained through fee-forservices to tenants, rent and possibly utilities; related costs include maintenance of
buildings and infrastructure, security, utilities, management salaries and advertising
(Rick, 1999).
Beside, Governments in transition countries can be reluctant to commit public
funds to STPs for a variety of reasons:
•
•
limited budgetary resources,
more urgent priorities (wages and pensions due),
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•
•
the lack of guarantee for quick returns and job creation,
Or simply because there is incomplete understanding of the longer-term
benefits of investing in technological enterprises (Lalkaka, 1996).
Examples of other financing options:
•
•
•
Multi-lateral organizations such as the world bank
Domestic corporation investment
Foreign direct investment
5.2 ORGANIZING STP:
STP and incubators vary in the way they are established and managed. They
can be founded as independent legal organizations by state and local governments,
universities and research institutes, development foundations, private corporations or
any combination of those. Depending on the institutional character of their founders,
parks and incubators can be public or non-profit, private, academic-related, hybrid,
and other. This classification is used by the American National Business Incubation
Association in Athens, Ohio, in relation to incubation facilities, but can be extended,
in principle, to include STPs.
Public or non-profit parks and incubators are sponsored by government and
non-profit organizations; they serve primarily the purpose of local economic
development, i.e. job creation, economic diversification and/or expansion of the tax
base. According to the National Business Incubation Association, 49% of the business
incubators in North America are in this category. (Petree, 2003)
Private parks and incubators are run by investment groups or by real estate
development partnerships. Their primary interests are economic reward for
investment in tenant firms, new technology applications and other technological
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transfers, and added value through development of commercial and industrial real
estate. 12% of all North American incubators are private. (Petree, 2003)
Academic-related parks and incubators are affiliated with universities and
colleges and share some of the same objectives of public and private incubators. In
addition, they are actively engaged in transferring research and development
activities, spinning-off university research efforts, providing faculty with research
opportunities, and alumni, faculty and associated groups with start-up business
opportunities. 13% of North American incubators are academic-related. (Petree, 2003)
The so-called hybrid parks and incubators are joint efforts of government,
non-profit agencies and/or private developers. These partnerships may offer the
incubator access to government funding and resources, and private sector expertise
and financing. Hybrid incubators constitute 18% of all North American facilities.
(Petree, 2003)
Other parks and incubators can be sponsored by a variety of non-conventional
sources such as art organizations, church groups, chambers of commerce, etc. 8% of
incubators in North America fall in this category.
While in the USA there is a diversity of park and incubator sponsorship, in the
industrializing countries (e.g. China, Taiwan, and to a lesser extent India,) parks
usually rely on a strong government support. Sponsorship, however, is not a defining
difference when it comes to the overall effect of technology parks’ operations: they all
serve the broad mission of developing knowledge-intensive businesses and increase
the competitiveness of local economies.
5.3 MANAGEMENT OF STP:
For the purpose of administering the park, its founders establish a managing
company. The managing company is responsible for the day-to-day management of
the park and has full authority over the park's infrastructure and development. The
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company can be established as a non-profit institution or foundation, public
corporation, or a private company with the express purpose of managing the park. See
Figure 33 for the hierarchy for General STP management.
Figure 33, General organization for STP development
The management company can set up a subsidiary to run most of the special
supporting services in the park: maintenance of infrastructure, security, central
heating and air conditioning, etc. The subsidiary can be financed by tenants in
proportion to the area they occupy.
Figure 34, STP management team: staff
The less the number of the number of the team managing the park, the better the park
perform, it has been shown in Figure 34 that most of the STPs have between 5-10
members to manage the park.
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One potential and key drawback to STPs management is the degree of
expertise a property management company has, for example, a poorly negotiated
contract could have negative effects on the cash flow of the property.
An important part of the management company’s portfolio is to provide
information services to tenant companies. Since park tenants tend to be small and
young companies, their business plans are rarely adequately developed to include a
systematic approach to information gathering and use should create an information
providing service that can:
•
•
•
Possess basic business knowledge and speak the language of business;
Define carefully the information products so that they can be identified by
potential clients and be recognized to have value for the STP and the clients.
With casual, informal contacts (Lalkaka, 1996).
5.4 FUTURE CONSIDERATION:
Each master plan of STP should consider future needs for expansion, Figure 35 shows
that a majority of STPs all over the world do have plans to grow and expand which
includes improving more land, building more facilities for rent or sale, etc. (IASP,
2001).
Figure 35, Science Parks: Expansion plans? (IASP, 2002)
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5.5 EVALUATING STPs:
There is no standard method for evaluating the success or failure of a STP,
perhaps one of the ways is to examine the number of jobs and tax revenues generated,
it is extremely difficult to quantify the financial and economic impact of a STPs,
primarily because there is no established definition of success or a standard way to
examine a company's effect on an economy. Amirahmadi (1991) suggests two ways
to evaluate the performance of a STP. The first one is to examine the degree to which
an individual park is successful in itself. This success is usually measured in the
number of firms or employees in the park, vacancy rates, turnover rates, and profits,
the second way is to measure success against some form of externality, increased
employment in the region or increased exports out of the region, for example what is
crucial in an evaluation of a park is the degree to which these benefits at the local
level generate national growth. It is difficult therefore, to abstract development at the
regional level from their effects on the national level. Moreover these two ways of
evaluation are linked together.
The two most ambitious attempts to use STPs as a part of a national
development strategy for regional development have been in Japan and France, Hall
(1991) sees both of these attempts at decentralized development and regional equality
as conspicuous failures, he maintains: "that all evidence to date seems to indicate that
the genesis of innovative milieus is a highly elusive process, not readily subject to
deliberate planning".
Jowitt (1988) argues that only the better off regions stand any chance of
promoting high-technology-led development, in the less competitive regions, he
proposes that economic development be premised on a diversified economy based on
slimmed-down and technologically assisted manufacturing base, Jowitt is
undoubtedly correct in nothing that there are definite national costs in pursuing high-
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technology-led growth in too many regions at once or in lagging areas, the
competition among regions for sites can be expensive and wasteful, because finally
the better off regions always wins.
Figure 36, STP growths through several stages as they became mature.(prestwood & Schumann, 2002)
prestwood & Schumann stated that in order to evaluate an STP the minimum
time needed for an STP to get mature is around twelve years as shown in Figure 36.
(prestwood & Schumann, 2002)
Incentives and subsidies provided by both national and local governments are
generally self defeating from a national perspective; if a region or business has to be
subsidized to survive, then the value-added in production is negative, in other words,
the value of its inputs taken out of the economy is greater than whatever it puts back
85
into economy, to sustain this situation resources have to be drawn from other areas
and reallocated to the subsidized region. With the redistribution of resources there is
a corresponding decline in activity and employment in those areas from resources
were drawn, it would therefore seem that Science and Technology Park should be
promoted only in areas that do not require state or local government support in excess
of the benefits they can provide.
Another effect may STPs expose on the region is it’s the increase per capita
income on the other hand it causes a decrease in the income inequality.
The types of firms attracted to STPs are often unsuited for promoting regional
development, Most STPs attempt to attract as many firms devoted to R&D as
possible. Glasmeier (1988) argues that the focus on R&D establishments in not likely
to lead to integrated or propulsive industry-led growth, she comments that hightechnology establishments behave like other manufacturing enterprises and thus
develop few local linkages, this skepticism of R&D as a propulsive industry is applied
by her Glasmeier on the Japan's Technopolis Program.
Another issue is the degree of interaction between universities and firms in a
STPs has been over estimated by policymakers, some researchers conclude that the
level of interaction among firms within the park was low, as was their interest in
research, beside they found a little contact with the university.
When considering the impact of STPs on both national and regional
development, it is important to recognize that their success rate does not appear to be
high, beside when it comes to establishment of a successful park "the early bird gets
the worm" this implies that for many areas, the chances of new parks being successful
are not great. Malecki (1991) concludes that "parks are an attractive but highly
uncertain policy, they often present little more than a theme for real estate or property
86
sales and occupancy, this may attract some firms, but parks themselves do not
increase the propensity of new firms to form.
We may summarize the attempts to evaluate STPs through the following
points:
•
•
By determining the benefits to the park itself: the number of jobs created,
economic diversification, tax revenues
Benefits to Business: by comparing businesses located in other parks, such as
the technology transfer rates, level of innovation, and the financial success
•
among firms
Examining the development process: researchers suggest that a good first
building block in the development of STP is the development of a technology
•
•
incubator, by examining the services that the incubator provides
The impact of the park over the regional and national level, beside its impact
on the neighborhood.
Other success factors:
o The number of SMEs created.
o availability of on-site business expertise;
o access to financing and capitalization;
o provision of entrepreneurial education;
o Link to a university or research center.
Finally there are some reasons identified for the failure of a STPs; insufficient
assistance to tenant companies, low levels of local technological development, weak
incubator center, management and the frequent reassignment of managers, inability to
develop value-adding advisory and training services.
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6.0 SUMMARY:
This chapter discussed the planning and design issues related to STPs, the
major factor toward establishing a successful STP is to ensure the legal framework;
another issue is the availability of a skilled labor force, universities and a culture to
promote innovation. On the design side the chapter focused on what should be
considered as key issues in planning and design, for instance the location issues, the
quality of life, future expansion plans. etc.
Finally in this chapter the author discusses ways to evaluate STP weather they
succeeded or failed, besides proposing a time limit for an evaluation to be taken
which not less than twelve years minimum.
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BUILDING DESIGN ISSUES
1.0 ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN ISSUES:
This part focuses on many of the lessons learned and identifies the best solutions in
designing research facilities buildings.
This part is organized as follows:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The programming, design, and construction process.
General architectural design issues
The lab module
Site planning
Exterior image
Massing
Interior spaces
Adjacencies
Interior finishes
Acoustical issues
Casework
Ergonomics
Fume hoods
Safety, security, and regulatory consideration
Way-finding, signage, and graphics
Specialized equipment and equipment spaces
All the topics covered in this chapter are considered as key design issues.
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1.1 THE PROGRAMMING, DESIGN, AND CONSTRUCTION
PROCESS.
The programming, design, and construction process is complex, for a new
research facility building, it takes usually several years to complete.
Very early in the programming phase designers should determine the project's
overall goals and objectives. Often programmers employ a questionnaire circulated
among research facility managers and other staff, to define problems and possible
solutions.
1.1.1 SCHEMATIC DESIGN:
During schematic design, designers focus on the following:
•
•
•
•
•
Development of the exterior image
Building configuration, coordinated with the laboratory module
Blocking and stacking, where rooms are located on each floor and how the
floors relate to one another.
Conceptual diagrams of the individual engineering systems, based on the lab
module.
Update of statement of probable cost.
1.1.2 DESIGN DEVELOPMENT:
During this stage the schematic design is developed three-dimensionally and
all design decisions regarding the site development, exterior image, and casework
layouts for each lab are finalized, by the end of this phase, all engineering systems
should be fully coordinated with architectural plans, design development should
finalize:
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•
•
•
Detail layouts for each laboratory, including service requirements for
raceways, panel's boxes, and piping for mechanical and pluming.
Specifications for systems and materials.
Strategy for add alternates or deductive alternates if there is to be a bid
process.
1.1.3 CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS:
All working drawings and specifications necessary to build the project are
completed, architects and engineers spend most of their time during this phase
coordinating and finalizing all issues related to the building construction. The end
user need to be available only to answer any queries that may come up on to review
the documents to make sure the drawing and specifications meet their requirements.
1.1.4 BID PHASE:
The construction cost is finalized before the actual construction begins. during
the bid phase:
•
•
•
Drawings and specifications are issued for bidding
Construction bids are received and reviewed
The contract is awarded.
Some projects involve a negotiated price. Contractors are asked to on bid the
project, and then the owner negotiates the final cost with the preferred contractor.
(Miller, 1999)
1.1.5 CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION:
The construction of a typical laboratory building can range from 15 months to
36 months, the larger and more complex the project the more time necessary. This
phase involve the review coordination and approval of shop drawings
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1.2 GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN ISSUES:
The standard 3 m ceiling height is recommended for most labs. With this
height, there is enough space for the use of indirect light fixtures9, large labs may
require more height and volume for better proportions. Some lab may need to be two
stories high to accommodate large equipment or specific research processes. (Miller,
1999)
1.3 THE LAB MODULE, BASIS FOR LABORATORY DESIGN:
The laboratory module is the key unit in any research facility, when designed
correctly; a lab module will fully coordinate all the architectural and engineering
systems. A well designed module will provide the following: (Griffen, 2000)
•
Flexibility: the lab module should encourage change within the building.
Research is changing all the time and buildings must allow for reasonable
change. Many private research companies make physical changes to an
average of 25% of their labs each year. Most academic institutions annually
•
change the layout of 5% to 10% of their labs.
Expansion: the use of lab planning modules allows the building to adapt easily
to needed expansions or contractions without sacrificing facility function.
1.3.1 BASIC LAB MODULE:
A common research facility module has a width of approximately 3.2 m, but
will vary in depth from 6.0 m to 10.0 m see Figure 38 & Figure 37. The depth is based
on the size necessary for the lab and the cost effectiveness of the structural system.
The 15 cm wall thickness should be maintained between labs, whether the walls are
9
Indirect lighting grows in importance as computers are increasingly used in lab environment.
92
built during initial construction or may be added later during renovation. (Watch,
2001)
1.3.2 TWO DIRECTIONAL LAB MODULE:
Another level of flexibility can be achieved by designing a lab module that
works in both directions. Employing the common width of 3.2 m and a depth of either
6.4 m (2 modules at 3.2 m) or 9.6 m (3 modules at 3.2 m)
The use of a two directional grid is beneficial to accommodate different
lengths of run for casework. The casework may have to be moved to create a different
type or size of workstation. (Griffen, 2000)
Figure 37, Plan and Section of a typical lab module (Watch, 2001)
Figure 38, Typical lab module and its inherent flexibility (Watch, 2001)
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1.3.3 THREE DIMENSIONAL LAB MODULES:
The three dimensional lab module planning concept combines the basic lab
module or a two directional lab module with any lab corridor arrangement for each
floor of a building. Refer to Figure 39. This means that a three dimensional lab
module can have a single corridor arrangement on one floor, to create a three
dimensional lab module:
•
•
•
A basic or two directional lab module must be defined
All vertical risers must be fully coordinated (vertical risers include fire stairs,
elevators, restrooms, and shafts for utilities).
The mechanical, electrical, and plumping systems must be coordinated in the
ceiling to work with the multiple corridor arrangement.
Figure 39, Three dimensional lab module concepts (Watch, 2001)
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1.4 SITE PLANNING:
Several issues must be considered in planning the site for a new research
facility. The view of the building and its entrances that a person has on arriving at the
site is important for way-finding and security. Visitors parking should be near the
front door for convenience and security. Parking for employees is always an issue.
