Regional Industrial Renewal: The Growth of 'Antenna Technology' in West Sweden

The article analyses how a technical knowledge field ('antenna technology') is developed and exploited in a region (West Sweden). To identify regional actors, the paper outlines a way of delineating a technical knowledge field and its changes over time. Drawing on this, an historical account is given of the international and the regional development, focusing on the changing and expanding nature of industries and markets (from military to civilian applications) and technologies. The paper emphasizes the long regional history, providing experience, which together with a number of diversifications, has given regional actors a platform from which to exploit the growing economic utility of the technical knowledge. It is also shown why some applications have not been exploited in the region.