Surface parking requires more land than structured parking but costs approximately
1/10 the price, parking under research facility is not common because the typical lab
module does not easily correspond to the typical parking module. (Griffen, 2000)
Loading docks should be accessible for delivery and service but remote from
pedestrian and automobile circulation, mechanical equipment and dumpsters usually
located near loading docks should be screened with fence, wall or landscape.
Another issue is the location of the air supply grilles and exhaust stacks. A
wind wake analysis will help designers understand how exhaust will be dispersed and
whether it is likely to create any problems for nearby buildings.
1.5 EXTERIOR IMAGE:
Several issues influence the exterior image of any research facility building:
•
•
•
•
•
Site context
Architectural and cultural context
The clients objectives
The physical organization and design of offices laboratories and major
mechanical spaces
The size, number, and architectural expression of exhaust stacks
It is not recommended to use curtain walls for the exterior for many reason as:
•
•
A curtain wall can cost 50-100% more than a masonry wall.
Glass can have an impact on the heating and cooling bills each year.
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•
Researchers need certain amount of wall spaces for office furniture,
casework, and equipment.
Mechanical equipment can be located in any of several places: At the roof, In
the basement, on each floor. Or in the Interstitial space.
1.6 BUILDING MASSING:
Most research labs are massive because of floor to floor height, mechanical
space, and the exhaust stacks. Most clients try to minimize the massing of a building
to relate to the scale of other.
The floor to floor height is determined during the schematic design phase
because the volume cost implications. Most labs range from 420cm-490cm floor to
floor height10. If a building has interstitial spaces, the floor to floor height can range
from 5.2 m to 5.8 m. To calculate the floor to floor height, the following factors must
be estimated and designed: (Watch, 2001)
•
•
•
•
Ceiling height
270 cm-300 cm
Mechanical systems 90 cm-120 cm
Structural systems
60 cm
Total
420cm- 490 cm
It is important to leave some room between the ceiling and the structural
beams for head clearance during construction as well as during routine maintenance
or renovation.
1.7 INTERIOR IMAGE:
The key areas to focus on include the reception and lobby, lounge, and break
rooms, corridors, elevators, and stairs, labs, offices and office support spaces.
10
at least 60 cm more than a typical office building
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1.7.1 RECEPTION AND LOBBY:
The reception and lobby areas make a statement about the culture of an
organization and provide opportunities to welcome workers, visitors, and service staff
into the building. The lobby may be a central atrium space that allows people to be
seen at multiple floors and gives the building a friendly and open feel. This space may
become the heart of the building, a place for meeting and carrying on spontaneous
conversations during the day. It may be somewhat informal, with tack boards, display
areas, and built in window seats.
1.7.2 LOUNGES AND BREAK ROOMS:
Lounge and break rooms are important common amenities. It must be decided
in the early stages of the project whether to have a one single lounge in a central
location, or whether to have multiple lounges, either approach may work, depending
on the culture of the researchers and how the entire building is designed.
In a large facility, it may be desirable to provide small break rooms, suitable
for local copying, office supplies, and coffee makers.
1.7.3 CORRIDORS:
Corridors are key elements in the organization of a research facility; in the
ceiling of a corridor are the ducts, piping and wires for the mechanical, electrical, and
plumping systems. The ceiling should allow easy access, without having to disturb
laboratory activities, to the facility staff that maintain and operate the building.
A lay-in ceiling costs the same as an exposed ceiling with painted piping. The
choice between a lay-in ceiling or no ceiling comes down to two issues:
o What is the desired look of the corridor?
o Will the building be easier to maintain without the ceiling?
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Corridors also offer opportunities for people to see one another and exchange
ideas. Some corridors provide a "tour route", allowing guest to view the facility safely
without interrupting the activities within.
Public corridors should be well lit to allow people to read the information
located along the walls. Different colors and patterns can be used on the floor and
walls. Marker boards and tack boards can provide additional opportunities for people
to share information and work with one another. The doors from labs should be
recessed to prevent their swinging into the path of a passerby.
Service corridor; usually provide all the engineering services to the labs.
Equipments and gas cylinders can also be located in a service corridor, if the service
corridor is at least 300 cm wide, both walls can be used for storage of equipment and
supplies.
1.7.4 ELEVATORS AND STAIRS:
Elevators should be located in highly visible area and along the main corridors
for easy way-finding. Most research facilities need at least one passenger elevator and
one freight elevator. The passenger elevator should be located near the main entrance
and reception area, it is recommended to have an architectural stair near the elevator
in case the elevator is broken, also to encourage people to use stairs. The freight
elevator is typically located adjacent to the other elevators for cost efficiency, or
separately, near the loading dock. Keeping the freight elevator separate can ensure
that a building is secure and safe; the freight elevator may be controlled by security
access card and used only for transporting materials, supplies, and equipments. A
separate freight elevator is usually located in an area away from the main pedestrian
traffic in the building.
Stairs offer another great opportunity for people to meet one another
serendipitously. Wide stairways make it easy to get from one floor to another. There
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should be a communicating stair that leads a person from the main lobby to the upper
floors of the building. Beside stairs allows others to see each other on different floors.
Fire stairs must be located within a certain distance from each other, usually
less than 9 meters, if the building is fully equipped with sprinklers. The stairs should
be highly visible, for way-finding and for security. Fire stairs should be wider than the
minimum standards required by the building codes, allowing two people to walk up
and down the stairs at the same time.
1.7.5 LABS:
The image and quality of the lab are among the most important issues to the
end users. The use of materials, type of casework, color scheme, natural lighting,
interior glazing, light fixtures, space for equipment, and efficiency are the key issues
to study.
Beyond accommodating the specific needs of the current research team,
casework should be flexible for future researchers. The amount of caseworks needed
is an important issue; the ratio of fixed to mobile casework must be evaluated. Some
casework should be capable of being adjusted vertically.
Whenever possible, allowing natural daylight into the labs will improve the
image and quality of each space. Where there are panoramic views to the exterior,
designers should take full advantage of them by locating appropriate labs and offices
along the outside walls. Interior glazing allows people to see each other, and light will
be filtered through the building, making a more pleasant research environment.
Spaces for equipment must be coordinated with the design of the entire lab
and the location of casework. When the equipment is located along one wall or in
separate rooms, the labs can be left more open and visible, it is extremely important to
create efficient bench space, casework, and places for storage throughout each lab.
Efficiency is the basic idea behind the concept of the lab module; modules are meant
99
to create as much space for research as needed and an appropriate amount of space for
circulation.
Storage is critical in most labs. Shelving and cabinets above the benches must
be fully coordinated to use the volume of the space as efficiently as possible.
1.7.5 OFFICES:
Researches spend approximately half of their time in the lab and the other half
in their offices. Offices can get cluttered very quickly, and designing a visually
successful office therefore not only involves the quality and quantity of furniture and
the amount of glazing, but also space-related issues such as the ability to work on a
computer and to meet with other people comfortably.
1.8 ADJACENCIES:
The relationship of the labs, offices, and corridors will have a significant
impact on the image and operations of the building. The first question must be: do the
end users want a view from their labs to the exterior, or will the labs be located on the
interior, with wall space used for casework and equipment? Some researchers do not
want or cannot have natural light in their research spaces. Special instruments and
equipment, such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) apparatus, electron,
microscopes, and lasers cannot function properly in natural light.
1.8.1 CORRIDORS:
1.8.1.1 SINGLE CORRIDOR ARRANGEMENT:
Most single corridors are located in the middle of the building, with little or no
daylight coming into the space. Whenever possible, interior walls should be glazed or
lounges created along the outside wall to allow natural light into the corridor. It is
usually preferable to have a view open to the exterior from the corridor, either at the
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end or somewhere along it, where an open shared space is created. A view helps to
orient people as they walk along a corridor, see figure 40 for single corridor options.
Advantages:
•
•
The building net to gross ratio is usually 60% or greater.
It provides better opportunity for communication by creating (Main Street).
Disadvantages:
•
•
Single corridor approach may not meet the program needs for the labs and
offices or building operations.
Single corridor limits the width of the building, in turn limiting floor plan
design. Some labs need to be interior, without any natural lighting, which
turns to be difficult to achieve.
Figure 40, Single Corridor Lab Options (Watch, 2001)
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1.8.1.2 TWO CORRIDOR ARRANGEMENTS
Two corridor (race track) arrangements are usually developed to create larger,
wider floor plans than are possible with single corridor approach. More labs are
constructed with this approach than any other approach. Watch (2001); proposes five
option of different arrangement view Figure 41.
Advantages:
•
•
•
•
The building has a wider floor plan.
Two corridors allow for labs to be designed back to back.
Multiple options for arranging labs.
The building may also allow for (ghost corridor)11, which permit a person to
walk from one lab to another without having to go out into a separate corridor.
Ghost corridors improve buildings efficiency and cost effectiveness.
Disadvantages:
•
•
•
11
They separate people by creating a building with two sides.
This approach is 5% less efficient than the single corridor approach.
Security may, however, be a concern to some researchers.
The ghost corridor is a walkway area through each lab that connects with a door allowing movement
from one lab to another. Ghost corridors, which are used as a second means of egress, are more
common in large open labs or in labs where security is not so much of a concern because the
researchers know one another.
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Figure 41, Double Corridor Lab Options (Watch, 2001)
1.8.1.3 THREE CORRIDOR ARRANGEMENTS:
The three corridor concept provides a public racetrack corridor around the
outside and a central service corridor. See Figure 42 for a number of options
arranging the three corridors.
Advantages:
•
The three corridor plan includes a central service area that can be accessible
only to maintenance people or can allow researchers to have access to most of
•
•
the engineering services.
The central service corridor can be used as a shared (equipment corridor).
The three corridor plan can be used to create a (clean and dirty) arrangement.
Disadvantages:
•
The least efficient and most expensive corridor arrangement
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•
This layout is approximately 10% less efficient than a single corridor scheme,
and 5% less efficient than two corridor scheme.
Figure 42, Three Corridor Lab Options (Watch, 2001)
1.8.2 OPEN VERSUS CLOSED PLAN:
The open plan reduces construction costs because it requires fewer walls and
doors, improves square footage efficiency, and accommodates more casework and
equipment in the lab, beside its useful for team based research. (Griffen, 2000)
The closed plan allows for tighter security; allows for private, individual
research; and addresses containment issues better than an open lab.
The image of the lab building differs significantly depending on whether an
open plan or closed plan is used. The open plan lab is more visible, and the size of the
room is much larger. The individual closed plan can be similar to open lab plan if
much of the interior glazing, but in many cases this is not possible because walls are
needed for casework, shelving, and equipment. (Griffen, 2000)
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1.8.3 WRITE-UP AREAS:
•
In addition to researcher's offices, most facilities have write-up areas within or
immediately adjacent to the lab. Options for the location of write-up areas
•
•
•
•
•
include the following:
Along the outside wall (see Figure 43 number 1).
At the end of the bench (see Figure 43 number 2).
Interior remote clustered desks (see Figure 43 number 3).
Perimeter remote clustered desks (see Figure 43 number 4).
Along the corridor (see Figure 43 number 5).
Figure 43, Write-up areas options (Watch, 2001)
1.9 INTERIOR FINISHES:
1.9.1 FLOORS:
There are a variety of floor finishes for labs. To find the most appropriate floor
finish, various finishes should be compared for durability, chemical resistance, cost,
and aesthetics.
•
•
•
Exposed concrete:
Resilient tile (vinyl composite tile):
Resilient sheet vinyl:
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•
•
Troweled epoxy:
Carpet:
1.9.2 WALLS:
Lab walls are typically constructed of gypsum wallboards and usually painted
with an epoxy finish. Corners may need wood or metal corner guards to protect them
from scrapes when carts and equipment are being moved. A well along a corridor may
also require a chair rail or bumper guard.
1.9.3 CEILING:
Ceilings either have lay-in ceiling tile or are open to the structure and
mechanical systems. If the mechanical systems are exposed, acoustical liners should
be used to minimize the noise from the air flowing through the ductwork, and the
pipes should be painted. With a sufficient number of air changes flowing through the
room, little or no dust is likely to collect on the pipes.
1.10 ACOUSTICAL ISSUES:
Noise problems typically occur because the mechanical supply and exhaust
ducts are too loud; the equipment generates a significant amount of noise, or the room
surface are very hard and pounces the noise all over the space. Noise problems with
ductwork are usually the result of too much air being moved through the ducts or the
lack of sound attenuators in the ductwork.
The following table shows the recommended noise criteria (NC) for research
facility spaces:
Table 10, Recommended Noise Criteria (Watch, 2001)
Space
Auditorium
NC level
20-25
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Conference Room
Open plan Offices
Offices
Lobby
Research laboratory
Corridor
25-30
35-40
40
40
40-45
45
1.11 CASEWORK:
1.11.1 TYPES OF CASEWORK:
1.11.1.1 FIXED CASEWORK
Fixed casework is a conventional arrangement in which base cabinets support
countertops and the base cabinets are typically 55 cm deep, countertops 75 cm deep.
The countertop has a 2.5 cm overhang along the front and 20 cm, space along the
back to run all the utility services.
1.11.1.2 HUNG CASEWORK
In a hung casework system the cabinets and countertops are hung from a rail
that is attached to the wall. Because the countertop is supported by the rail instead of
the base cabinets, individual cabinets can be relocated without affecting the rest of the
casework system. (Watch, 2001)
1.11.1.3 CANTILEVERED CASEWORK:
Cantilevered casework is designed as self supporting system separate from the
wall system and utilities.
1.11.1.4 MOBILE CASEWORK:
Mobile casework includes tables, carts, and casework on wheels. The mobile
casework should conform to the same module as the fixed casework.
Many labs combine fixed casework with movable casework such as carts, writeup stations, tables, and storage cabinets.
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1.12 ERGONOMICS:
To ensure workers comfort it is important to keep in mind that people are of
different shapes and sizes, vary in age, and are likely to have range of physical
requirements. Ergonomic designs take these facts into consideration, allowing
employees to be comfortable while using equipment, tools, and materials, when
offices and laboratories are more comfortable, they are usually more productive.
(Watch, 2001)
The work zone is defined as the work surface area available when the user's
forearms are resting on the countertop. Cool white fluorescent lighting reduces glare
in the work zone, creating less eye fatigue during long work period.
1.13 FUME HOODS:
A fume hood the prime protection device in a laboratory, should be used when
researcher is
•
•
•
Working with chemical known or suspected to be hazardous.
Working with unknown substances.
Pouring, mixing, weighing, or dispensing chemicals.
1.14 SAFETY:
1.14.1 GENERAL SAFETY PRINCIPLES:
For safety and ease of maintenance, it usually makes sense to locate a safety
shower, fire extinguisher, and shutoff valves at the entry alcove of each lab. Warning
signs with the appropriate symbols should be posted at laboratory entrances. There
should be two means of egress from each main lab.
Appropriate casework should be provided. Islands are preferable to
peninsulas, since islands allow people to walk around benches. Personal items and
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clothing should be kept in lockers outside the lab area. Food and drinks are prohibited
in labs.
All mechanical systems should be electronically monitored, and all safety
equipment should be tested on a regular basis. Fume hoods should be equipped with
airflow alarms. Floor penetrations should be avoided, if possible, to prevent chemicals
released during a spill or flood from traveling to the floor below. Designers should
consider placing an emergency center12 in a central location on each floor, to provide
easy access for everyone.
1.14.2 SAFETY SHOWERS AND EYEWASHES:
According the ANSI (American National Standard Institute) standards, safety
showers should never be farther than 304.8 cm away from any researcher. Deluge
showers should flow at a rate of 30 gal of water per minute. All safety showers should
provide low velocity water at 70-90 degrees Fahrenheit. Manual close valves are
recommended for all safety showers. Safety showers should not be located near any
sources of electricity, especially electric panel boxes.
1.14.3 CHEMICAL STORAGE:
Building codes classify a project's "occupancy type" based to a great extent
on the quantities of flammable chemicals expected to be kept on hand. Construction
costs are directly related to this classification. If the occupancy type can be shifted by
reducing storage needs, significant cost reductions can be realized.
A hazardous chemical is defined as a chemical for which there is statistically
significant evidence that exposure may produce acute or chronic health effects.
Storage options include the following:
12
An emergency center consolidates reagent neutralizers, handheld sprays, first aid, and fire control
equipment in one common location
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•
•
Supplier warehousing. Vendors can hold the chemicals for the lab, applying
them on as needed or just in time basis.
On site external storage. An appropriate external storage facility can be any
one of a range of prefabricated, self-contained, environmentally controlled
hazardous storage containers. The environment must be controllable because
•
many chemicals are sensitive to heat, humidity, and light.
Internal central storage. Centralized internal facilities usually consist of a
designated room for chemical storage, shared by all researchers on that floor
•
or in that building.
Internal decentralized storage. In lab storage may be combined with
centralized or external storage. Chemicals are often stored in a special, labeled
cabinet in each lab.
In any lab where shelving is used to store chemicals, the shelves should be no
higher than eye level, and should be made of chemical resistant material. Storage
strategies must be compliant with all national fire protection association (NFBA) and
occupational safety and health administration (OSHA) regulations.
Chemical storage rooms should be ventilated by at least 15 air changes per
hour and should have dedicated exhaust systems; all chemicals should be properly
labeled and stored in plastic or metal containers, not in breakable glass.
1.14.4 SECURITY SYSTEMS:
There are several options to consider the design of a security system. The least
costly, initially, is the lock and key system. But there are problems: keys can easily
copied, are difficult to manage, and are costly to replace when lost or stolen.
Access card systems use identification cards with magnetic strip, which works as an
electronic key. Cards and card readers are programmed to allow only authorized
people into particular areas. When an unauthorized person tries to enter the area, an
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alarm occurs and the control panel immediately transmits a signal to the host, so
called "smart card".
1.14.5 THE REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT:
1.14.5.1 BUILDING AND LIFE SAFETY CODES:
The codes and standards are minimum requirements. Architects, engineers,
and consultants should consider exceeding the applicable requirements whenever
possible. It is recommended that life and safety professionals be involved early in
reviewing the design to make sure it meets health and safety requirements.
Laboratory classifications:
The following are the four laboratory classes, with the special practices
associated with each:
a. Low risk.
b. Moderate risk
c. Substantial risk.
d. High risk.
1.14.5.2 FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM:
Most lab buildings are designed with a water sprinkler system for code and
insurance reasons. In many cases it may be less costly to provide a water sprinkler
system than not to do so.
1.14.5.3 SEISMIC DESIGN:
Seismic design is mandated in some areas. Seismic design considerations
include the following:
•
•
Earthquake catches for all doors and drawers
Bolted cylinder straps
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•
•
All loose tabletop equipment guy-wired to the tabletop.
All mechanical, electrical, and plumbing equipment double harnessed to a
main structure.
1.15 WAY-FINDING, SIGNAGE, AND GRAPHICS:
Way-finding compromises the strategies people use to find their way in
familiar or new settings, based on their perceptual and cognitive abilities and habits
(Arthur and Passini 1984). These strategies answer three questions:Where am I now?,
Where is my destination?, and How do I get there from here?
Way-finding is facilitated by a communication system consisting of three
essential types of information: site and architectural, graphic, and verbal. Each type
must reinforce the others in a uniform system of environmental information.
1. Site and architectural information is communicated by the forms, adjacencies,
and opportunities for movement in the environment itself. It includes
architectural elements, interior design features, corridors, vistas, and other
navigational cues
2. Graphic information is communicated primarily through the use of signage
elements, which provide general information, such as directions, regulations,
and the identification of destinations.
3. Verbal information includes printed materials, such as maps and brochures as
well as spoken instructions by staff and users of a facility.
1.15.1 SIGNAGE:
The way-finding signage system should be carefully orchestrated to support
the major circulation routes within a facility. Providing the exact information required
for the user at the correct point at which it is needed.
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1.15.2 GRAPHICS:
The essence of any laboratory is the information that continually flows
through it in the form of research, teaching, and regulation, all in pursuit of science
and learning. Complete lab planning includes professional designed signs, manuals,
labels, and other graphic material for purpose of maintaining proper communication.
It is very important that the presentation of graphic information be as carefully
designed and managed as the lab itself.
1.15.3 LAB SAFETY MANUAL:
Planning a graphic safety program may begin with the design of safety
manuals. A manual may consist of a single document or may include a series of
documents covering various topics, such as radiation, bio-safety, chemical spills,
hazardous waste disposal, laser safety, and personal injury. All information displayed
on signs and labels should relate directly to the contents and style of facility's manual,
to create sense of unity and consistency. Large institutions commonly maintain their
manuals on-line so that they are accessible throughout the campus and can be updated
at the source without having to be redistributed.
1.15.5 LAB HAZARD SIGNS:
Many regulations require a certain amount of information to be posted outside
lab doors to indicate the types and levels of hazard inside. To mount and able to
update such information easily can be a challenge. The lab hazard sign frame is a
device for mounting single sheets, which slips behind the acrylic window.
The window grid display system is a modular design that allows greater
freedom for lab managers to determine the format and quantity of signs they need o
display.
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1.15.6 LIFE AND SAFETY SIGN BOOK:
The life and safety sign book presents the essential messages of safety
manuals in an accessible, user-friendly format with as many as ten two pages spreads.
The sign book mounts to the wall with adhesive Velcro strip, and the pages are held
open with small Velcro tabs. If necessary, the sign book can be removed and taken to
the site of an emergency. The sign book (Plate 9), which makes use of graphic icons
and simplified language, is much more easily understood in a stressful situation than
is a typical safety manual.
Plate 9, Life and Safety Sign Book (Watch, 2001)
1.15.7 CLEAN ROOMS:
Clean rooms are usually associated with the manufacture of miniaturized
components. A clean room is an enclosed are that requires a lower level of airborne
particulate contamination than normal and generally incorporates temperature and
humidity control. These requirements are achieved by purging the room with air that
has passed through a filtration and conditioning system. The room should be under
positive air pressure to avoid ingress of contamination.
Clean room work surface should be smooth, easily cleanable, nonabrasive, and
chip-resistant. Perforated, high pressure phenolic laminate on steel or aluminum
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panels is recommended for return air flooring. Coating grating with plastic or epoxy is
also recommended. If the room contains hydrogen, measures must be taken against
the possibility of explosions. Blast out panels may be necessary.
1.16 SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT AND EQUIPMENT SPACES:
Sensitive electronic equipment can be affected by magnetic fields. As equipment
becomes more sophisticated, tolerances for interference decline. Large currents must
be kept away from sensitive equipment such as electron microscopes. Magnetic
shielding must be provided when necessary. Sensitive equipment should be kept away
from steel columns, magnetized doors, and other metal equipment.
•
•
•
•
•
Nuclear magnetic resonance apparatus (NMR).
Electron Microscope Suite.
Magnetic resonance imager (MRI).
Lasers.
Vacuum systems.
2.0 ENGINEERING DESIGN ISSUES:
2.1 STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS:
After the basic lab module is determined, the structural grid and location of
beams should be evaluated. In most cases, the structural grid equals two basic lab
modules. Longer spans can also work successfully but may make it more difficult to
control vibration in the building, may cost more money, and may require a greater
floor to floor height. A few buildings have been built with large trusses that span the
entire length of the lab, creating column free spaces. The Salk Institute is an example.
Key design issues to consider in evaluating a structural system include the following:
•
•
Local construction market.
Availability of labor.
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Expertise of contractors
Framing depth and effect on floor to floor height.
Ability to coordinate framing with lab modules.
Ability to create penetrations for piping in the initial design, as well as over
the life of the building.
Potential for vertical or horizontal expansion.
Vibration criteria.
Cost.
2.1.1 OPTIONS FOR STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS:
2.1.1.1 STEEL:
In USA and Great Britain, laboratories are commonly constructed with
structural steel wide flange beams and columns. There are a number of issues related
to steel construction that must be considered:
•
•
•
In high seismic zones, steel construction may be preferable to concrete
because of its superior ductile behavior.
For greatest economy, steel framing systems may require diagonal bracing in a
vertical plane, which must be coordinated with architectural layout.
Steel systems that span more than 10 meters may require special attention in
design to meet vibration criteria. Steel joists are typically not recommended as
floors because the joist stiffness may not be adequate to control floor
•
vibration.
Steel beams will have to be fire protected, which means that lay-in ceilings
will be necessary.
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Steel construction requires approximately the same depth as concrete
construction. The height and mass of the building are basically the same for steel and
concrete construction.
2.1.1.2 CAST IN PLACE CONCRETE:
•
One way beam systems and joist and slab systems are common. Spans for
these systems can easily reach 12 m, with beam depths approximately equal to
•
the length of the span divided by 20.
Two way cast in place systems (such as flat plates and flat slabs) are also
common, with span limits of about 9 m in each direction. The slab thickness is
about the length of the span divided by 30 but it is thicker at drop panels at
columns. (Griffen, 2000)
2.1.1.3 COLUMNS:
•
Staggered columns: with angled beams allow vertical risers to occur at each
lab module without any interference from a column or beam. The typical
•
floor-to-floor height is 4.5 -4.9 meters.
Columns at corridors: columns may be located in the corridor, or in the center
of a partition. If the columns are located in the lab, then the corridor can have
a clean, column free appearance and the design of the corridor can be more
flexible. Locating the columns in the lab may require some custom detailing
of the casework. Some labs are designed on the centerline of the wall. The
theory behind this approach is that the wall may not be necessary and, if it is
not, then casework can be lined up back to back. If the wall is necessary, then
it is simply located between the casework components. (Watch, 2001)
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2.1.2 VIBRATION CONTROL:
Vibrations caused by footfalls require both structural and architectural
solutions. Footfall-induced vibrations, important for above grade floors, can be
reduced by placing sensitive equipment near columns, keeping as much distance as
possible between heavily traveled areas and sensitive equipment, and minimizing the
length of spans. (Watch, 2001)
Vibration is alleviated by increasing the stiffness of the floor slab. The
stiffness can be increased by providing a combination of mass and depth for above
grade slabs.
Air handling ductwork must be designed to minimize vibration. Supply and
exhaust air fans, compressors, pumps, and other noise and vibration producing
equipment should be located in mechanical rooms with protective wall construction.
Special local vibration control devices may be utilized for any highly sensitive
equipment, such as optical benches and analytical instruments that are extremely
sensitive to vibration should ideally be located on slab-on-grade construction to
minimize transient structure borne vibration.
2.2 MECHANICAL SYSTEMS, GENERAL DESIGN ISSUES:
2.2.1 SHAFT AND DUCTWORK:
The location of the main vertical supply and exhaust shafts must be studied, as
must the location of the horizontal exhaust and supply ductwork. To minimize the
floor to floor height, it is important to minimize the number of times the exhaust and
supply ducts overlap.
Access to all mechanical systems is very important:
1. There must be space to allow for servicing the parts and adjusting of dampers.
2. There must be access to the control valves and electrical breakers.
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3. There must be space and access to allow changes and additions to utility
services.
The following are various options for locating shafts:
•
•
•
•
•
Shafts at the end of the building (Figure 44).
Shafts in the middle of the building (Figure 45).
Shafts at the end and supply in the middle (Figure 46).
Multiple internal shafts (Figure 47).
Shafts on the exterior.
Figure 44, Shaft at the end of the building (Watch, 2001)
Figure 45, Shafts in the middle of a building (Watch, 2001)
Figure 46, Shafts at the end and the supply in the middle (Watch, 2001)
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Figure 47, Multiple internal Shafts (Watch, 2001)
2.2.2 SERVICE CORRIDORS:
Advantages:
•
•
•
Facility engineers are afforded constant access without their having to
enter the lab.
Shutoff valves and electric panel boxes are easily accessible.
Material handling is separated from people corridors.
Disadvantages:
•
•
•
•
•
The gross area is greater, and planning efficiency can be 5% less than
in the options already discussed.
The lower the building efficiency, the higher the cost per net sq meter.
Building flexibility is limited.
The building is split in half, which does not encourage communication
among all researchers.
There is minimal natural light.
2.2.3 INTERSTITIAL SPACE:
Advantages:
•
The use of interstitial space allows the building to accommodate
change very easily and gives it a longer useful life.
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•
•
•
The labs are unobstructed by shafts and can be renovated quickly,
cheaply, and with very little interruption.
The system is cost effective if the labs will have to be renovated at
least every five to ten years.
Construction time can be reduced, because the mechanical, electrical,
and plumbing services can be installed in the interstitial space at the
same time the lab is being finished.
Disadvantages:
•
•
•
The volume of the building increases and the initial cost is higher than
that of the other options about 5% more.
This option affords the lowest net to gross efficiency and highest cost
per NSM.
Additional sprinklers are required for the interstitial spaces.
Figure 48, Interstitial space. (Watch, 2001)
2.3 ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS:
2.3.2 EMERGENCY STANDBY POWER REQUIREMENTS:
It is important to understand the requirements for a laboratory's equipment and
research before determining the standby power.
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Three types of power are generally used for most laboratory projects:
1. Normal power circuits are connected to the utility supply only
2. Emergency power
3. An uninterruptible power supply (UPS)
2.4 LIGHTING DESIGN:
There is a misconception that lighting quality has only to do with controlling
glare and or providing a certain quantity of light (Watch, 2001). Both are important,
without question. These are only two of numerous factors to consider, however. Other
include direction of light, light source color, the ability to render colors accurately,
contrast, uniformity, and surface reflectance.
User expectations are usually Minimal glare and uniform lighting levels are
essential for visual comfort. Indirect lighting or a combination of indirect and direct
should be considered.
2.4.1 UNIFORMITY:
Lighting for laboratory workspaces should provide high visibility while
reducing glare, extreme contrast, and harsh shadows. Lighting that is uniform reduces
the amount of adaptation a person's eye must endure when switching between tasks,
thereby reducing the potential for eyestrain and increasing productivity.
Horizontal luminance is used to establish the base level of light on horizontal
work surface. Uniformity of horizontal luminance is important to allow for a high
level of task mobility and flexibility. Uniformity of vertical luminance lets researchers
perform three dimensional tasks at multiple levels without encountering harsh
shadowing or high contrast from one work zone to the next. (Griffen, 2000)
Uniform ceiling luminance helps to blend daylight with artificial lighting,
thereby reducing extreme contrasts and glare. Uniform ceiling luminance, combined
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with light colors and highly reflective room surfaces, also increases the overall
perception of the brightness and spaciousness of a room.
2.4.2 METHODS OF LIGHT DISTRIBUTION:
2.4.2.1 INDIRECT / DIRECT DISTRIBUTION:
Indirect / direct lighting distribution typically involves the use of fluorescent
sources for spaces with higher ceilings. A minimum ceiling height of 3 m is
recommended in order to suspend luminaries at a distance from the ceiling luminance
without compromising the use of equipment space below.
The benefits of indirect / direct distribution include a substantial reduction in
distracting shadows over work surfaces and an increased sense of brightness without
over lighting the space. It is common that the level of luminance required with this
strategy is less than that needed for direct distribution to perform tasks equally well,
and often with increased lighting quality.
2.4.2.2 DIRECT DISTRIBUTION:
Direct distribution is commonly used with fluorescent sources in spaces with
ceiling heights lower than 3 m, in areas of high equipment density where users do not
spend an extended duration of time expect for experiment preparation and cleanup.
Direct lighting is most successful when more luminaries are used, each having a
smaller light output. This layout results in better control of glare, reducing shadowing
and increased uniformity.
2.4.2.3 LUMINARIES' LOCATION AND ORIENTATION:
Minimizing shadows on a work surface will improve visibility and comfort,
thereby increasing lighting quality. When luminaries are oriented parallel to the lab
bench, they should be aligned near the front edge of the bench to allow maintenance
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from the aisle space and to provide light distribution on the work surface in front of
the lab user. When orienting the luminaries perpendicular to the lab bench, they
should extend 25-30 cm in. beyond the edge of the bench. (Griffen, 2000)
Laboratories can be successfully lighted with luminaries oriented parallel or
perpendicular to the lab bench. Each laboratory should be studied and the best
determination made after a consideration of all factors, including the dimensions of
the lab module, equipment layouts, and luminaries selected.
If possible the method for making a final decision is to build a full scale mockup of one or two lab modules and install different lighting options.
2.5 TELEPHONE / DATA SYSTEM:
The telephone/data system consists of wall outlets in all occupied spaces,
including offices, laboratories, secretarial and clerical support areas, and conference
rooms. These outlets are then connected in separate telephone and data rooms via
conduit and cable tray system. A central telephone and communication room should
be provided, usually in a central location on the lowest level. Telephones should be
provided at the exits of mechanical and electrical rooms. (Watch, 2001)
2.6 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY:
Computer network must be flexible, manageable, and easily expandable. It is
critically important that the design team have the ability to communicate,
comprehend, and document an understanding of a facility's unique systems,
operations, and startup requirements and to translate those needs to construction bid
documents. Getting qualified information technology consultant on board early in the
project may add value to the design process and may reduce overall projects
construction and facility startup expenses.
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Today, effective design for technology means much more than just placing
voice and data outlets in convenient locations. It calls for a comprehensive, (whole
network) approach to communication technology. Voice, data, video, access systems,
security cameras, closed circuit TV (CCTV), and cable TV (CATV) all affect the
building process and require coordination with other building systems and elements
(e.g., door schedules, conduit and j-boxes, ergonomic and functional furniture
selection, etc.)
Since the 1980s, network data rates have increased so quickly that we have
(added a 0-10 Mbps, then 100 Mbps, then 1,000 Mbps, approximately every five
years. Once only imagined, Gigabit Ethernet is now a reality, and 1.2 Gb/s ATM. In
terms of future planning, no one can predict with certainty which technology will
prevail, but if present trends continue, the need for more bandwidth will continue to
drive technology and put heavy demands on a buildings infrastructure.
We need more bandwidth, or we predict that we will need it in the not-toodistant future. We also desire low cost.
2.7 CLOSETS:
Electrical, data, and custodial closets, are usually located near one another at
the center of each lab zone. It is more efficient and cost effective to locate the closets
centrally, but in many facilities the location is within the lab zone. Data closets are
typically bigger than other closets types, and more of them are needed than in the past
because of the high requirements for information technology. All closets of the same
type should be located above each other for efficiency.
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2.8
AUDIOVISUAL
ENGINEERING
FOR
PRESENTATION
ROOMS:
Presentation rooms (including classrooms) must be designed for displaying
images and reproducing audio program material in a manner that can be accurately
perceived by viewer. This requires proper attention to the facility's space arrangement,
acoustics, and lighting.
2.8.1 PROJECTION SCREENS/VIEWING AREAS:
Space planning for front projection involves placement of an opaque,
reflective surface so that projected images can be clearly seen by all viewers.
Appropriate viewing area design encompasses a number of interrelated factors,
including screen size, placement, and material.
Screen size is determined by the type of media being presented and by the
distance to the farthest viewer. If the images are to include dense text, a ratio of 1:6
should be used. This means, for example if the distance to the farthest viewer is 12
meters, then the screen should be 2 meters tall for dense text such as spreadsheets or
document displays. Screen width is based on screen height and is determined by the
image format to be displayed. Normal television and computer images have a 4:3
image width to height ratio.
The viewing area width depends on the placement of the screen and the type
of screen material used. Projection screens should typically be centered on the front
wall of the space. In general matte white projection screens should be used because
their characteristics even diffusion typically offers the widest and most consistent
viewing areas. Although the optimum maximum off-axis angle is about 30 degrees,
the practical limitation is an angle of about 50 degrees off-axis.
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Depending on ceiling height, the number of rows of seats, and whether the
floor in the seating area is flat or tiered, the screens bottom edge should be 108 cm in
(tiered seating) to 125 cm in (flat seating) above the floor.
Document cameras allow a presenter to display a three dimensional object, a
photograph, a sheet of paper, or any simple text on a large screen, using a ceiling
mounted video/data projector. A document camera does not require as much space as
an overhead projector. Document camera may be permanently mounted in the ceiling,
with controls located in the media panel near the front corner of the room. Calculate
1.5 times the width of the screen to approximate the distance between the screen and
the document camera. (Watch, 2001)
2.8.2 PRESENTATION SPACE ACOUSTICS:
Excessive reverberation is an especially common acoustical deficiency.
Reverberation can be controlled by using acoustically absorbing materials such as
mineral fiber or fiberglass ceiling tiles, fiberglass wall panels, and carpet. Carpet can
also reduce noise caused by students shifting in their seats. Note that the front third of
the ceiling should be hard surface to help reflect sound from the presenter to the
listeners.
A related common acoustical deficiency is flutter echo. This deficiency is
characterized by hollowness in the sound that is caused by its being reflected multiple
times between parallel walls. Splayed wall panels can minimize the problem created
by flutter echo. Another related problem is slap back, an echo caused by sound being
reflected off the rear wall. The problem can be addressed by installing acoustically
absorptive materials, such as 2.5-5 cm thick fiberglass wall panels on the rear wall.
2.8.3 PRESENTATION SPACE LIGHTING:
Control of ambient light is critical. Ambient light falling on a screen will be
reflected back to the viewers, washing out projected images. Because the area around
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the projection screen must be able to be darkened while maintaining necessary
lighting levels at student and instructor positions, careful control of room lighting and
daylight entering through windows is essential. (Watch, 2001)
Diffuse indirect lighting is desirable for general classroom use, but indirect
lighting should not be used during presentations where front projection is required. A
direct, controlled lighting component must be provided for use during these
presentations. To minimize direct light on the wall and ceiling surfaces during
presentation, direct lighting in audience areas should provide reasonable cutoff
characteristics, with glare and lamp image cutoff angles of 45-55 degrees.
Incandescent sources should be avoided for general lighting. However, accent
lighting at the speaker's station and other critical locations requiring directional and
glare control may be incandescent.
2.9 PLUMPING SYSTEMS:
2.9.1 FLOOR DRAINS, ROOF DRAINS, AND SPRINKLERS:
Roof and floor drains can be quickly tricky to coordinate. Usually it is good
practice to minimize the number of drains in a lab, which provides fewer
opportunities for leaks in the rooms below. Ideally the horizontal piping from a drain
should go directly to the outside wall or to an interior chase via "wet" column, then
down the building to the building-wide drain system. When the drains are adjacent to
the columns, care must be taken to coordinate the drain and horizontal piping with the
beams and interior walls. (Watch, 2001)
Roof drains are sometimes forgotten until the end of the design. A roof drain
can be 15 cm diameters, which will not fir in most interior walls. Roof drains are
often coordinated with the fume hood or plumping risers in a common chase located
either along the corridor or on the outside wall at most structural bays. Again the
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vertical risers for the roof drains should be organized with the lab module at the
beginning of the project.
2.9.2 HOT WATER:
Water system options for hot water maintenance include heat tracing
recirculation, and the use of local water heaters. The advantages of local water heaters
include the reduction of piping and lower first costs. The disadvantages are the large
electrical draw required for the local water heaters and the cost of maintenance.
2.9.3 PIPED GASES:
There are several options for locating the piped gases needed to service a
laboratory. The central location within the building can serve large areas, but the
amount of usage must be justified financially. Local closets can serve multiple labs:
they usually need to be fire rated for code compliance and may require an autoswitchover, and the contractor will have to install the piping. Locating the gas pipe
near the door is another approach. Locating piped gases in the lab at a bench will take
more space program space, but this option is very flexible and it will not require the
contractor to install the piping. (Watch, 2001)
Typically gases are supplied either through central systems or via gas
cylinders stored in or near the laboratories. If cylinders are used anchored to a wall, or
to a wall rack, or a bench. In addition, some provision must be made for storing
incoming cylinders and waste cylinders at the receiving dock.
Laboratory Water Supplies:
Four types of water are typically supplied to laboratories:
1. Chilled water provides cooling for special equipment.
2. Potable water is provided for laboratory work areas and rest rooms.
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3. Domestic water is used at drinking fountains, emergency showers, eyewashes,
break rooms, and janitor's closets.
4. High-purity water is required for man research processes.
2.10 COMMISSIONING:
Commissioning is the process of documenting that all building systems and
critical components are properly installed and placed in service and verifying that they
operate according to the design. Commissioning is necessary for user acceptance, to
minimize risk, and for due diligence. The purpose of commissioning is to minimize
the risk of critical component failure or malfunction and to bring the facility to a fully
operational status in an orderly and expedient manner (Watch, 2001).
Commissioning ensures that each piece of equipment and each control
operates properly and in the right sequence with all other components in the building.
2.11 RENOVATION / RESTORATION AND ADAPTIVE REUSE:
The renovation of laboratory facilities is usually necessary for one of the
following reasons:
1. To accommodate growth in staff or to rearrange the lab for more efficient
work space.
2. To improve and update the visual appearance of the lab and building to
provide a higher quality work environment.
3. To meet new casework, equipment, or utility service requirements.
4. To address code requirements.
5. To upgrade the building to be a more energy efficient.
Before a renovation is undertaken, the buildings structural system and the existing
mechanical systems, process piping, and electrical system must all be evaluated.
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3.0 SUMMARY:
This chapter focused on several design issues related to buildings within STPs such
as:
a. The Site.
b. The changing Brief.
c. Generic not specific.
d. Occupational Health and Safety.
e. Energy efficient design.
f. Decentralized mechanical plant.
g. Professional interaction.
h. External service space.
i. Laboratory furniture.
j. Illumination.
k. Noise.
l. Security.
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THE JORDANIAN INITIATIVE
CHAPTER 6: THE JORDANIAN INITIATIVE
This chapter will shed light over the main points in the Jordanian approach in
becoming a leading location for ICT in the region; also this chapter will forecast
suitable location for establishing STPs that may contribute to the overall process. An
analysis of the present state of Jordan can reveal a lot on the chance our country has in
the new world economic environment.
1.0 PERSPECTIVE ON THE JORDANIAN IT SERVICES VISION:
On January 30, 2000, his Majesty King Abdullah II dedicated his speech at the
Davos World Forum to promoting the potential of Jordan’s IT industry to foreign
investors. His Majesty also played a leading role by addressing participants at
Jordan’s IT Forum in March 2000, a forum which grouped international investors
with leading Jordanian IT firms. These two events have highlighted the benefits of
investing in Jordan’s IT Sector.
Jordan's unique location in the Middle East (east of Israel/Palestine and west
of Iraq) gives it a strategic importance in the region. Beside all of that Jordan is a
member of the WTO as well as a signatory to several international agreements such as
the FTA with the USA.
Jordan is a small country with a population of 5.3 million. The Jordanian
government, with the push of King Abdullah II, has taken many initiatives towards
developing an ICT sector in the country. The ICT sector is still in its infancy and will
need some time before it is fully established.
2.0 COUNTRY OVERVIEW:
Economy: (CIA World Fact book, 2004)
132
•
•
•
Labor Force: 1.36 million
Internet users: 457,000.
The main concentration is in Amman the capita city and zarqa as explained in
Figure 49.
Figure 49, Population dispersal over Jordan (Source: Author)
Communications: (DOS, 2004)
•
•
•
Land Line “ground line” Subscribers: 57%
Mobile Telephone Subscribers: 20%
Internet Diffusion (by household): 2.6%
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3.0 EDUCATION IN JORDAN:
Jordan adopts a long-standing policy of human resources; students start to
learn computer science in an early stage. Many schools especially in Amman are
equipped with computer labs. Still there is a lack of computer labs in many schools
out of Amman
Higher education in Jordan comprises two levels:
1. Two-year intermediate level program provided by community colleges and
similar in situations owned by either public or private sectors, (Kalaldeh,
2004).
2. University level, either public or private universities already have programs to
teach IT, many universities had already established whole faculty for IT
science, below are private and public universities:
Public Universities: : (MOHE, 2005)
1. Al al-Bayt University.
2. Al Hussain University
3. Al-Balqa Applied University.
4. Hashemite University.
5. Jordan University.
6. Mu'tah University.
7. Princess Sumaya University for Technology.
8. University of Science and Technology.
9. Yarmouk University.
Private Universities: (MOHE, 2005)
1. Al Zarqa University
2. Al-Isra University.
3. Al-Zaytoonah University.
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4. Amman Arabic University for Higher Education
5. Amman University.
6. Applied Science University.
7. Egyptian University
8. Irbid University
9. Jerash Private University.
10. NYIT.
11. Philadelphia University.
12. University of Petra.
13. Zarka Private University.
As explained in Figure 50, most of the universities concentrate in near the capital
Amman.
Figure 50, the location of Jordanian Universities (Source: Author)
135
4.0 THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT:
A very important issue is the legislative framework which plays a major role
in attracting large firms to invest, such as Intel, Microsoft, etc. Jordan has already
amended its intellectual property laws (copyright, patent, and trademark, for further
information view Chapter 3, legislative framework) in 1999 and again in 2001. The
original law for the copyright law was drafted in1992 and revisited in 1999 in order to
abide by the rules of acquiring membership to the WTO. The copyright law protects
literary, artistic and scientific works including computer software. Any infringement
on copyrights is punishable by law with a maximum penalty of three years in prison
and three thousand JDs (AGIP, 2001). The law also specifies a “work for hire” clause
which gives the employer the copyright of any work produced by the employees or as
specified in the contract. The law is not being enforced to the fullest extent but had
decreased piracy. According to the International Planning and Research Corporation,
the retail software revenue lost to piracy in 1996 was $2,659,000 whereas the revenue
lost in 2001 was $1,021,000; and the piracy rates have decreased from 83% to
67%.(EPIC, 2002).
Privacy in Jordan is not explicitly guaranteed in the constitution, however it is
implied in Article 18 which states “All postal, telegraphic, and telephonic
communications shall be treated as secret and as such shall not be subject to
censorship or suspension except in circumstances prescribed by law."( King Hussein
Official Website). The authorities are required to obtain a warrant from a general
prosecutor or a judge in order to be able to wiretap a telephone or search a house or
car. However, in practice authorities do not always abide by this and often break the
law and wiretap phones without prior permission from a judge. (EPIC, 2002).In order
to stimulate growth in e-commerce Jordan must enforce data protection laws so that
the people shopping online can feel safer.
136
As far as electronic commerce is concerned, there are no cyber-squatting
issues in Jordan due to the strict regulations by which a company can obtain a .jo
website. The National Information Center (NIC) has posted regulations on its website
(www.nic.gov.jo) where companies can go in and check them. Companies will have
to show proof that the name of the domain being applied for is relevant to the
company itself.
The Temporary Law No.85 for the year 2001 (Electronic Transactions Law),
which is effective as of the 31st of December 2001, was passed in order to "promote
the development of the information technology industry in Jordan and to develop
customer confidence in the Internet as a commercial medium" The law primarily has
three principals:
1. All electronic transmitted information is to be treated as equivalent to paperbased counterparts.
2. Electronically transmitted information can be treated as evidentiary material.
3. "The third principle is to facilitate the conduction of business and the
conclusion of contracts electronically, with regards to both public and private
transactions".
The law also contains a section on e-signatures. E-Signatures are considered
legal when there is a method to identify the person signing the record and to indicate
his approval (REACH 3, 2002). An E-Signature is legal when it has the following
attributes: (REACH 3, 2002)
•
•
•
•
If it is unique in its connections to the pertinent person.
Sufficient to identify its owner.
Generated in a manner or means specific to that person and under his control.
Connected to the record related thereto in a way that does not allow
modification to that record after signing such without altering the signature.
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This law, however, is handicapped by the fact that Ministry laws take
precedence over general laws. In the example provided in the E-Government
sections, the Ministry Trade cannot accept e-signatures because there are laws specific
to the Ministry that states that a legal signature is on paper and should be done in front
of a government clerk. The creation of the law is a step in the right direction, but
there are private laws that apply to specific organizations that need to be revised in
order to fully utilize the new law.
5.0
ANALYSIS:
NATIONAL
ICT,
STRENGTHS
AND
WEAKNESSES
5.1 ASSESSMENT IN BRIEF:
To give a brief assessment, I have used six headings that were used by
McConnel International in a report titled "The National E-Readiness of the Hashemite
Kingdom of Jordan," these headings are in the table below with a brief description of
the readiness of each category: (McConnell, 2003)
Table 11, Brief assessment of the readiness of each category (Source: Author)
Connectivity
e-Leadership
low-medium
medium-high
Information
Security
low-medium
Human Capital
medium
e-Business
Climate
low
5.2 DETAILED ANALYSIS:
The ICT Policy in Jordan is outlined in the REACH initiative13. REACH had
created a marriage between the private and public sector that was rarely seen in
Jordan. It is important for the government to stay in touch with its private sector if it
wants to improve the country's industries and economy. The document is constantly
13
; REACH is a complete and dynamic document that outlines the current situation in the Kingdom as
well as outlining the goals for the Jordan, regarding the Information Technology and Communications
(ICT).
138
being updated to accommodate changes in the country as well as to keep monitoring
the goals that were achieved and the ones to be achieved.
REACH documents has created a vision that is better equipped to handle
growth in ICT industry. It is important for a country to create a policy and to
continually monitor the progress and changes. The telecommunications infrastructure
is still inaccessible to all parts of Jordan. However, the government communications
infrastructure is advanced and is connected to the FLAG network. Telephone and
other communications services are still not available everywhere. The coverage of
the network needs still more enhancement to achieve E-government.
Internet diffusion is still very low due to the fact that local landline phone calls
are expensive (0.015 JD per minute) and the fact the PC's are expensive. The cost of
local phone calls must be decreased in order to improve the internet diffusion rate.
The average cost of a PC is almost equivalent to 30% of an average Jordanian's
annual salary. The computer assembly market is taking off and will greatly reduce
the cost of PC's which will also increase Internet diffusion.
E-Commerce is almost nonexistent. There are no statistics on the industry and
it is still at its very early infancy stages of development. There are some websites that
offer merchandize that can be bought online with the use of credit cards. However,
the cost of shipping would be a disadvantage since the average Jordanian can drive to
any store in his/her city in less than twenty minutes. Domestic production of software
and hardware yields below average returns to the country. The software industry is
affected by a lack of computer expertise. Most companies would rather buy
Commercial-Off-the-Shelf products (COTS) than to design their own systems. COTS
are usually less expensive and require less time to implement. Some businesses are
even willing to change business practices in order to accommodate a COTS product.
A good way to mitigate this problem is to start developing modules and ready made
products available rather than customizable products since COTS products are in
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demand. The hardware industry is booming and there is a significant market for
locally assembled PC's due to their lower price. Investors should invest in
establishing computer assembly factories to provide people with a cheaper PC. There
is also high demand for PC's by the government; potential investors are seeking the
government as a potential customer.
The workforce is average in skill. The literate and English-speaking
population accounts for a large number of the workforce. However, one of the
problems that rise is that the Gulf countries offer better salaries and jobs and are
attracting many Jordanian professionals. Other professionals are also seeking jobs in
Europe and the US. Jordanian companies need to pay attention to the local workforce
and offer competitive salaries to give potential immigrants an incentive to stay in the
country. The current unemployment rate is high and the population is young so this
poses a problem for the future.
Financing is largely dependent on foreign direct investments and joint
ventures set up by foreign organizations and corporations. Due to the current
situation in the region, there is a lack of foreign direct investment coming into the
country because people are afraid to invest. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as
the situation in Iraq greatly hinders any future investments in the country. Most
investors have misperceptions about the situation in Jordan as vulnerable and
economically unstable.
The E-Government program is underway and is on the right track. Many
government organizations are computerized and some are on the web. Companies
can find registration procedures online and can partially register online However; the
major underlying problem to E-Government is the digital and economic divide. In
order to fully implement E-Government, a majority of citizens have been online as
well as government organizations. The project is still largely in its planning phase
and not yet a reality.
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Finally, the legislative framework, Jordan has passed many laws that will
encourage foreign direct investment as well as domestic investment in ICT. Laws that
protect the copyright of software, promote investment, and regulate electronic
transactions and signatures have been passed. That means that the government is
playing the facilitator role trying to enforce the laws which will be a challenge in a
country that has a large piracy rate. Furthermore, the majority of the laws passed
related to ICT like the electronic transactions and signatures laws are still temporary
laws and will need to be approved by parliament. The new laws passed show a great
deal of commitment to the REACH document because the document suggested the
legal reform in the first place.
Jordan's largest asset is its leadership. King Abdullah II is greatly committed
to improving the ICT sector in the country. His majesty was the one to call on the
first Dead Sea summit which started initiatives such as REACH and a realistic
collaboration between the public and private sector. Commitment from the top of the
pyramid is important in order to keep the country going in the right direction and this
is certainly the case in Jordan. The truest form of ICT assessment in Jordan will be
the test of time and how well the plans are implemented.
6.0 THE SIZE OF THE DOMESTIC IT MARKET:
Table 12 Summarizes the Gross Value-Added Output by the Various
Computer and Other IT Sub-Sectors in Jordan:
Table 12 Size of the Jordanian IT Sector in the Economy
Summary of Gross Value-Added Output by the Various Computer and Other IT Sub-Sectors in Jordan
1998
(JD)
No.
Firms
Services
Software Consulting & Supply 33
Maintenance Operations
43
of Number
Employees
278
114
of Gross
Output
Gross
Value
Added
2,131
531
1,464
391
141
Retail
Trade
Retail Computer Sales
400
Industry
Computer-Aided
Printing & Design
8
Manufacturing of Electricity
Distribution
and
Control
Apparatus
9
Manufacturing of Insulated
Wires and Cables
6
Manufacturing of Monitors
2
and Receivers
Telecommunications
Telecommunications Services 5
Total IT Sector
506
GDP in 1998
Percent of GDP
2,500
14,321
11,272
98
1,574
76
146
4,364
1,830
801
23,869
4,003
291
28,496
8,556
5,423
9,651
252,151
372,438
218,610
246,203
4,408,000
5.6%
The Jordanian IT Sector contribute up to 5.6% in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
The following statistics is taken from (REACH 3.0, 2002):
•
•
•
•
•
Percentage of people employed in IT firms with technical positions: 57%
Total Revenues generated from IT: $168 million
Domestic Revenues generated from IT: $138 million
Export Revenues generated from IT: $38 million
Percentage of Total Domestic Revenue: 15.1%
7.0 JORDAN'S ICT POLICY
Major steps have been taken in the last four years towards creating a dynamic
and practical approach to be a part of the international ICT sector. The most
significant step towards a realistic goal in developing ICT is the creation of the
REACH initiative.
The REACH initiative is a marriage of the public and private sectors working
together to create a dynamic and workable plan. REACH stands for and embraces
actions in the following areas:
142
•
•
•
•
•
Regulatory Framework,
Enabling Environment and Infrastructure,
Advancement of National IT Programs,
Capital and Finance,
Human Resource Development.
The teams who created the document involved leaders in the IT sector under
the supervision of the government. The document is constantly being updated and
evaluated to accommodate changes in the economy and the IT sector. REACH 2.0,
then REACH 3.0 was created, and recently REACH 4.0 was launched in October
2003 and finished in January 2004, Jordan is taking the right steps towards developing
and improving its ICT sector. REACH can be viewed as the country’s National
Technology Policy as it encompass all the goals the country seeks to accomplish
through its ICT sector. “The goals and targets outlined in REACH are ambitious and
attainable. By the end of 2006, the country will have generated 30,000 IT related
jobs, will be earning $100 million dollars per year in exports, and will have attracted
$170 million dollars in foreign direct investment”.
The kingdom was able to create a partnership between the government and the
private sector, to take a role in the international community, and most importantly to
create the vision of having a viable and successful ICT industry.
The following is a list of tasks assigned by REACH 1.0 and REACH 2.0 that
were completed by the time REACH 3.0 was published September 2002. (REACH,
2002):
•
•
•
•
IT Industry Development
Establish new IT Industry Association
Regulatory Framework Strengthening
Streamline Customs Procedures
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Amend Restrictive Provisions of Labor Law
Enhance Access to JIB Incentives
Sign IT Agreement and IT Customs Valuation Accord of WTO
Develop Electronic Commerce Legislation
Government Support
Establish Private-Public Council for ICT Services Industry
Capital and Finance
Facilitate ICT IPOs on the Amman Stock Exchange
Infrastructure Development
Provide Preferential Access to High-Speed Lines.
8.0 JORDAN'S TELECOM INFRASTRUCTURE:
To summarize the IT infrastructure conditions, it was more helpful to construct
a table showing each service and its condition in Jordan as shown in the table below:
Table 13, Summary of the IT infrastructure conditions (Source: Author)
Infrastructures
Liberalization
Status
Public
telecommunication
network
Local networks for
voice telephony
Leased Lines
Broadcasting and cable Fully liberalized
TV
market
Voice Telephony
Local communication
Domestic
longdistance
International
communication
Mobile
Comments
Jordan Telecom
Jordan Telecom
Jordan Telecom
Television and Radio operated by the
Government. Three local TV stations.
About 30% of Jordanians have satellite TV
(2)
Jordan Telecom
Jordan Telecom
Jordan Telecom
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Communication
GSM digital
Paging
Internet
Providers
Fastlink , Mobilcom and Express (20% of
Jordanians have mobile phones (2)
Open Market
Three Operators (Jordan Radio Paging,
National Group for Communications, Jordan
Telecom)
Service Fully liberalized 10 ISPs (major players: Global One and
market
Cyberia jo)
The Kingdom is currently linked to the rest of the world via the FLAG (Fiber
Optic Link around the Globe) Network. FLAG is an undersea cable that passes
through Japan, the USA, and the Middle East through a node in Aqaba (Readiness for
E-Gov., 2000). FLAG provides high-bandwidth connection with the rest of the world.
According to “Jordan E-Government: An Implementation Plan” the Jordanian
government has the following government networks (Readiness for E-Gov., 2000):
•
•
•
The Royal Air Force network: a mixture of fiber-optic and coaxial cable
technologies.
The Armed Forces is based on microwave technology and currently spans
90% of the country.
The Department of Public Security network uses a fiber-optic technology in
all major cities. It current connects 200 police stations.
The above networks, however, are designed mainly for military and
government use.
Where the government’s network backbone is technologically
advanced, the civilian backbone network is not. The majority of Jordanians are
currently connected to the Internet at speeds no faster than 56.6 kbps at very high
costs, a very small proportion are using ADSL line at a speed 128 kbps -512 kbps.
The high cost of connecting to the Internet hinders the expansion of the usage of the
Internet by civilians and businesses. It is essential to address this problem and
provide the infrastructure where connecting to the Internet is feasible in order for the
145
E-Government project to succeed. Business cannot compete in the global market
without the availability of fast and inexpensive Internet connection.
IT capability that is currently found in Jordan exists mainly in Amman. Other
government agencies in other municipalities are outdated and in many cases are not
even computerized. Although most government ministries in Amman that provide
business services are computerized, very few have an online presence. “The IT
capability of most of the Jordanian government exists solely for the administrative use
of the particular agencies” (Readiness for E-Gov., 2000). The current situation is that
municipalities other than Amman are not computerized and that greatly limits the
delivery of E-Government services exclusively to Amman. Even at Amman, the
delivery will be limited due to the fact that Internet service is very expensive.
9.0 COMPUTING AND INTERNET DIFFUSION:
•
•
•
Number of websites registered as .jo: 933 (Webear.com, 2004)
Web hosts: 1 and that is www.nic.gov.jo
The following data is taken from (REACH 3.0, 2002):
o Diffusion of Internet: 2.6%
o ISP's: 10
o Current Internet Subscribers: 68,450 in year 2001
o Estimated Number of Jordanians who use the Internet: 457,000 (CIA
World Fact book, 2004)
o Cost of Internet (Low Speed, Unlimited): 3.9 JD monthly + Telecom
Charges
o Cost of Internet (High Speed 128 kbps, Dedicated Line): 195.0 JD
monthly
o Cost of Internet (High Speed 512 kbps, Dedicated Line) in Israel,
Ireland, Jamaica: $800 yearly
146
o Percentage of Jordanian Families who own PC's: 9.8%
The Internet Diffusion rate is very low for a country that is trying to appear on
the IT scene in the region. The diffusion rate is low because until a recent time the
cost of Internet was at around 80 JD in 2000. The rate dramatically decreased to 3.9
JD in 2003. The fact still remains that the user still will have to pay telephone charges
on the Internet connection of roughly 0.05 JD per minute. The reason why the cost of
Internet dramatically decreased is because the cost of a two megabyte leased line for
ISP's decreased from $120,000 in 2000 to $9,000 in 2002. The majority of
Jordanians who own PC's do not have Internet connection. With the decrease in the
Internet costs, the number of subscribers increased from 30,000 to 50,000 a 56%
increase from 2001 to 2002 (REACH, 2003).
According to H.E Bassem Awadallah, Minister of Planning, the current
Jordanian situation is that of “relatively low per capital income, economic and
therefore digital divide between urban and rural areas, PC penetration rates, and
Internet access.” The great disparity in per capita income in Jordan creates a form of
digital divide. According to “Jordan E-Government: an Implementation Plan,” an
estimated 457,000 Jordanians use the Internet. Many areas in Jordan are not familiar
with computers. This digital divide will greatly hinder the implementation of EGovernment. E-Government services cannot be provided to everyone if the people do
not have access to the Internet. Beside greater computer literacy is needed. The
government, therefore, needs to address the high cost of Internet access. Government
agencies outside of Amman are not computerized.
Amman are not linked together.
Beside, the agencies within
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10.0 ELECTRONIC COMMERCE & E-BUSINESS
Major payment technology used Credit Cards; Electronic Commerce is still not a
popular venue in Jordan. There is not much information to be found on the operation
of e-commerce as a sector. However, there are websites that are starting to engage in
e-commerce. The industry is expected to expand after the passing of the Electronic
Transactions Law. The following are three examples of E-Commerce websites (note
how the three websites are not registered as (.jo) but rather registered as a regular
.com):
•
•
•
Zalatimo Sweets (URL: http://www.zalatimosweets.com)
Mazaiic (URL: http://www.mazaiic.com)
JorMall (URL: http://www.jormall.com)
Zalatimo Sweets and Mazaiic.com offer full e-commerce capabilities. Both
websites contain shopping carts were customers can choose which products they want
to buy. Both websites accept major credit cards and use Aramax for delivery. The
websites deliver worldwide as well as domestically14. The antique stores in Jordan
receive many tourists as customers and with the current slowdown in tourism the ecommerce option may prove successful. JorMall website is a new website and is still
not fully operational. It is designed so that local companies can sign up with it and
use it as an e-commerce gateway to their stores. JorMall takes care of everything
from online transactions to website designs. It is a virtual mall that is intended to be
an easier way for businesses to get on the web and have their websites managed.
The following data (Table 14), is taken from REACH 4.0, (2004) report and is
based on a survey conducted by int@j:
Table 14, Domestic revenues and export revenues (Int@j, 2004)
14
Zalatimo Sweets is a producer and seller of Arabic sweets. Mazaiic.com is a reseller of antiques and
crafts. Antique stores and Arabic Stores are two potentially very successful international e-commerce
websites because they offer a product that would not be available anywhere else in the world
148
11.0 LOCAL PRODUCTIONS:
11.1 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT:
The software industry in Jordan is one of the fields of activity that could have
a great future and a very important role in the development of the country. the
Software and Information Technology Service industry at this moment is at the very
early stages of development.” Jordan currently has 80 to 100 value adding IT
companies and 400 to 500 Software and Hardware resellers. The main areas of
software development in Jordan are (int@j, 2004): (mainly used in banks, hospitals,
hotels, insurance companies, universities, communications and government)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Accounting packages
Web-based applications
Arabization
CBT Banking
System integration
Health
Insurance packages
Software conversion from 3rd to 4th generation
The main concentration is directed towards the Gulf market with some outsourced
work being done for the US and the rest of the global market. Jordan also has a
149
number of US company representatives including IBM, Microsoft, Dell, Compaq, HP,
US Robotics, and Apple. (Int@j, 2004), beside most companies prefers to use ready
made software’s instead of having their own software
11.2 HARDWARE MANUFACTURING:
Main market for hardware manufacturing in Jordan is PC assembly.
Currently, the "the market size of PC's is estimated at 282,000 PD's for the households
out of which 50% are assembled computers. An additional market of 140,000 PC's
exists but over the next five years. (Jordanian Embassy USA, 2004). According to the
Ministry of Communications and Information Technology "Availability of personal
computers (PCs) may be the single greatest impediment to more widespread access in
Jordan. The cost of the average PC remains beyond the means of the average
Jordanian with a per capita income of just over US$ 4,300." (CIA World Fact book,
2004) Currently, it is very expensive for the average Jordanian to acquire a PC and
this greatly effects the advance of any kind of IT sector in Jordan. A local computer
assembly market will greatly bring down the cost of PC's because of no custom taxes
and cheaper labor. There is also great demand for PC's in the government because of
the new initiatives of adding PC's in schools and E-Government. The demand for
PC's in the government over the next 5 years is illustrated in table 15:
Table 15, Number of PC's in different sectors (REACH 3, 2002)
Project
Education
E-Government
Miscellaneous
Total
Number of PC's
111,000
15,000
15,000
140,000
This high demand for PC's should prompt a growth in the computer assembly
market. Start up companies should take advantage of foreign direct investment and
150
venture capitals, in order to finance their projects. The current estimate to start a
computer assembly company is $30,000.
12. 0 IT WORKFORCE
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Literacy Rate: 86.6% (DOS, 2003)
Number of graduates per year in IT related fields: 2,400 (REACH 3, 2002)
College Graduates (undergraduate, postgraduate): 8.6% (Dep. Of Statistics,
2003)
English Fluency: 90% of Literate population.
Labor force: 1.36 million (CIA World Fact book, 2004)
Unemployment: 16% official rate; actual rate is 25%-30% (CIA World Fact
book, 2004)
People working in IT firms: 5000 (2,865 were classified as technical
personnel) (REACH 3, 2002).
People working in Software/Hardware development: 10,000
Number of engineers (Mechanical and Electrical): 33,000 (JEA, 2004)
A law was passed recently which will require teaching computer skills and the
English language from the second grade. English and computer skills will also be
required at the university level. Computer skills as well as programming languages
are required courses at the university level for science majors. For other majors, The
main challenge is to supply the schools with PC's and teachers who are trained to
teach computer skills. Currently the Jordanian government has "secured from various
sources, including the World Bank and Spanish government, to install computer labs
in 1,320 public schools". The government is also trying to secure loans to equip the
rest of the schools in the kingdom. Training is also required for the 56,738 teachers in
the country. Only 1.4% of those teachers have been trained. About 42.96% of the IT
workforce is classified as experienced and 56.56% of the IT workforce is classified as
151
Non-experienced (REACH 3, 2002). The figures indicate that the majority of the IT
workforce is not yet employed in the industry. Currently Jordan has "80 to 100 value
adding companies, employing approximately 3,000 employees, in addition to 400-500
Software and Hardware resellers, employing around 10,000 people" (int@j, 2004).
The main concern for developing a viable Jordanian IT force is the fact that
almost 50% of the schools currently do not have computer labs. Many of the areas
where these schools are located are very poor and underdeveloped. The government
will need to develop these areas economically and technologically.
13.0 IT GEOGRAPHIES:
IT Clusters in Jordan in the capital Amman. The Major ICT Cluster followed
by Irbid Amman is by far the largest ICT cluster in Jordan. Beside major internet
users are inhabitants of Amman and Irbid as shown in Figure 51. Almost 90% of IT
firms and businesses are based in Amman. The following are some statistics
illustrating the size of IT industry in Amman:
•
•
•
IT firms 645 (about 90%)
Registered Computer Importers in Amman-385
Computer Assembly: 87% of Jordan's market
152
Figure 51, Number of Internet Users in Jordan (Source: Author)
14.0 IT FINANCING IN JORDAN
The two main sources of financing for IT firms are:
14.1 FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT (FDI):
•
•
Total FDI in 2001: $58.7 million
Foreign Direct Investment is perhaps one of the vital sources of financing for
Jordanian IT firms. The following are examples taken from Reach 2.0
document of FDI in Jordan: (REACH 2, 2001)
Cisco Systems - invested $1 million in the EFG-Hermes Venture Capital
Fund. Cisco also developed a Networking Academics program which teaches people
how to build and maintain Internet networking systems. (REACH 2, 2001)
153
NETS and Firstnet FTG - "Bahrain Telecomm (Batelco) has formed Batelco
Jordan, purchasing 51% of the ISPs, NETS and Firstnet, and merging them into one.
The value of this deal is estimated at $13.9 million." (REACH 2, 2001)
Maktoob - "Maktoob is the first Arabic web-based email solution on the
Internet. Launched by the Jordanian firm, Business Optimization Consultants (B.O.C)
in October 1998, Maktoob is rapidly becoming one of the major Arab virtual
communities on the Internet. New and innovative services are continuously being
introduced to spread the use of the Arabic language on the Internet and to make it
easier for Arabic users to communicate. Maktoob has attracted $2 million in
investment from the EFG-Hermes Venture Capital Fund".(REACH 2, 2001)
14.2 VENTURE CAPITAL:
EFG-Hermes is establishing a $15 million Jordan IT Venture Capital Fund to
encourage investment in promising small Information Technology companies.
(REACH 2, 2001)
Crescent Venture Partners with Export and Finance Bank - The fund is worth
$30 million and is based in Amman. . (REACH 2, 2001)
Number of Jordanian IT companies on London or New York stock exchange:
0. There are future plans to establishing a regional IT stock market for listing and
trading IT companies. The new Regional IT Board will provide means for IT
companies in Jordan, Dubai and Bahrain to access capital for growth. "It will also
provide venture capital firms that invest in IT companies with an exit mechanism for
realizing their investment." (REACH 2, 2001)
15.0 E-GOVERNMENT IN JORDAN
Overview of the government IT infrastructure (Readiness for E-Gov., 2000):
•
Organizations with IT: 82 (97%)
154
•
•
•
•
•
IT equipment Servers (394) Clients (8833)
LANs: 77 (91%)
WANs: 48 (60%)
Internet: 74 (87%)
Web Presence: 44 (52%)
According to the “Implementation of E-Government in Jordan” report released by
the E-Government task force in Jordan, E-Government is defined as not a technology
project, but rather as an attempt to accomplish the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Improve the performance, credibility and transparency of the government.
Provide government products and service electronically.
Provide services to citizens electronically.
Improve collaboration between government agencies.
Improve Jordan’s competitive advantage.
Reduce costs incurred by the government and the private sector
In light of this, the implementation of E-Government is extremely essential to
compete in the region. However, there are many limitations that hinder the EGovernment project. These limitations are:
1. Financing the E-Government project.
2. Creating a uniform standard between government agencies. Different agencies
are using different computer platforms.
3. Laying out the groundwork for such a project. Currently there is a digital
divide that exists between urban and rural areas.
4. Computer literacy:
5. Legislation needs to be overhauled in order to implement the project.
According to the “Jordan E-Government: an Implementation Plan,” which was
published by the Economic Consultative Council at the Royal Palace of Jordan, the
155
project would take the form of government-to-business, government-to-citizen, and
government-to-government. The government-to-business objective is to attract foreign
investment by making it easier for foreign companies to register and conduct business
in Jordan. E-Government will also focus on the government-to-citizen to make some
services available to citizens via the Internet. To build the backbone of such a project,
the various government agencies need to be connected with one another, thus
government-to-government.
The establishment of a uniform government intranet is also necessary for the
successful implementation of E-Government. Governmental agencies traditionally
have been operated as separate islands. Each agency developed a computerized
system on its own. With the establishment of E-Government and the renamed
Ministry of Information and Communications and Technology, the various agencies
will interact in a meaningful way.
The most important step to overcoming all the obstacles that stand in the way
of E-Government is the continued seriousness and dedication to the project. His
Majesty King Abdullah certainly expresses his dedication for the establishment of a
serious IT sector in Jordan. One of the ways to achieve that is with the E-Government
project. On his personal website, his majesty outlines the necessary steps to achieving
this goal and that they include “new or amended legislation, necessary government
policies, procedures and incentives that would lead to the growth of this sector, and
perhaps more importantly a will to make them overcome any obstacle in this regard.”
(King Abdullah II official website, 2004)
However, E-Government in Jordan remains a project on paper and is not yet
realized. Currently only 52% of the government organizations are present on the web.
An example of web presence includes the Ministry of Information and
Communications
Technology
website
(http://www.moict.gov.jo)
which
lists
documents such as the E-Government documents. An example of Government to
156
Business E-Government is the website for the Ministry of Industry and Trade
(http://www.mit.gov.jo/home_En.asp) which includes guidelines for company
registration in Jordan. The company can register through the website and send the
application electronically. However, the applicant must visit the service desk at the
ministry and provide the company name in order to check for accuracy. If no further
information is required then the application is printed out and signed in front of the
government official at the service desk. Registration fees can only be paid in person
or though a designated representative with a power of attorney. The process may
reduce red tape but physical signing of documents and physical (rather than online)
payments must be provided (for an example of the registration application follow the
link:( http://www.mit.gov.jo/PUInfoRegister_En.asp).
16.0 JORDAN ATTEMPTS TOWARD ESTABLISHING STPS:
STPs are another important part of an information infrastructure. Regional
development theorists have pointed to the significance of high-technology zones as
contributing to general economic welfare, through the diffusion of economic benefits.
Once these parks are running efficiently. Jordan will be much more competitive in
attracting software/hardware projects.
In a bid to encourage private investments in the IT sector, the government set
forth a law in 1999 allowing the establishment of public and private STPs, first of
which in Jordan is CyberCity, a World Class Information Technology and Industrial
Park by design. CyberCity will be an open park for any international investor that will
host many commercial, industrial, and tourist and recreational activities.
Another STP to get started in Jordan is a joint venture by Hillwood of the
United States, and the Hashemite University in Zarka, Jordan. This newly announced
157
project will encourage software development, IT education and training, and other
outsourcing activities in the IT field
16.1 CYBERCITY IN IRBID
CyberCity is located in Irbid very close to the university of Science and Technology
and to El-Hassan Industrial Esitate, as shown in the location map Plate 10.
Plate 10, Location map of CyberCity Irbid (Khalaldeh, 2002)
Figure 52, CyberCity Map (CyberCity, 2004)
The Jordanian government endorsed a $56 million Qualified Industrial Zone
(QIZ) project to be established as joint venture between the Jordan University for
158
Science and Technology and Boscon Jordan Group, which is a Hong Kong, based
manufacturing company, the first phase is already running, IFC (international
Financing Corporation) has already gave a loan about $12 million. CyberCity is
Jordan’s 6th QIZ, and is the first IT Park integrated with QIZ. CyberCity will benefit
from the technology-specialized academic talent available at the University, serving
as a research and development center for the University faculty. The IT-specialized
QIZ will be contracted on a 4 million square meter plot located on the Jordan
University for Science and Technology.
The CyberCity combines the benefits of being a Qualifying Industrial Zone
and Special Export Free Zone. This intention reflects in its master plan (Figure 52).
That means that companies will enjoy a quota free & duty Free access into US
market, No Import Duty,100% Foreign Ownership, Unrestricted Repatriation of
Capital and Tax Holiday, tenants profits are exempted from both income tax and
social services, salaries and allowances of non-Jordanian employees are exempted
from income tax and social services tax, no fees on imports of raw materials and
exports of transformed or manufactured goods from CyberCity to foreign markets,
tenants Profits are exempted from construction license fees, buildings are exempted
from the annual Building Tax, no Temporary Entry Bank Guarantee required for the
imports of raw materials to CyberCity, full repatriation of capital, profits and salaries,
and domestic and Foreign tenants are treated equally (CyberCity, 2004).
The
CyberCity
offers
an
infrastructure
equipped
with
many
telecommunications facilities such as telephone, cellular telephone and leased lines,
high Speed internet transmission, virtual private network (VPN), ISDN Telephone
Exchange, Backbone Structure Cabling using enhanced CAT5 & ATM, as well as
warehousing, postal, and medical services (CyberCity, 2004).
16.2 AQABA SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE:
159
Similar to CyberCity, the Aqaba Special Economic Zone is equipped to handle
the needs of Information and Communication Technology as well as having the
benefits of being in a special economic zone. The following is a list of professional
service industries that the Aqaba Special Economic Zone can accommodate (ASEZA,
2004):
•
•
Engineering consulting.
Information Technology: software development, data conversion, remote
processing, CAD/GIS digitizing, vectorizing, medical transcription, call
•
•
•
•
•
centers, claims processing.
Medical centers for long-term recovery and rehabilitation.
Conversion and repair of small vessels.
Internet Service Providers.
Residential and retirement centers.
Printing and publishing: Arabic translation, offshore English production.
ASEZA had offered a reasonable area size which is colored in figure53, also the
location will benefit for being adjacent to Aqaba Airport
160
Figure 53, Locations for future STPs in Aqaba (ASEZA, 2002)
16.3 IT DISTRICT AT AL ABDALI URBAN REGENERATION
PROJECT:
Another attempt to establish another IT park this time in Amman See Figure
45. The site is the largest single-owned vacant plot in the center of Amman available
for private development. It offers a unique opportunity for development because of its
strategic location. The area was originally established as a military compound on the
outskirts of Amman and maintained that function as the city developed around it
through the 1950's and 1960's.
the main objectives of the site are to Create a vibrant and integrated mixed-use
development , to activate the osite in support of Jordan's drive towards the knowledge
economy, beside to provide an electronic infrastructure facility, a ‘Smart City', as a
contemporary business and residential environment, to MEET the market's demand
for high quality serviced offices , to promote the site as Amman's ‘new business
address ', and to encorage a distinguished ‘life-style' for the area
Figure 54, Al Abdali Urban Regineration Project, Arial View
161
17.0 PROPOSED LOCATIONS FOR STPs IN JORDAN:
How can Jordanian STPs fit in this new worldwide scenario? In the industrial
economy, companies located wherever they had easy access to raw materials or at
least where they could have other similar advantages in terms of cost reduction, such
as easy transportation of materials and goods, for instance. The typical location
sequence according to Luis Sanz was that; companies follow raw materials, then;
workers follow companies (Sanz, 2002).
In this new context, knowledge-based companies which are the main target of
STPs do not depend on physical raw materials. On the contrary, their raw material
now is “knowledge”, or even better, the human brains. This fact introduces a major
change: workers no longer follow companies wherever these choose to locate; on the
contrary, today companies follow knowledge workers where ever these may be found.
So, the big questions now are: Where can knowledge workers be found?
What type of location do they prefer? Which are their criteria to decide where to
reside?
There seems to be increasing evidence that knowledge workers (high-tech
trained people, creators, young entrepreneurs, innovators…) privilege living in
quality urban areas with a high level of amenities and with a thick labour market
where jobs can be found easily, (Arora et al. 2000) (Florida, 2001). Cities known for
their broad cultural offer, democratic and open-minded life−styles, diversity,
freedom, tolerance and cross-culture character seem to do a better job all over the
world, in attracting highly skilled people, young professionals and entrepreneurs. It
follows that it is precisely in such cities and their surroundings where the highest
concentration of knowledge− and innovation−based businesses can be found, simply
because, as we said before, they follow their most precious asset: talented people.
162
In the case of Jordan the main criteria for selecting a location for STPs would
be:
•
The existence of an adequate scientific and technical expertise,
•
proper economic and industrial infrastructures,
•
Proper urban infrastructure, such as transportation networks (airport, railways,
high ways, etc.) telecommunication networks, electricity, water supplies,
sewage systems, etc.
•
proper resources for maintaining expert work force and supporters, near
distance to the regional, national and international markets,
•
Suitable climatic conditions (weather, environment, etc.)
•
And suitable land prices with proper conditions.
Below in table 16, showing a possible way to apply this criterion selecting the
suitable city for hosting STPs, this criterion was suggested by the researcher, each of
the upper factors were given a number of marks; the total mark was 110.
These criteria are not a very accurate and it's not recommended to follow
precisely, but to give an idea for favorable sites to locate STPs. The figure below
shows a ranking locations for the cities selected by the researcher to locate STP near
the most qualified city.
163
Figure 55, Ranking for suitable cities for STPs (Source: Author)
Aqaba
Balqa
Irbid
Zarqa
Amman
City
Facilities
Name
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
Low (10)
Availability
Mid (20)
Scientific
High (30)
technical
Low (10)
Availability
Mid (15)
Universities
High (20)
20%
Low (5)
Airports 10%
of
and
of
√
√
High (10)
Low (5)
√
√
Mid (7.5)
√
√
√
High (10)
√
√
Low (5)
Telecommunica
Mid (7.5)
tions 10%
√
√
√
High (10)
Low (2)
Electricity 5%
Mid (3)
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
Water
Mid (3)
5%
supply
High (5)
Low (2)
Sewage system
Mid (3)
5%
Low (2)
Suitable
Mid (3)
Climate 5%
High (5)
Low (2)
Transportation
Mid (3)
5%
High (5)
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
87.5
Low (2)
High (5)
√
√
69
High (5)
Low (2)
Acceptable
Mid (3)
Land Price 5%
High (5)
81.5
79.5
105
164
Highways 10%
Table 16, Criteria for selecting the most favorable city for hosting STPs. (Source: Author)
Mid (7.5)
165
According to the Table 16, it has shown that Amman had received the highest
marks, Amman is the most qualified city to host an STP.
After Amman was selected as the favorable location for STP, we need to
select a suitable site within Amman, the researcher proposed two different locations
within Amman, the first location was called Location A which was near the airposrt in
what is called the development corridor, the other location was called Location B this
location was proposed near the Hashimate University near Zarqa. Both locations were
examined by other criteria.
The criteria as discussed in Table 17, took into consideration the following
points Availability of Universities and their closeness to them, their closeness to
QAIA, the number of Highways serving the location, the condition of the
telecommunication infrastructure, transportation by estimating the time it takes each
employee to get to the location proposed, and finally by examining the availability of
land with acceptable price for making business. Each of the location was given
percentage of marks and finally the total number shown as that location A, had
succedded over location B, so we may say Location A is more favourable to host an
STP than Location B.
Location A:
Location A (refer to plate11) is within what is called the Development
Corridor (MGA, may-24-2004), this location is within the are between Castal and
Sahab as showed in the figure below
Location A is benefiting from all the amenities within Amman beside its very
close to Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA), also benefiting from the highway
connecting Aqaba with Aman. Other incentives are its intermediate location between
166
number of universities (University of Petra, Al-Isra University, Al-Zaytoonah
University, Jordan University Princess Sumaya University for Technology, NYIT).
Plate 11, Proposed Location A (Source: Author)
Location B:
Location B (see plate 12), is located in the area close to Hashemite University,
this location has a lot of potentials its benefiting from its location near a number of
universities (Hashemite University, Al al-Bayt University, Applied Science
167
University, Zarka Private University), beside its closeness to Zarqa Industrial Estate
(ZIE).
Other incentives include highways, this location is very close to the Iraq lane
connecting the north part of Jordan with Syria and Iraq, another thing to be mentioned
when Road 50 is constructed the connection with QAIA will be much better
Plate 12, Proposed Location B (Source: Author)
Table 17, Criteria for selecting the most favorable Location for hosting STPs. (Source: Author)
Facilities
Availability
Universities 30%
Airports 20%
Highways 10%
of
Marks
Low (10)
Mid (20)
High (30)
Low (10)
Mid (15)
High (20)
Low (5)
Mid (7.5)
Location A
High (30)
Location B
Mid (20)
High (20)
Mid (15)
High (10)
High (10)
168
High (10)
Telecommunications
Low (2)
5%
Mid (3)
High (5)
Electricity 5%
Low (2)
Mid (3)
High (5)
Water supply 5%
Low (2)
Mid (3)
High (5)
Sewage system 5%
Low (2)
Mid (3)
High (5)
Suitable Climate 5%
Low (2)
Mid (3)
High (5)
Transportation 10%
Low (5)
Mid (7.5)
High (10)
Acceptable
Land Low (2)
Price 5%
Mid (3)
High (5)
TOTAL
High (5)
High (5)
High (5)
High (5)
High (5)
Mid (3)
Mid (3)
Low (2)
High (5)
Mid (3)
High (10)
Mid (7.5)
Mid (3)
High (5)
96
75.5
According to the upper table Location A, is the most favorable location to host STP.
In the process of favoring between location A&B, each location was examined
and studied within a certain diameters of 30 Km, as shown in Figure 56.
Figure 56, Criteria used for selecting STPs
169
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
1.0 FINDINGS:
1.1 FINDING RELATED TO CHAPTER 1:
This chapter discussed the historical background for the information
technology revolution, besides focusing on stories of the successful pioneers in this
field.
•
What characterizes the current technological revolution is not the centrality of
knowledge and information but the applications of such knowledge and
information
•
•
to
knowledge
generation
and
information
processing/communication devices.
Science was clearly an urban phenomenon, but technological progress was
not. Before 1750 technological changes were not an urban phenomenon
Urban features, such as; the agglomeration of scientists, the existence of
scientific institutions, libraries and universities, did not play an important role
•
in technological changes before the 19th century
The 20th century is characterized by concepts of planning and the ideal of
feasibility, It has to be stated that politicians and economists aimed to create
•
•
"innovative milieus".
There is a growing body of research which is focusing on the location of hightechnology industries and their relation to STPs
STPs have principally been regarded as typical space of creativity
1.2 FINDING RELATED TO CHAPTER 2:
This chapter profiles the growth of the STP movement over the past 20 years.
It shows the current research effort on the classification of STPs. Even though the
classification is very useful in conceptualizing the functional typology of Science and
170
Technology Parks, it is basically focus on the physical characteristics and static in
nature.
•
These days every STP developers, public-led (created) or private-led
(spontaneous), consider that building a STP is an efficient way to create local
•
conditions supportive of the innovation process.
STPs are designed to facilitate the production and commercialization of
advanced technologies by introducing synergies among research centers,
•
education institutions, and technology-based companies.
STP term has at least 16 synonyms, with the most common known "Science
Park" "Research Park" "Technology Park" and "Technopole". The most
•
•
•
•
accepted one is the definition by IASP.
Since 1980s, a rapid growth of STPs worldwide, which is called 'Science and
Technology Parks movement' (Massey et al, 1992).
Successful parks often have taken a decade or more to become economically
viable.
Silicon Valley: The first formal STP was established in 1951 at Stanford
University
The technology incubator is an integral part of most STPs and a major
contributor to their success.
1.3 FINDING RELATED TO CHAPTER 3:
This chapter focuses on four different countries that noticed the importance of
STP for their development; the following findings may be included:
The culture of STPs:
•
Tolerance of failure: STPs recognizes that failure is an integral part of
business life.
171
•
•
Risk-seeking: a large share of the general and business population is prepared
to risk in engaging in new ventures.
Enthusiasm for change: A popular saying in STPs is “Either we obsolete
ourselves, or the competition will”. Virtually every big firm in STPs is a spin-
•
off from another one.
Promotion on merit: One of STPs secret weapons is openness to immigrants.
Age and experience, which elsewhere get people promoted, are of no help in
•
•
•
the STP.
Obsession with the product: STPs obsession with “the cool idea” keeps it
ahead of the competition.
Collaboration: Staff are borrowed, ideas shared, favors exchanged.
Variety: Despite their common culture, STPs companies come in all shapes
and sizes. The sheer variety of companies in STPs gives the place a better
•
chance of survival.
Reinvestment in the region: most of the money made out of the technology
industry goes straight back in, either via people starting their own companies
or via investors.
The social capital of Stanford Science Park (main ingredients):
•
•
The great research universities -- Stanford, UC Berkeley and UC San
Francisco (UC Medical School).
US government policy, in the early phases of microelectronics and computer
networking - both as a sponsor of University research and, critically, as the
•
lead-user.
Venture capital firms. What distinguished this industry from venture capital in
other parts of the country was the fact that venture capitalists in Silicon Valley
invariably had had careers with technology firms in the region. As a result,
172
Silicon Valley venture capitalists understood the technical dimensions of the
•
•
•
business far better than their Eastern counterparts,
Law firms
The leading figures in University engineering departments venture firms, law
firms and operating firms in Silicon Valley.
Stock options. Employees (not counting the firm’s “founders” and CEO)
often hold options and shares amounting easily to 10 or 15% (or more at the
•
early stages) of a firm’s capital value.
The important characteristics of the Silicon Valley labor market, which define
the Valley’s particular brand of social capital. Among these characteristics
are: first of all there is no stigma in leaving a large and very successful
company to launch a start-up. Second there is rapid turnover. This has many
consequences, one of which is technology diffusion. Third is recruitment of
talent, especially scarce technical and entrepreneurial talent, from literally the
entire world. To meet the needs of their clients, Silicon Valley law firms have
developed a substantial capability -- sometimes in-house, sometimes
•
networked -- in immigration law.
The specific nature of the industrial activities that shape the region’s social
capital, valuing and strengthening some kinds of social structures compared to
others, as well as defining its industrial specialization (Cohen and Fields,
1999).
1.4 FINDING RELATED TO CHAPTER 4:
The fourth chapter discusses the planning and design issues related to the STP
development, the following findings can be summarized:
•
Ensuring a legal framework is a very important issue in bringing foreign
investments to country.
173
•
•
Human Capital is one of the prime critical success factors for STP
development in a country.
Culture in STPs should be different from the traditional one prevailing in
normal commercial market. People of STPs are to see life through an
engineer's eyes, as a series of problems to be solved by turning to technology.
They should approach everything as a technical problem and that trend should
extend even to the way they view their lives. Everyone should have a personal
mission statement to fulfill within a certain period. Aspiring nations must have
•
to change their mindset to cultivate that Silicon Valley's culture in STPs.
Conducting a full survey for the suitable location of the park, by ensuring the
availability of skilled employees, besides understanding the culture and the
•
•
•
•
•
main interest in region.
Trying to locate the STP development close to a university.
Conducting a topographic survey to ensure a many design issues such as
balancing between guts and fills, storm drainage, etc.
Trying not to use the gridiron system for circulations in the development.
Ensuring a quality of life beside a prestigious looking site. The image of the
park is very important to investors.
Ensuring the option for future expansion is a key design issue.
1.5 FINDING RELATED TO CHAPTER 5:
The fifth chapter discuses the design issues related to the buildings within the STP
development the following points can be summarized:
1. The Site: community concerns for the environment are increasing the need for
community involvement in a consultative process before proposals for a STP
project.
174
2. The changing Brief: because the research facility requirements will change
with new technology, research grants, student enrolments and for many other
reasons, we should design for the future and not just for the present specific
requirements.
3. Generic not specific: the requirements for specific needs should be
rationalized in an attempt to accommodate them within generic, flexible and
adaptable research facility.
4. Occupational Health and Safety: occupational and safety issues have become a
major consideration with legislation enforcing standards which were
previously only recommendations
5. Energy efficient design: an awareness of energy efficiency and reduction in
greenhouse gas emissions have led to the integration of the principles of
ecologically sustainable design. Exploiting the characteristics of convection,
prevailing breezes, solar energy, heat banks and even subterranean heat
exchange are all evolving technologies with particular implications for
laboratory building designs.
6. Decentralized mechanical plant: air conditioning of research facility building
can be more energy efficient if conditioners are located on the floors the serve.
The insulated ducts are smaller and shorter in length. The alternative of a
central plant room on the roof involves large air duct taking up valuable floor
space on each floor and if the central plant fails, the whole building loses the
controlled environment.
7. Professional interaction: the need for research facility planning to facilitate,
indeed encourage, professional interaction is recognized now by management
as part of professional work, ideas can spring to mind when informal
interaction occurs in the staff circulation.
175
8. External service space: the traditional interstitial service space between floors
has proved to be too costly for most projects. The alternative design of
servicing from the external wall, instead of between the floors, is less costly,
more accessible for maintenance and less disruptive to laboratory staff.
9. Laboratory furniture: movable benches are becoming more appropriate.
10. Illumination: lighting systems which combine shadowless indirect lighting
with low voltage task lighting have improved energy conservation. The very
directional fluorescent luminaries with mirrored elliptical reflectors are also
energy efficient.
11. Noise: a problem for research facility staff space with noisy equipment can
now be reduced by a noise attenuating fabric covered with a very thin
washable plastic.
12. Security: it is important to select the proper security system which will help
the firm to progress
1.6 FINDING RELATED TO CHAPTER 6:
Chapter sex discussed the IT condition in Jordan; summarizing the points of strengths
and weakness in the table below:
Table 18, Points of Strengths and Weakness in Jordan condition (Source: Author)
Strengths
Weaknesses
Human Capital, expressed in the number
Previous unsuccessful strategies
of educated people.
• Lack of control follow-up.
• Conventional way of thinking.
• Fear of change.
• Bad resource management,
• Lack of accurate data in all
fields.
Young and motivated ICT community
Communication infrastructure in
remote areas
The present political environment
Low average salary for ICT
specialists
The capacity of rapid adoption to modern
Effectiveness of the existing legal
technologies
framework
Rapid pace of increase in the number of
Piracy
176
internet users
Increasing rate of the number of mobile
phone users
Strengthening of the telecommunication
providers market
High cost of having access to
information technology internet
lack in the vision of the importance of
STP, even when there is a vision the
biggest problem is to imitated STP in
successful countries without full
understanding of the subject
Rapid return for investments in ICT.
2.0 GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS:
•
STPs are not what most policy makers believe them to be, as hot fixes for the
economical growth. They should be considered as a long term investments. So
it would be very important to understand how STPs work, before deciding to
•
•
•
establish one.
Conducting a sufficient analysis in order to identify the suitability of the STP
location for the proposed business vision.
The developer must always think for the future expansion plans.
The policy makers must conduct a survey to ensure the availability of all the
ingredients that build a successful STP, as skilled labor, regulatory framework,
•
etc.
Select the most suitable site for locating STP in a region which is more ready
than the other an never try to induce STPs in regions that are less prepared
•
because finally the better off regions always wins
Always locate STPs beside universities. Another step is to evaluate the
efficiency of this connection, some studies had shown that in some cases the
connection between the park and the university was low during to many
•
reasons one of them was, they were not sharing the common interests.
The developer should always imagine the whole picture of the park not just
the business promoters but the whole context, green areas, recreational
facilities, housing, nightlife, etc.
177
•
There are definite national costs in pursuing high-technology-led growth in too
many regions at once or in lagging areas, the competition among regions for
sites can be expensive and wasteful, because finally the better off regions
•
always wins.
Incentives and subsidies provided by both national and local governments are
generally self defeating from a national perspective; if a region or business has
to be subsidized to survive, then the value-added in production is negative, to
sustain this situation resources have to be drawn from other areas and
•
reallocated to the subsidized region
When considering the impact of STPs on both national and regional
development, it is important to recognize that their success rate does not
appear to be high, beside when it comes to establishment of a successful park
•
"the early bird gets the worm".
reasons identified for the failure of a STPs;
o Insufficient assistance to tenant companies.
o Low levels of local technological development.
o Weak incubator center, management and the frequent reassignment of
managers.
•
o Inability to develop value-adding advisory and training services.
Another critical success factor is business strategy at macro and micro levels.
While, macro level policies should be taken by STP authority in general to
nurture right business environment, micro-level strategies need to be adopted
by individual companies for sustainable growth:
Macro Level Strategy;
1. Finding a dynamic leader who will set the vision.
2. Attracting locators would create jobs in STPs.
178
3. joint incubator ventures.
4. Regional leadership and co-operation among countries would be
fruitful for neighboring countries to learn from the regionally
leading country.
5. growth enablers:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Building a supply base of the world's best knowledge workers
Creating the ideal regulatory environment
Building anchor country's brand, for instance, India Inc. brand.
Opening new opportunities through country-specific initiatives
Achieving global parity in telecom infrastructure.
Unleashing venture creation and incubation engine.
Micro Level Strategy: Individual companies also need to take a series of special
actions to have competitive edge:
•
There should be interacting specialist companies rather than
independent ones to offer the total package as well as develop
•
adaptability to absorb shock of market change.
Companies need to exercise valued system, right processes, and
sound management principles and formulate effective business
•
model to play ably in global IT market.
Since STPs hold bright promise for developing countries, international
communities and developed countries alike should come forward to help
developing countries establish them. In this regard, some steps should be
taken:
o Build International STPs Development Centre to conduct research and
offer consultancy to developing countries.
179
o That centre would also act as matchmaker.
o Offer total package for STP establishment, from infrastructure to
software syndicate group.
o Build prototypes of the STP Development Centre in each country.
180
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I
APPENDIX
STPs RELATED TERMINOLOGIES
II
Science Park15 (IASP Official definition):
A Science Park is an organization managed by specialized professionals, whose main
aim is to increase the wealth of its community by promoting the culture of innovation
and the competitiveness of its associated businesses and knowledge-based institutions.
To enable these goals to be met, a Science Park stimulates and manages the flow of
knowledge and technology amongst universities, R&D institutions, companies and
markets; it facilitates the creation and growth of innovation-based companies through
incubation and spin-off processes; and provides other value-added services together
with high quality space and facilities. (IASP, 2002).
Science and Technology Park (STP): A Science and Technology Park is a space,
physical or cybernetic, managed by a specialized professional team that provides
value-added services, whose main aim is to increase the competitiveness of its region
or territory of influence by stimulating a culture of quality and innovation among its
associated businesses and knowledge-based institutions, organizing the transfer of
knowledge and technology from its sources to companies and to the market place, and
by actively fostering the creation of new and sustainable innovation-based companies
through incubation and spin-off processes. (L. Sanz, 2001). The definition will be
discussed broader in chapter 2.
University Research Park: A property-based venture which has: Existing or planned
land and buildings designed primarily for private and public research and
development facilities, high technology and science based companies, and support
services.
• A contractual and/or formal ownership or operational relationship with one or
more universities or other institutions of higher education, and science
research.
• A role in promoting research and development by the university in partnership
with industry, assisting in the growth of new ventures, and promoting
economic development.
• A role in aiding the transfer of technology and business skills between the
university and industry tenants.
Business incubation: Business incubation is a dynamic process of business enterprise
development. Incubators nurture young firms, helping them to survive and grow
during the startup period when they are most vulnerable. Incubators provide hands-on
management assistance, access to financing and orchestrated exposure to critical
business or technical support services. They also offer entrepreneurial firms shared
office services, access to equipment, flexible leases and expandable space — all under
one roof
Technocell: A technocell is a place whose size can vary from hundreds of square
meters to several thousands of square kilometers with a technology accumulation
which leads to corporate development within its limits and which interrelates with
surroundings in technology dissemination and transfer processes promoting the
competitiveness of traditional companies. In addition, it is connected to the
15
The expression “Science Park” may be replaced in this definition by the expressions “Technology
Park”, “Technopole” or “Research Park”.
III
internationalized market network and interrelates with it.(Felipe Romera) (IASP,
2002)
Technology: "The use of scientific knowledge to specific ways of doing things in a
reproducible manner" (Harvey Brooks) (IASP, 2002)
Technology transfer: Technology transfer is the process by which technology,
knowledge, and/or information developed in one organization, in one area, or for one
purpose is applied and utilized in another organization, in another area, or for another
purpose. (DOE (Dept. of Energy) / USA) (IASP, 2002)
Innovation: Innovation is a process, involving multiple activities, performed by
multiple actors from one or several organizations, during which new combinations of
means and/or ends, which are new for a creating and/or adopting unit, are developed
and/or produced and/or implemented and/or transferred to old and/or new marketpartners. (Joerg Gemuenden)
SME : There is no official or universally accepted definition of an SME. The
definitions used vary widely among countries, but they are most often based on
employment. In general, an SME is considered to have fewer than 500 employees,
although many countries use a lower cut-off, say 300 or 100 employees. Some
countries differentiate between manufacturing and services SMEs; in this case,
services SMEs are usually defined as smaller than manufacturing SMEs.
Some countries distinguish between autonomous SMEs and those that are connected
to a larger enterprise or group, or identify an SME in terms of management structure
(personal involvement of the owner or family-owned, for example).
Finally, statistical definitions of SMEs often differ from those used for policy
implementation purposes; for example, although a firm with 600 employees may not
be regarded as an SME for statistical purposes, it may still be able to gain access to
public support programmers designed for SMEs.
The main feature of an SME is that it is "not large", in the sense that an SME is not in
the core of the largest 10 or 20 per cent of firms in that market or industry. This leads
to a rough convention for categorizing SMEs:
• micro: 1 - 4 employees;
• very small: 5 - 19 employees;
• small: 20 - 99 employees; and
• medium: 100 - 500 employees. (OECD, 1999) (IASP, 2002)
SME: The EU definition of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises is as follows:
Companies which:
- have fewer than 250 employees and
- either have an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 40 million or an annual balance
sheet total not exceeding EUR 27 million and
- Are independent (i.e. other companies hold no more than 25 % of the capital or
voting rights). (European Union) (IASP, 2002)
New Economy: The New Economy is a paradigm founded on the set of interrelated
structural policies observed to achieve maximum sustainable growth, in which
networked information technologies dramatically increase the amount and value of
information available to individuals, firms, markets and governments, allowing them
IV
to act more efficiently and effectively, particularly when human resources are skilled
and flexible. This combination of policies, technologies, and human resources leads to
superior economic performance. (Mann / Rosen) (IASP, 2002)
Information Society: A society characterized by a high level of information intensity
in the everyday life of most citizens, in most organizations and workplaces; by the use
of common or compatible technology for a wide range of personal, social, educational
and business activities, and by the ability to transmit, receive and exchange digital
data rapidly between places irrespective of distance. (IBM)(IASP, 2002)
Entrepreneurial spin-off: When one or more individual/s is/are leaving an
organization (quitting his/her/their employment) with the intention to start a new firm
that is based on elements from the firm he/she/they is/are leaving, and where the
originating organization (the employer) does neither have a dominant influence in the
new firm according to ownership or power.( IASP, 2002)
Seed capital: or start-up funds... their aim is to provide capital for innovative firms.
They participate in the initial financing of start-up companies, before they have
marketed their products or developed their technology. (French Ministry of Research)
(IASP, 2002)
Business Support Services: Business support services are "those services,
originating in a public policy initiative, that aim to assist enterprises or entrepreneurs
to develop their business activity successfully and to respond effectively to the
challenges of their business, social and physical environment". (CEC) (IASP, 2002)
Industrial cluster: Clusters are networks of interdependent firms, knowledgeproducing institutions (universities, research institutes, and technology-providing
firms), bridging institutions (e.g. providers of technical or consultancy services) and
customers, linked in a production chain which creates added value. The concept of
cluster goes beyond that of firm networking, as it captures all forms of knowledge
sharing and exchange.( OECD, 1999) (IASP, 2002)
Knowledge spillover: Working on similar things and hence benefiting much from
each other’s research. (Griliches, 1998) (IASP, 2002)
Knowledge region: A Knowledge region is a territorial unit with abundant human
and social capital, containing structures, organizations and people actively engaged in
generating [social and economic] development through science, technology and
innovation, and whose interaction achieves a high concentration of technology-based
firms and highly skilled knowledge workers and entrepreneurs. (Luis Sanz, 2001)
(IASP, 2002)
Business Angels: are defined as private investors, also called informal investors, who
invest in unquoted small and medium sized businesses. They are often businessmen
and women who have sold their business, and provide not only finance but also their
experience and their business skills to the entrepreneurs with whom they are in
.contact (EBAN (European Business Angels Network)) (IASP, 2002)
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